- ‘Egg Lady’ was rebuffed during closing arguments before infamously asking to get a dozen eggs from the jury 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 murdering his wife and teenage son last year.
Murdaugh appeared in court in Columbia on Tuesday morning for a hearing that would determine what evidence and testimony the court will hear later this month.
His lawyers announced they planned to call Juror 785, known as “Egg Lady,” who was dismissed during closing arguments before infamously asking to retrieve a dozen eggs she 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 dozens of financial crimes.
Murdaugh’s attorneys allege that Colleton County Court Clerk Becky Hill engaged in improper conduct that affected the outcome of the double murder trial by influencing the jury.
Murdaugh appeared in court in Columbia on Tuesday morning for a hearing
Colleton County Clerk Becky Hill, pictured with Judge Newman, is accused by Murdaugh’s defense team of influencing the jury as they seek a new trial.
The defense claims Hill fabricated a Facebook post in which Juror 785 discussed the case with her husband to get him removed from the trial.
Attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian have repeatedly accused Hill of jury tampering.
“We have evidence that she fabricated the existence of a Facebook post from the former husband of one of the jurors. Never happened. We have a statement from him. He never did it,” Harpootlian told News Nation last year.
The attorney, who is also a Democratic state senator, added, “This is unprecedented that the clerk waged a campaign to discredit the defense and discredit Alex Murdaugh’s testimony.”
During the trial, Judge Clifton ordered Newman Hill to repost a Facebook post she had seen in which he claimed that a juror’s ex-husband “said things” about how his ex-wife told him the “verdict would go down.”
Judge Newman dismissed the juror after speaking with two of her tenants, who he claimed were “hesitant” about discussing the case with the juror.
The defense also claims Hill repeatedly asked the juror about her feelings about the case.
Murdaugh’s attorneys also plan to bring three other jurors to the stand, including Juror 254, who replaced Juror 785.
The defense will be able to present evidence during a three-day hearing expected to begin Jan. 29, according to a tentative schedule shared by a media contact for former South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal.
Jurors, the court clerk, and even the judge may have to testify under oath.