Alex Murdaugh trial juror dismissed for allegedly discussing case with 3 others outside the court

Disbarred lawyer Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial’s closing arguments have started today. But before that could happen, South Carolina Judge Clifton Newman, said that he had received a complaint that a juror in the case had indulged in inappropriate conversations with someone not associated with the case.

Alex Murdaugh is accused of killing his wife and son, Maggie and Paul, who were fatally shot at the family’s dog kennels in June 2021. Along with two counts of first-degree murder, Murdaugh is also facing 99 charges linked to financial wrongdoing.

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Jurors have been strictly prohibited from discussing any details of the murder case with any individual outside of the court. The juror, who has not been named, however, has denied discussing the case with anyone outside the court.

The judge said that the court contacted the people the female juror was suspected of having conversations with. The individuals were interviewed and were “waffled” on the nature of the contact, reported Brian Entin, a senior national correspondent for News Nation, who has been covering the trial live. 

After having a discussion with the 3 individuals, the juror was found to have offered her opinion about the evidence received in the trial. The juror is being removed and replaced with an alternate juror. Before being whisked out of the court and driven away in a van with tinted windows, the unnamed juror requested access to the jury room to remove her dozen eggs, purse, and bottle of water.

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The juror was ultimately not permitted to go back into the jury room. Instead, a deputy was sent to get her things. “We’ve had a lot of interesting things. But now a dozen eggs,” Judge Clifton Newman was heard joking.