South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed a Colleton County Clerk of Court to replace Becky Hill following her resignation.
On Tuesday night, McMaster issued an executive order appointing Patricia C. Grant as the Colleton County Clerk of Court, a position which is expected to start immediately.
In the executive order, McMaster cited state law that "in the event of a vacancy in the office of a county clerk of court, the governor is authorized to appoint a suitable person, who shall be an elector of the county, to serve as clerk of court."
Grant will serve until the next general election on Nov. 5, 2024, or if a suitable successor is found and a special election will be held to fill the seat.
According to a press release, Grant is a resident of Walterboro and was previously the Colleton County Clerk of Court for 20 years until she retired in 2020.
Grant was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest civilian honor, in October 2021 for her forty-plus decades of service to Colleton County.
Hill’s resignation came after the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) launched two criminal investigations into Hill for allegations of jury tampering and misuse of office.
Hill’s attorney, Justin Bamberg, said her resignation was not due to the investigations but that she wanted more time to spend with family. During a news conference, Bamberg added her decision wasn’t about an investigation but was for the people of the county.
Hill served as Clerk of Court during the Alex Murdaugh double-murder trial, where the former Lowcountry attorney was convicted of the murder of his wife and son. Hill was in charge of the six-week trial and read the guilty verdicts. She later went on to write a tell-all book about her time during the trial.
