A former South Carolina court clerk pleaded guilty Monday in connection with showing sealed court exhibits related to the murder trial of disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh to a photographer and lying about it in court.

Mary Rebecca “Becky” Hill, who served as the court clerk in Colleton County, pleaded guilty to four charges — obstruction of justice and perjury for showing a reporter photographs that were sealed court exhibits and then lying about it, plus two counts of misconduct in office for taking bonuses and promoting a book she wrote on the trial through her public office. 

“There is no excuse for the mistakes I made. I’m ashamed of them and will carry that shame the rest of my life,” Hill said in a statement read to the court.

She was sentenced to three years of probation.

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Her sentence would have been much harsher had evidence surfaced that she tampered with the murder trial, Judge Heath Taylor told Hill. 

During Murdaugjh’s murder trial, Hill was responsible for taking care of the jury, overseeing exhibits and assisting the judge. Murdaugh was eventually convicted of murdering his wife and son after a six-week trial, which drew nationwide attention.

Murdaugh’s lawyers said Hill tried to influence jurors to vote guilty and that she was biased against Murdaugh because of her book.

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Solicitor Rick Hubbard told the judge that a journalist informed investigators that Hill showed graphic crime scene photos to several media members.

He did not name the journalist.

The photos were posted online, and the metadata from the images matched a time when Hill’s courthouse key card indicated she was inside the locked room where the photos were kept, Hubbard said.

Hill resigned in March 2024. One of the charges against her stemmed from money prosecutors said she took for herself. She brought a check to court on Monday to repay nearly $10,000.

Journalist Neil Gordon who worked with Hill on “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders” and previously accused her of plagiarism, commented on Hill’s plea to Fox News Digital.

“I appreciate seeing Becky step up and take responsibility for her actions, including the charge of misconduct in office, as it was directly related to the book I co-authored with her,” he said in a statement. “The specific instance was her decision to arrange a “Facebook Live” from her clerk’s office with the Colleton County Chamber of Commerce solely to promote our book.”

“The fact that it occurred during the workday showed boldness, poor judgement, and frankly ignorance of the oath she took as an elected official.,” he added. “Sadly, poor judgement around our book had been a pattern for Becky, as we later learned she plagiarized its preface.”

Meanwhile, Murdaugh is also serving a prison sentence for stealing money from his family’s law firm and client settlements.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to Murdaugh’s attorney.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Florida is designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday. 

The move mirrors a similar action taken by Texas in which Gov. Greg Abbott designated the CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations.

“Florida agencies are hereby directed to undertake all lawful measures to prevent unlawful activities by these organizations, including denying privileges or resources to anyone providing material support,” DeSantis wrote on X. 

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The governor’s order said the Muslim Brotherhood has long engaged in and supported violence, political assassinations and terror attacks on civilians with the intent of establishing a worldwide Islamic caliphate. 

It also said the group, as well as Hamas have active fundraising arms in the United States. 

SCATHING REPORT CALLS ON US TO LABEL ISLAMIST GROUP INFILTRATING ALL ASPECTS OF AMERICAN LIFE AS TERRORIST ORG

The order said CAIR, which was created to challenge stereotypes against Islam and Muslims, has had individuals associated with it that have been convicted of providing and aspiring to provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations. 

In a post on X, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said: “Great news! Thanks for this important Executive Order, Governor. We are ready to support!”

A joint statement by CAIR and its Florida chapter said the DeSantis administration has prioritized serving their interest of the Israeli government over the people of the state. 

“He diverted millions in Florida taxpayer dollars to the Israeli government’s bonds. He threatened to shut down every Florida college’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, only to back off when CAIR sued him in federal court,” the statement said. “Like Greg Abbott in Texas, Ron DeSantis is an Israel First politician who wants to smear and silence Americans, especially American Muslims, critical of U.S. support for Israel’s war crimes. Governor DeSantis knows full well that CAIR-Florida is an American civil rights organization that has spent decades advancing free speech, religious freedom, and justice for all, including for the Palestinian people. That’s precisely why Governor DeSantis is targeting our civil rights group with this unconstitutional and defamatory proclamation.

“We look forward to defeating Governor DeSantis’ latest Israel First stunt in a court of law, where facts matter and conspiracy theories have no weight,” the groups added. “In the meantime, we encourage all Floridians and all Americans to speak up against this latest attempt to shred the Constitution for the benefit of a foreign government.”

Florida’s designation is at the state level. It doesn’t carry the legal force of a federal Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) listing, which only the U.S. State Department can issue. 

In Texas, Muslim and interfaith leaders have demanded that Abott reverse his proclamation regarding CAIR. In a lawsuit against Texas over the governor’s declaration, CAIR argued that it violates both the U.S. Constitution and state law.

The order violates its First Amendment rights and due-process protections, CAIR said, arguing that the state overstepped its authority because terrorism designations fall under federal, not state, jurisdiction.

The mother of murdered Florida teenager Danika Troy says her 14-year-old daughter was lured into the woods by one of the boys now charged with killing her, a teen she believed had romantic feelings for her.

In an interview with the New York Post, Ashley Troy said 16-year-old Gabriel Williams “pretended to have feelings for her,” leading Danika to trust him enough to follow him into the wooded trail where she was ambushed. 

“That’s how she was lured,” she said.

Williams and 14-year-old Kimahri Blevins have both been charged with first-degree premeditated murder in Danika’s death.

FAMILIES CLAIM TEEN MURDER SUSPECT WAS ‘PLOTTING’ DEADLY HIT-AND-RUN FOR MONTHS BEFORE KILLING TWO GIRLS

Ashley said she is still desperate for answers. “I still need answers. I’m just left asking why,” she told the outlet. “She just wanted to be in love.”

Danika was reported missing by her mother on Dec. 1. The next day, a passerby discovered her body in a wooded area in Pace, a community in Florida’s Panhandle. Investigators said she had been shot multiple times and set on fire.

Authorities quickly identified the alleged killers, two teens who knew Danika from school, and took them into custody.

MOTHER SAYS ALLEGED STALKER WHO KILLED HER DAUGHTER SHOULD BE TRIED AS AN ADULT

Detectives initially believed the murder may have stemmed from a social-media dispute over Thanksgiving break. According to the sheriff’s office, the boys claimed they targeted Danika because she had blocked Blevins on social media and called Williams “worthless and a gang banger.”

Ashley rejected that narrative. “What those boys said is an excuse,” she told the Post.

Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson confirmed Thursday that Danika’s body had been positively identified and said investigators rapidly zeroed in on Williams and Blevins. Both suspects had prior “run-ins” with law enforcement, he said, though details were not released because of their ages.

TEEN MURDER SUSPECT ALLEGEDLY SWATTED VICTIM’S HOME WEEKS BEFORE DEADLY HIT-AND-RUN: LAWYER

Johnson described the killing in stark terms. 

“This is where it gets really horrific,” he said, explaining that Williams allegedly stole his mother’s handgun before shooting Danika. “It’s bad enough you kill a 14-year-old. You’re 14. You’re 16. Shoot her multiple times, and then they set her on fire.”

The motive for the killing remains unclear. Johnson said the explanations the teens offered “don’t fit the forensics or any facts of the case,” adding, “so we don’t have a legit motive.”

REPEAT OFFENDER ALLEGEDLY KILLS 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL, HAS CRIMINAL HISTORY DATING BACK TO 2000: OFFICIALS

Both suspects remain held without bond at the Department of Juvenile Justice on first-degree murder charges. Prosecutors are coordinating with investigators as they determine whether the teens will be charged as adults.

“If you do an adult crime, you gotta do adult time,” Johnson said.

Ashley previously said she believes “evil influence” played a role in her daughter’s killing, but she wants accountability. She said she wants “nothing less than for them to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office for comment, but did not immediately receive a response. 

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.