Before the jury in the Alex Murdaugh murder trial could hear closing arguments from the defense today, South Carolina Judge Clifton Newman, dismissed one of the members of the jury for allegedly indulging in inappropriate conversations with someone not associated with the case.

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.

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.

The juror denied discussing the case with anyone outside the court but was dismissed anyway. Jurors have been strictly prohibited from discussing any details of the murder case with any individual outside of the court.

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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 was removed and replaced with an alternate juror.