Becky Hill’s ghostwriter says he’s not surprised by Murdaugh retrial order

HAMPTON COUNTY, S.C. (WTOC) - The man who helped write former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill’s book says he’s not surprised the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Alex Murdaugh’s murder conviction.

Neil Gordon, who ghostwrote Hill’s book about the nationally watched trial, says Hill believed from early on that Murdaugh was guilty.

“She was convinced, and she said in our book, that she looked into the eyes of the other jurors and she just knew that they were going to convict him,” Gordon said.

The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled Hill’s conduct during the Murdaugh murder trial crossed the line and denied Murdaugh a fair trial.

“I wasn’t surprised at all because I carefully watched the Supreme Court justices and the tone and the way that they asked questions about Becky,” Gordon said.

Defense claims about book sales

Defense attorneys argued Hill wanted a guilty verdict because it would help book sales. Gordon says they never directly discussed that, but now understands.

“I could see in her mind how that could have been true,” Gordon said.

Gordon says he eventually cut ties with Hill after she admitted to plagiarizing part of the book they worked on together. The book was later unpublished.

Questions about finding impartial jury

With prosecutors expected to retry the case, Gordon says public fascination with the Murdaugh saga hasn’t gone away.

“There’s really no way escaping it. You may have friends that would chatter about it and ask the opinion. It just impacted so many folks,” Gordon said.

Gordon questioned whether finding an impartial jury in the Lowcountry may be possible.

“I think Walterboro has gone through enough. I can’t possibly see how they can find an impartial jury in Colleton County. I would suggest moving it as far away from the Lowcountry as possible,” Gordon said.

The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office says it intends to retry Murdaugh as quickly as possible, though legal experts say the new trial may still be months away. No retrial date has been set at this time.