Alex Murdaugh trial: Juror dismissed for talking about case

A juror who spent the last several weeks hearing testimony in the double murder trial of disbarred South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh was dismissed Thursday morning for conversations she had about the case outside of court.

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The juror was replaced with an alternate as defense attorneys prepared to deliver closing statements.

Judge Clifton Newman said in court that he juror did not appear to have had extensive discussions about the case, though the conversations “did involve the juror offering her opinion regarding evidence received up to that point in the trial.”

Speaking to the juror, Newman highlighted his order not to discuss the case with anyone.

“Intentionally or unintentionally, you’ve had some discussions with some folks not on the jury, which is going to require me to remove you from the jury,” he said. He added that the juror had been “by all accounts a great juror, and smiled consistently, and seemingly been attentive to the case and performed well.”

“I certainly want to thank you for your service, and I’m not suggesting you intentionally did anything wrong, but in order to preserve the integrity of the process and in fairness to all the parties involved, we’re going to replace you with one of the other jurors,” he said.

When asked whether she needed anything she’d left in the jury room, the woman said she had her purse and “a dozen eggs,” sparking laughter from the courtroom. She took her eggs with her before leaving the courthouse.

Jurors began hearing the case against Murdaugh on Jan. 25. The 54-year-old is accused of killing his wife, 52-year-old Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, and his son, 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh, at the family’s home in Colleton County on June 7, 2021.

Prosecutor Creighton Waters delivered closing statements in the case on Wednesday, painting Murdaugh as a desperate man and a demonstrated liar who was trying to protect his family’s legacy and stave off attention to mounting financial problems that had driven him to steal from his clients. The Murdaugh family has long been influential in southwest South Carolina, where family members have served as elected prosecutors for decades.

Testifying on his own behalf, Murdaugh admitted in court to lying to investigators after he found his wife and son dead. He blamed a longtime prescription pill addiction for giving him paranoid thoughts. Prosecutors argued the lies were part of an attempt by the former attorney to build a plausible alibi for himself.

Jim Griffin, an attorney for Murdaugh, began the defense team’s response on Thursday, arguing that authorities focused on Murdaugh as their suspect early in their investigation and failed to properly gather evidence. He insisted that the alleged motive floated by prosecutors made no sense.

Closing arguments continue Thursday.

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