A South Carolina judge on Monday denied the request of convicted killer Alex Murdaugh for a new murder trial, ruling that a clerk of court made improper comments to jurors but that they did not have any effect on their guilty verdict.

After Murdaugh, a prominent South Carolina attorney, was convicted in March 2023 of gunning down his wife and son in 2021, his attorneys requested a new trial, alleging in September that Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Becky Hill made references to Murdaughs guilt to members of the jury and pressured them to reach a verdict quickly.

As a result of the allegations, the jurors were called back to court to answer specific questions from Judge Jean Toal, the retired chief justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court.

One of the jurors, identified by the judge as Juror Z, who initially found Murdaugh guilty, testified Monday that her decision had been influenced by Hill. In a previous affidavit, however, she said that the pressure she felt came from other jurors.

Toal characterized Juror Zs testimony as ambivalent and said that any pressure from fellow jurors is a normal give-and-take of jury deliberations.

Hill, who testified after the jurors, was unequivocal when questioned by prosecutor Creighton Waters.

I did not have a conversation with any juror about anything related to this case, she stated.

Toal said that she didnt find Hills account completely credible but didnt believe fleeting and foolish comments warranted a new trial.

Miss Hill was attracted by the siren call of celebrity, Toal said, suggesting that Hills judgment might have been clouded by her plans to write a book about the case.

Toal was appointed to oversee the hearings after Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman, who presided over Murdaughs murder trial and sentenced him to two consecutive life sentences, recused himself. Hill, in her elected role of clerk of court, had read aloud the jurors verdicts on March 2, 2023, as people around the world watched the livestream for what was sometimes called the trial of the century. Interest in the case involving the wealthy family was further heightened by television series and podcasts.

Toals patience was tested early in the proceedings when she learned from the bailiff that some jurors were playing a livestream of the proceedings on their cellphones in the jury room and could hear Juror Zs testimony. She addressed it in her brief questions to each juror, who all said it did not affect their testimony.

Murdaugh, wearing a white T-shirt under an orange prison uniform, took notes and consulted with his lawyers, sometimes smiling and laughing with them. He was expressionless as Toal delivered her ruling.