Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh was denied a new trial even after a juror testified that her decision to find him guilty was influenced by a county clerk who wanted to write a book about the case. Murdaugh‚ 55‚ was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without parole for the 2021 murders of his wife Maggie and youngest son Paul. His attorneys have argued that he deserves a new trial because Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill unduly influenced jurors in order to get a book deal. On Thursday‚ South Carolina Judge Jean Toal denied Murdaugh’s bid for a new trial while condemning Hill in her remarks about her ruling‚ CNN reported. Toal said Hill “attracted by the siren call of celebrity‚” and that she “wanted to write a book about the trial and expressed that as early as November 2022‚ long before the trial began.” Hill has denied the allegations against her‚ but Toal determined that Hill had told another clerk and others of “her desire for a guilty verdict because it would sell books.” “She made comments about Murdaugh’s demeanor as he testified and she made some of those comments before he testified to at least one and maybe more jurors‚” Toal said‚ according to CNN. “Did clerk of court Hill’s comments have any impact on the verdict of the jury? I find that the answer to this question is no.” Toal added that the jurors determined Murdaugh to be guilty “without fear or favor‚” but that Hill “allowed public attention of the moment to overcome her duty.” “I simply do not believe that the authority of our South Carolina Supreme Court requires a new trial in a very lengthy trial such as this on the strength of some fleeting and foolish comments by a publicity-influenced clerk of courts‚” Toal said‚ according to CNN. Toal further explained that she had personally interviewed each juror and that 11 of them said that they either hadn’t heard any comments from Hill or‚ of those who had‚ that those comments did not affect their judgment. The 12th juror‚ according to Toal‚ was “ambivalent” during testimony and only said she felt pressure from other jurors. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP That juror‚ according to NPR‚ testified that Hill made comments that indicated that Hill thought Murdaugh was guilty. Brian Entin‚ senior national correspondent for NewsNation‚ posted on X during the hearing that the juror “said her verdict WAS influenced by the clerk of court.” CBS reported that the juror‚ identified only as Juror Z‚ answered “Yes ma’am‚” when the judge asked if Hill’s comments affected her vote. The juror later told the judge that she stood by an earlier sworn affidavit that said the other jurors influenced her to vote guilty more than Hill’s comments. Entin also reported that jurors were watching the livestream of the hearing in the back room‚ which he said was “shocking.” “[T]hey were being called in one by one … and not supposed to hear what each other were saying or the arguments being made by the lawyers‚” Entin reported. “[J]udge says their cell phones have now been taken.” In his closing arguments‚ Murdaugh attorney Jim Griffin cited case law while arguing that any communication from court staff to jurors is considered prejudicial‚ and that the defense proved Hill had prejudicial communications with jurors. He argued that “one of those jurors says it influenced my verdict. How is that not prejudice?” Murdaugh has denied killing his wife and son‚ but pleaded guilty to various financial crimes and was sentenced to 27 years in prison. He still has appeals available for the murder convictions.

This story was submitted to InspireMore by Madison Loreli about her son‚ Waylon. Although 4-year-old Waylon is no longer with us‚ he’s still making a difference through organ donation. In fact‚ there are three kids out there who can say they owe their lives to the small boy! While Waylon’s family grieves his loss‚ they couldn’t be prouder of the impact he’s made. Now‚ they’re encouraging others to follow his example and become registered donors! Waylon Sam Pietz passed away on August 14‚ 2023‚ just days after his fourth birthday. According to News.com.au‚ his mother came home from work one day to find him under a fallen dresser. He was unconscious and not breathing. Doctors at London Hospital in Ontario‚ Canada‚ did everything they could‚ but the small child’s brain did not recover from the lack of oxygen. Screengrab from TikTok While on life support‚ Waylon’s mom‚ Madison‚ was asked if the family would consider signing the child up for organ donation. It became clear that her son wasn’t going to make it out of the hospital. So‚ she decided the best way to honor his memory would be to give other children the gift of life. Through organ donation‚ Waylon saved three lives! A nine-year-old girl is now thriving with the help of Waylon’s small intestine‚ while a boy of almost two received his liver. Perhaps the most beautifully symbolic transplant was that of the little hero’s heart‚ which now beats inside a baby less than one year old. Screengrab from TikTok “We know his soul will live on through the three children he saved by donating his organs‚” Madison wrote on TikTok. After seeing the difference her child’s organ donation made‚ Waylon’s mom is hoping to get more people to consider this life-saving gift. “I never thought I could see any light after what I experienced as a mother at 24 losing my son‚” Madison told InspireMore. “I never even thought of organ donation. My son died a hero saving 3 children. A nine-year-old girl with his small bowel‚ his liver and his heart is still beating in a baby boy under one.” Screengrab from TikTok She continued‚ “This whole experience has made me very involved in organ donation and awareness. I would like to honour Waylon and inspire other people to give the gift of life.” Madison is aiming to get 1‚000 people to register for organ donation here. As anyone who has received a successful transplant can tell you‚ this decision can make an incredible difference. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post “My Son Died A Hero.” 4-Yr-Old Saves Three Children’s Lives Through Organ Donation. appeared first on InspireMore.

Sofa covers might be a good option when you have a rambunctious golden retriever puppy. This is especially true if your puppy is a muddy little mess named Willow! In one fell swoop‚ Willow transformed a beautiful cream-colored sofa into a mottled‚ muddy couch with a very custom design. Image from TikTok. Not only did Willow track mud all over the sofa‚ but she got busy rubbing it in. She wanted to make sure it was properly ruined beautified. After her adventures‚ Dad did not look too impressed as he scooped the wayward pup into his arms. Image from TikTok. Older brother Archie looked on‚ wagging his tail as he passed the muddy couch. We can almost hear him laughing at his little sister. We’re sure he might have talked her into this prank. That is how big brothers roll‚ after all. Notice how clean Archie is. It’s almost like he knew better than to play in the mud. Image from TikTok. Golden retrievers have a mind of their own. Most of them like water and mud. It is no surprise that Willow took the opportunity to play outside and come in muddy. When they want to swim‚ they don’t always remember to ask permission. But a golden retriever is one of the friendliest and good-natured dogs you can own. Watch Willow in all her glory on the muddy couch. @courtneyandconstruction Willow strikes again! Who knew our couch doubled as a mud pit? Thank god for our @VAXcleanhome from @Bunnings ….it now looks brand bew! #MuddyCouchAdventures #petparentlife ♬ Originalton – S E T A The Muddy Golden Retriever And The Muddy Couch Both Got A Bath This story does have a happy ending. Mom was able to clean the muddy couch and make it look new again. It took a little effort. She began the process with one thought in her mind: “It always gets worse before it gets better.” Image from TikTok. With a handy (and powerful) Vax Platinum SpotWash and some elbow grease‚ the muddy couch was cleaner than before this little incident! The Vax Cleaning System folks should consider using this as ad copy! The results are phenomenal! @courtneyandconstruction Ever heard the saying ‘it always gets worse before it gets better’? Well‚ today we lived it! Thanks to Willow‚ our golden retriever‚ our couch turned into a muddy mess. But with a little elbow grease and our vax‚ we tackled the mess head-on. And guess what? It’s cleaner than when we started! Stay tuned to see the miraculous transformation! #CleaningChronicles #GoldenRetrieverDilemmas ♬ original sound – COURTNEY‚ WILLOW &; ARCHIE You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Muddy Golden Retriever Destroys Couch In One Fell Swoop — It’s A Good Thing She’s Cute! appeared first on InspireMore.

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Pastor Toby Slough of Cross Timbers Church in Texas has faced many challenges in his 30-plus years of launching a church and seeing it thrive. He was called to launch his church for many reasons‚ but one of his top priorities was raising awareness for mental health wellness. Now‚ his organization‚ Goby Ministries‚ partners with […]