Juror Removed From Alex Murdaugh Murder Trial For Discussing Case Outside Courtroom

Juror Removed From Alex Murdaugh Murder Trial For Discussing Case Outside Courtroom


Topline

One of the 12 jurors in the double murder trial of former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh was removed from the panel Thursday morning for talking about the case outside of the courtroom, ahead of the last day of closing arguments in the six-week trial.

Key Facts

South Carolina Circuit Judge Clifton Newman dismissed the juror, whose name was kept confidential and identified simply as Juror No. 785, and replaced them with an alternate.

Newman said he spoke with the juror, who denied discussing the case outside the courtroom, though Newman said the juror talked about the case with three people, but not “extensively.”

Newman called the juror’s discussions “improper” and “contrary to my instructions to the jury, daily, multiple times per day,” saying the replacement is necessary for the “integrity of the process.”

The juror is the fifth to be removed in the trial, but the first to be removed for improperly discussing the case—the others left the panel for medical reasons, including Covid-19.

What To Watch For

After six weeks of testimony, the jury is set to begin deliberations on Thursday after prosecutors concluded their closing arguments Wednesday night, and after a rare visit to the scene of the crime at Murdaugh’s vacant estate, where prosecutors allege Murdaugh killed his wife and son in 2021. Prosecutors are seeking life in prison without the possibility of parole on two counts of first-degree murder, while Murdaugh pleaded not guilty and denied killing his wife and son.

Surprising Fact

Newman agreed to a request from defense attorneys to allow the jury to visit the crime scene at Murdaugh’s rural 1,700-acre Moselle estate in Islandton, South Carolina, despite opposition from prosecutors, who argued the vacant property had changed significantly from the time Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were found dead near the estate’s dog kennels in 2021.

Contra

In his testimony last week, Murdaugh admitted to stealing money from his former clients and his law firm, but again denied murdering his wife and son. He also said he previously lied to police about his whereabouts on the night of his wife and son’s killing, blaming his lie on his addiction to opiate painkillers and saying he “wasn’t thinking clearly” at the time. His brother, John Marvin Murdaugh also testified in the trial, saying he cleaned his nephew’s blood and promised to find the person who killed him. When asked if he had found the gunman, however, he said he had not. The defense rested its case earlier this week, after bringing in 14 witnesses, including Timothy Palmbach, a forensic expert who said in his testimony that the spatter of blood indicated there were two shooters.

Further Reading

Alex Murdaugh Murder Trial Jurors Make Rare Visit To South Carolina Crime Scene (Forbes)

Alex Murdaugh’s Murder Trial: Here’s What To Know About The Once-Prominent Lawyer As Jury Selection Begins (Forbes)



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