Dec. 26 (UPI) — The author of a true crime book about the convicted killer Alex Murdaugh has accused the court clerk that oversaw the trial of plagiarizing a 12-page section that she wrote for the book’s preface.
Becky Hill, the clerk, allegedly admitted to co-author Neil Gordon that she plagiarized a 12-page section of the book from a BBC reporter without Gordon’s knowledge. Gordon said he confronted Hill after the BBC reporter shared the passage along with an article they had written.
“When I confronted Becky about this, she admitted she plagiarized the passage due to deadline pressures,” Gordon said . “As a veteran journalist myself, I cannot excuse her behavior, nor can I condone it.”
Gordon said he was “blindsided” by the revelation and has stopped sales of the book he co-wrote with Hill, Behind the Doors of Justice: the Murdaugh Murders.
Hill is also at the center of Murdaugh’s push for a new trial. Attorneys for Murdaugh claim that Hill tampered with the jury.
Hill is serving her first term as the Colleton County, S.C., court clerk.
Murdaugh was convicted in a South Carolina court for the 2021 murders of his wife Margaret and adult son Paul in March. He has maintained his innocence and is sentenced to life in prison.
In an unrelated case, Murdaugh pleaded guilty to 22 federal financial fraud counts. He was charged with defrauding clients of millions of dollars. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison for these crimes.
