Murdaugh defense team files new affidavit in support of new murder trial

COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - Alex Murdaugh’s defense team has submitted new evidence to the court on Monday as they continue to push for a new murder trial.

Attorneys tracked down Timothy Stone according to new court documents, the creator of the post they believe led to the unfair dismissal of a juror in the murder trial.

Stone lives in Odum, Georgia, more than 130 miles south of Walterboro. He also happens to share a similar name to juror 785′s ex-husband, Tim Stone. In their initial filing, the defense claimed the Colleton County clerk of court Becky Hill “invented a story about a Facebook post to remove a juror she believed might vote not guilty” among other accusations of jury tampering.

READ MORE: Murdaugh defense ‘very optimistic’ about trial amid jury tampering allegations

The Stone who made the post on February 15th states in his affidavit he’s never been married to the dismissed juror and that the post was about his wife’s aunt “sticking her nose in my business” which was unrelated to the case. He deleted the post and posted a public apology the next day.

Hill told the court, according to court records, that the original post said something about an ex-wife being on the jury and how she predicted the case would turn out.

Juror 785, who was dismissed at the last minute in connection to this reported post, stated that Hill had confronted her about it and also directly asked her how she intended to vote.

The juror denied any contact with her ex and stated she had not yet made up her mind.

The new filing does not address the state’s concerns from late last week that there are both “significant factual disputes” and procedural defects in the defense’s argument for a new trial.

READ MORE: Prosecutors respond to Murdaugh request for new murder trial

Later this week, Murdaugh will be back in federal court where he is expected to plead guilty to all 22 financial fraud charges he is facing.

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