- ‘Egg Lady,’ was dismissed during closing arguments before infamously asking to retrieve a dozen eggs from the juror room
- The disgraced lawyer was found guilty of the brutal murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul last March
Alex Murdaugh is back in court in South Carolina as he asks for a new trial after being convicted of killing his wife and teen son last year.
Murdaugh appeared in Columbia court on Tuesday morning for a pre-trial hearing, which would determine what evidence and testimonies the court will hear later this month.
His lawyers announced they plan on calling juror 785, known as ‘Egg Lady,’ who was dismissed during closing arguments before infamously asking to retrieve a dozen eggs she had left in the jury room.
The disgraced lawyer was found guilty of the brutal murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul last March. In November, he was also sentenced to 27 years after admitting to dozens of financial crimes.
Murdaugh’s lawyers have claimed Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill engaged in improper behavior that affected the double murder trial’s outcome by influencing the jury.
Murdaugh appeared in Columbia court on Tuesday morning for a pre-trial hearing
Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill, pictured with Judge Newman, is being accused by Murdaugh’s defense team of influencing the jury as they move for a retrial
The defense claims Hill fabricated a Facebook post that showed juror 785 discussing the case with her husband to get het kicked off the trial.
Attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian have repeatedly accused Hill of tampering with the jury.
‘We have evidence that she fabricated the existence of a Facebook entry by one of the jurors’ former husbands. Never happened. We’ve got an affidavit from him. He never did it,’ Harpootlian told News Nation last year.
The lawyer, who is also a Democratic State Senator, added: ‘This is unprecedented that the, that the clerk of court went on a … campaign to discredit the defense and discredit Alex Murdaugh’s testimony.’
During the trial Judge Clifton Newman ordered Hill to produce a Facebook post that she had seen, claiming that a juror’s ex-husband was ‘saying stuff’ about how his former wife told him the ‘verdict was going to be.’
Judge Newman dismissed the juror after speaking to two of her tenants who he claimed ‘waffled’ about discussing the case with the juror.
The defense also claims Hill repeatedly asked the juror about her feelings on the case.
Murdaugh’s lawyers also plan on bringing three other jurors to the stand, including juror 254, who replaced juror 785.
The defense will get to put forth evidence at a three-day hearing expected to begin January 29, according to a tentative schedule shared by a media liaison for former South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal.
Jurors, the clerk and even the trial judge might have to testify under oath.