Augusta, GA

Augusta co-author of Murdaugh book reacts to case against ex-official

Published

2 years ago

June 3, 2024

Augusta co-author of Murdaugh book reacts to case against ex-official

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – An Augustan is reacting to allegations against a former official in South Carolina who plagiarized parts of a book she co-authored with him.

Becky Hill, the former Colleton County clerk of court who served during the Alex Murdaugh murder trial is accused of 76 ethics violations, according to documents from the State Ethics Commission.

Neil Gordon, publisher of the Augusta Business Daily, co-authored a book with Hill on the Alex Murdaugh murder case.

One complaint against Hill alleges she provided confidential information in the form of a photograph of an inmate in a Colleton County Courthouse holding cell to promote the sale of a book and filmed a promotional segment with the Walterboro Chamber of Commerce president for her book in her office at the courthouse, documents state.

A second complaint alleges 74 ethics violations, including 71 counts of use of her official position for financial gain, two counts of use of her official position for financial gain for business with which she is associated and one count of use or disclosure of confidential information.

The count involving the disclosure of confidential information alleges she provided someone with whom she was associated a photograph of an inmate in the courthouse’s holding cell. It is not clear whether that was the same incident alleged in the other complaint or was a separate one.

The two counts of use of her official position for the financial gain of a business with which she was associated allege she authorized checks that were issued to a business with which she was associated for a total of $750.

Of the remaining 71 counts of use of official position for financial gain in the second complaint, she is accused of directing payments be made to reimburse her for the purchase of items that included meals for herself and guests, drinks, snacks, gifts for clerk of court and courtroom employees; office decor; and birthday gifts and meals for family members.

She’s also accused of diverting DSS child support incentive funds to give herself multiple bonus checks that total $9,880. Laura Hayes, her former deputy clerk, texted her asking about this saying “[you] don’t need to go to jail for une

Gordon, Hill’s co-author on “Behind The Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders,” issued the following statement about the South Carolina Ethics Commission’s allegations:

“My wife Melissa and I spoke to ethics commission investigators for several hours about our business relationship with Becky. They were very interested in the picture she texted us of Alex Murdaugh in his jail cell. This morning, the lead investigator informed us we may be called to testify at the December hearing. We are ready and willing to do so if called.”

He said he wrote this in his new book, “Trial Watchers”:

Melissa and I both signed affidavits that we received the photo from Becky Hill, but she did not instruct us to place the photo on social media or in Behind the Doors of Justice.

This author decided to post the photo on Facebook in late May / early June 2023, but after concerns about how the photo was acquired, privacy issues, and so on, it was not placed in the book.

We turned over our text messages related to conversations between Becky and the Gordons. Though it appears she did violate her code of conduct in utilizing her position to acquire and send a protected photo, it is unlikely any serious action will be taken because she had no intent to utilize the photo to earn money’

“The truth is Becky told me to take the picture down after I posted it to social media,” Gordon said. “Ethics investigators told us that’s an important distinction because the law clearly states a violation occurred only if the public official’s intent was to misuse her position for economic gain.”

From left: Becky Hill and Neil Gordon(Contributed)

He continued: “We continue to vehemently deny allegations Becky gave my wife special treatment, allowing her to skip the line of trial watchers to take pictures in the courthouse. As we’ve stated before, Melissa only attended the trial for a few days, didn’t take pictures inside the courthouse during the trial, and didn’t meet Becky until it was nearly over.”

He said that up until Dec. 22, 2023, he had fiercely defended Hill’s integrity and character.

“That’s when I discovered her deception in plagiarizing a full chapter of our book. Her major lapse in judgment makes me wonder if she was worthy of the public trust. Often in these cases, the truth is somewhere in the middle,” Gordon said.

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Augusta, GA

Another portion of Augusta Canal towpath is reopening to public

Published

5 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Another portion of Augusta Canal towpath is reopening to public

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Another section of the Augusta Canal towpath is reopening after being closed since Hurricane Helene.

The storm on Sept. 27, 2024, left the path strewn with debris as broken branches hung precarously overhead.

On Friday, the path will reopen between the raw water pump station and the Interstate 20 bridge.

In preparation, crews have made safety improvements along the previously closed section of the trail.

Visitors are asked to observe all posted signs and stay behind safety barriers.

Embankment repairs have been delayed, but will take place in the future.

Once repair work begins, portions of the towpath will be temporarily closed at various times. Advance notice will be shared with the public before any closures.

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Augusta, GA

Augusta budget approved, but battle could rage on

Published

17 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Augusta budget approved, but battle could rage on

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Greg Costello is getting his steps in at Diamond Lakes, and he thinks Augusta took the right step on the budget.

“I like that, that’s good. That was probably something that was needed right,” said Greg Costello.

Commissioners approved the 2026 budget without a tax increase. Instead, there’s a 5 percent cut to city departments and the elimination of funding for some non-government organizations.

“For this budget and we went through line item by line item through the budget we had to make some difficult decisions to make cuts,” said Mayor Pro-Tem Wayne Guilfoyle.

At Diamond Lakes, those cuts will likely be felt.

MACH Academy Inc., the nationally recognized tennis mentoring program, is losing $200,000 in funding, and a 5 percent cut to Recreation that maintains it, creates worries.

“Yes, I am, because I think parks are very well needed,” said Costello.

Commissioners can make changes to the budget at any time, and some would like that instead of the cuts.

“We have a responsibility to support programs that help our kids stay out of trouble to help our community stay healthy and strong, to help add quality of life and museums and things of that nature,” said Commissioner Jordan Johnson.

“The only other option we have is to raise taxes to fund the NGOs. As a steward of the taxpayers, I can not do that,” said Guilfoyle.

It was a battle getting next year’s budget approved. Expect another one if there’s a move to amend it.

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Augusta, GA

Augusta nonprofits unite to raise $200K for medical supply center

Published

1 day ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Augusta nonprofits unite to raise 0K for medical supply center

AUGUSTA, Ga (WJBF)- Two local nonprofit groups are teaming up to expand their mission to provide medical equipment to those in need.

Cutter’s Resource Closet and Sons of Consolation Ministries collect, refurbish and distribute used medical equipment to people who can’t afford it.

“We see roughly around anywhere around about 100 people. And we only operate for 4 hours one day a week,” explained Cutter Mitchell of Cutter’s Resource Closet. “Through that time, we’ve given out about $1,000,000 worth of equipment and supplies. And these are just growing. I mean, we’re at capacity. We literally can’t do more without more.”

The two organizations have been working together for some time. Now they are partnering to raise a total of $200,000 to buy, renovate and operate a full-time community medical resource center in Augusta.

“Really what we’re trying to do is have a central location to be able to distribute the medical supplies and equipment. But more than that, connect people with resources,” said Mitchell.

They told NewsChannel 6 the new center will help them do even more for the community.

“Here, we also are looking at adding a couple of things that we’re not presently doing, like some exam rooms to do, just basic health screening and maybe some minor wound care,” said Don Cummings, Sons of Consolation Ministries. “Because a lot of people, they’re just not being taken care of because they won’t or don’t go to the doctor or can’t afford it or whatever. So we’re really looking for this to be a supplement to what we started.”

So far, they’ve raised about $60,000. Now they’re asking for the community’s help and generosity to get the center up and running.

“I’ve often thought the right thing to do, right, is not what you could do, not what you want to do, but it’s what you should do. And it often isn’t easy, often comes at a cost to you personally. But that’s why it’s called the right thing to do,” said Mitchell.

“You know, every little bit helps. You know, a lot of times people, they feel like they don’t have enough to make a difference or they just don’t know where to send it. And I believe that this is a good cause,” Cummings added.

If you are in need of medical equipment or have equipment you would like to donate, just go to the websites for either Sons of Consolation Ministries or Cutter’s Resource Closet to find out how they can help.

If you are interested in contributing financially to the capital campaign, the organizations have a GoFundMe set up.

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