Jonathan Turley says Murdaugh lawyers' motion for retrial must be taken seriously by judge

Constitutional law attorney Jonathan Turley joined "America's Newsroom" Wednesday to react to Alex Murdaugh's attorneys seeking a retrial and said the allegations of jury tampering should be taken "very seriously."

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JONATHAN TURLEY: I have to say, I've been watching trials a long time. I was basically a criminal defense attorney in past years, I haven't seen evidence like this in many cases. This is, in terms of the jury tampering allegations, this is pretty serious. I mean, the juries are really kept in this highly protected cocoon in the court. What is being alleged here by [clerk Rebecca] Hill goes well beyond the pale. I think that the court has no choice but to take this very seriously and to hold a hearing.

Alex Murdaugh is led into Colleton County courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina on Tuesday, January 31, 2023. Murdaugh is on trial for the double slaying of Murdaugh’s son, Paul, and wife, Maggie, in June 2021. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital )

Lawyers for Alex Murdaugh requested a new trial Tuesday in an explosive motion filed in Columbia, South Carolina, that alleges the court clerk tampered with jurors so she could secure a book deal.

Colleton County Court Clerk Rebecca Hill penned the memoir "Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders," which hit bookstores Aug. 1.

Hill pressured jurors to "reach a quick verdict" and had "frequent private conversations with the jury foreperson" to sway the panel toward a guilty verdict, attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin wrote in the filing.

"Ms. Hill did these things to secure for herself a book deal and media appearances that would not happen in the event of a mistrial," the filing says. "Ms. Hill betrayed her oath of office for money and fame."

Fox News' Rebecca Rosenberg contributed to this report

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