1 00:00:01,400 --> 00:00:04,440 Speaker 1: Crime Alert. I'm Nancy Grace, breaking crimes now. The former 2 00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:08,160 Speaker 1: South Carolina Colleton County Clerk of Court on the murder 3 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:11,960 Speaker 1: trial of Alex Murdog Becky Hill, pleads guilty to showing 4 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:15,080 Speaker 1: sealed court exhibits to a photographer and lying about it 5 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:19,240 Speaker 1: in court. Judge Heath Taylor sentences Hill to three years probation, 6 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 1: explaining our sentence would be much harsher if it were 7 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 1: ever proof she tampered with the jury. That has not 8 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 1: been proven. Jennifer Gould has the details. 9 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:34,839 Speaker 2: Nancy, the woman whose distinctive trembling voice delivered the guilty 10 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:39,479 Speaker 2: verdict that sealed Alex Murdall's fate, stood before a circuit 11 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 2: judge admitting she secretly handed a photographer the sealed, blood 12 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 2: soaked photos of his slaughtered wife and son, then lied 13 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:53,560 Speaker 2: about it under oath. Former Collection County Clerk of Court, 14 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:58,920 Speaker 2: Becky Hill, fifty eight, tearfully pleaded guilty to four felonies, 15 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 2: two counts of misconduct in office, obstruction of justice, and 16 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 2: perjury for slipping the graphic kennel crime scene images to 17 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 2: media in twenty twenty three and swearing she never did 18 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 2: it during Murda's failed bid for a new trial. 19 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 1: Circuit. 20 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:18,920 Speaker 2: Judge Heath Taylor spared her a single day though behind bars, 21 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 2: sentencing her instead to three years probation and one hundred 22 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,440 Speaker 2: hours of community service, stating, quote, your sentence would have 23 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 2: been much harsher if we had found jury tampering end quote. 24 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 2: Confirming the investigation cleared Hill of swaying the twenty twenty 25 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 2: three jury that convicted Murda of murdering Maggie fifty two 26 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:47,280 Speaker 2: and Paul twenty two. The disgraced clerk's misconduct extended beyond 27 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 2: the courthouse secrets. Hill also admitted to pocketing eleven thousand 28 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 2: dollars in unauthorized county bonuses and exploiting her position to 29 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 2: profit from her rushed out book on the case called 30 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 2: Behind the Doors of Justice. Reading the guilty verdict made 31 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:10,240 Speaker 2: her famous. Leaking the photos and lying about it just 32 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 2: made her a convicted felon. Flanked by her husband and lawyer, 33 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 2: Hill spoke to the court, Listen, there is. 34 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 1: No excuse for my mistakes. 35 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:23,399 Speaker 2: I am ashamed of them, and I will carry that shame. 36 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:25,240 Speaker 1: With me for the rest of my life. 37 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:30,880 Speaker 2: The conviction immediately drew fire from Murdoch's defense team. Attorney 38 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 2: Dick Harpoutlian fired off a statement questioning the integrity of 39 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 2: the jury tampering hearing, saying, quote, if Becky admittedly committed 40 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 2: perjury in the jury tampering hearing, what else did she 41 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:49,400 Speaker 2: lie about? End quote? The disgraced legal sigh On fifty 42 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 2: six is already serving life without parole for the murders 43 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 2: and another twenty seven years for stealing millions from clients. 44 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:02,240 Speaker 2: His appeal reaches the South Carolina Supreme Court in February, 45 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:07,839 Speaker 2: and Hill's newly minted felony conviction is fresh potent ammunition 46 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:11,680 Speaker 2: for his defense. Hill walked out of the Calhoun County 47 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 2: court room of felon but a free woman as Murdochs 48 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 2: fight rages on. For the latest crime and Justice news, 49 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 2: follow Crime Stories with Nancy Grace on your favorite podcast app. 50 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 2: You can also watch Crime Stories with Nancy Grace on 51 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 2: Fox one and YouTube. Nancy, Thanks Jennifer. More Crime and 52 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 2: Justice news. After this, a world renowned opera singer's voice 53 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:44,920 Speaker 2: that once filled grand halls with spiritual grace fell silent 54 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 2: forever in a shocking family bloodbath. Grammy nominated opera baritone 55 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 2: Jubilant Sykes was found butchered inside his own California home, 56 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 2: allegedly by his own son. Family friend Sammy Murphy spoke 57 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:03,520 Speaker 2: to Fox eleven News. 58 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 1: And it's sad. It's really sad. It's sad for both party, 59 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:09,120 Speaker 1: especially his sign. 60 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 2: How why would you shoot your dad? Matt, the seventy 61 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 2: one year old musical icon who earned a Grammy nomination 62 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 2: for his role in Leonard Bernstein's Mass and gracefully commanded 63 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 2: the stages of the Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall, was 64 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:28,480 Speaker 2: discovered by police with multiple stab wounds following a desperate 65 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 2: nine one one call reporting an assault in progress. Sikes's 66 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:36,160 Speaker 2: wife alerted authorities around nine to nineteen pm to the 67 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:40,800 Speaker 2: family home on Delaware Avenue in the usually tranquiled Pico 68 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 2: neighborhood of Santa Monica. What officers encountered was a blood 69 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 2: soaked nightmare. Sikes gravely injured and pronounced dead at the 70 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:54,520 Speaker 2: scene by the Santa Monica Fire Department personnel. The suspected perpetrator, 71 00:04:54,839 --> 00:04:58,680 Speaker 2: thirty one year old Micah Sikes, was found inside the 72 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:03,200 Speaker 2: home and was taken into custody without incident. This immediate 73 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 2: arrest has done little to quell the profound shock rippling 74 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:11,600 Speaker 2: through the artistic community and the Cavalry Baptist Church, where 75 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:18,599 Speaker 2: Sykes remained deeply connected despite his international acclaim having collaborated 76 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:23,200 Speaker 2: with legends like Josh Groban and Carlos Santana. A weapon 77 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:26,359 Speaker 2: was recovered at the scene, and police have classified the 78 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 2: homicide as an isolated domestic incident. Neighbors told local media 79 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:36,120 Speaker 2: that Micah, who lived with his parents, allegedly struggled with 80 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:40,560 Speaker 2: severe mental health issues. No prior calls to police to 81 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:44,400 Speaker 2: the address have surfaced in public records. The events leading 82 00:05:44,480 --> 00:05:48,960 Speaker 2: up to the vicious fatal stabbing remain unclear. Micah Sikes 83 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:52,520 Speaker 2: has been booked for homicide, The accused killer remains locked 84 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:58,240 Speaker 2: up on a two million dollar bail. And finally, someone's 85 00:05:58,279 --> 00:06:02,360 Speaker 2: about to be in hot water after cops intercepted a 86 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:06,320 Speaker 2: drone loaded with the makings of an insane crab boil 87 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:11,200 Speaker 2: feast and a side of serious contraband over lee Correctional 88 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:15,360 Speaker 2: Institution in South Carolina. The high flying delivery was packed 89 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:21,640 Speaker 2: with King crab legs, steak, old bas seasonings, two big 90 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:24,679 Speaker 2: bags of weed, and two cartons of cigarettes. A true 91 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:28,240 Speaker 2: surf and turf smuggling operation. If you will officers were 92 00:06:28,279 --> 00:06:32,480 Speaker 2: ready and waiting, grounding the aerial delivery just before the 93 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:35,719 Speaker 2: inmates could catch a break with their black market dinner. 94 00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:39,280 Speaker 2: The prison equipped the inmates were probably a little bit 95 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:43,840 Speaker 2: crabby after the bust. This illegal air mail service tried 96 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:47,160 Speaker 2: to give the jailbirds a holiday feast, but instead the 97 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:52,320 Speaker 2: drone and its illicit fixens are now simply on ice Nancy. 98 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:55,279 Speaker 1: For the latest crime injustice needs, go to crime online 99 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 1: dot com and please join us for our daily podcast, 100 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:02,640 Speaker 1: Crime Stories, where we've done our best to fine missing people, 101 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:08,080 Speaker 1: especially children, and help solve unsolved homicides. With this crime alert, 102 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:09,120 Speaker 1: I'm Nancy Grace.