South Carolina court clerk pleads guilty to sharing sealed photos with press

Mary Rebecca “Becky” Hill, a former court clerk who helped manage the high-profile murder trial of prominent attorney Alex Murdaugh, was arrested and charged in Walterboro, South Carolina, on May 14, 2025, with sharing court information under seal with a reporter.

Hill was also charged with two counts of misconduct in office and one count, in nearby Richland County, of lying under oath about sharing the sealed photos. On Dec. 8, Hill pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation.

Hill had served as the clerk of court for Colleton County, where Murdaugh was tried and convicted in 2023 for murdering his wife and son. Her role included managing the media, witnesses, attorneys and jurors for a case that drew widespread attention.

Hill published a book about the trial months after its conclusion. This drew scrutiny from state officials and Murdaugh’s attorneys, who alleged that she engaged in improper behavior, including tampering with the jury and using her position for personal gain.

South Carolina’s attorney general appointed a special prosecutor, Rick Hubbard, to probe Hill’s actions in connection with the Murdaugh trial, local news outlet The State reported. She was also investigated by the state’s ethics commission.

According to news reports and court records reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, Hill was charged with obstruction of justice for sharing “sealed evidence” photographs with a third party or parties, in violation of a court order. The reporter was not identified in court documents or in the media.

In addition, she was charged with two counts of misconduct in office related to allegations that she awarded herself nearly $12,000 in unapproved bonuses and used her office to promote her book. She resigned as clerk of court in March 2024.

Hill’s perjury charge stemmed from allegations that she lied under oath at a January 2024 hearing in Columbia, S.C., where she denied sharing the sealed photos with the press. In that hearing, a judge denied Murdaugh’s request for a new trial based on allegations that Hill had tampered with the jury, finding that Hill’s actions did not affect the jury’s decision.

Hill was released on bail after her May court appearances.

At Hill’s Dec. 8 sentencing hearing, Hubbard, the special prosecutor, said that a journalist told investigators that the former clerk showed graphic crime scene photos to several media members, The Associated Press reported. He did not identify the journalist.

Hubbard added that the photos briefly appeared online, and that the images’ metadata matched with a time when Hill was in the locked room they were stored in, according to records from Hill’s courthouse key card.

At that hearing, South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Heath Taylor sentenced Hill to three years of probation and 100 hours of community service, according to court records and media reports.

Hill also paid $11,880 as restitution for bonuses in state and federal money she had given herself.

“There is no excuse for my mistakes. I am ashamed of them, and I will carry that shame with me for the rest of my life,” Hill said.

Will Lewis, Hill’s attorney, did not respond to a request for comment.