A hearing to determine whether a new murder trial will be set for Alex Murdaugh came to a brief halt on Monday when the judge revealed that jurors were listening to court proceedings in the jury room via their cellphones.
Murdaugh is currently serving two life sentences for fatally shooting his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and their 22-year-old son, Paul Murdaugh, on June 7, 2021, at their home in Colleton County, South Carolina.
Hailing from a powerful legal dynasty in South Carolina, Murdaugh's trial gripped the nation when it unfolded earlier this year. He also is facing a string of fraud charges after being accused of stealing millions of dollars from his clients. However, Murdaugh's legal team claims that Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill improperly influenced the jury by telling them not to believe Murdaugh's testimony, which led to his conviction.
At the Monday hearing to determine whether Alex Murdaugh will get a new trial, Judge Jean Toal, a former South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice, announced that the jurors were listening to the proceedings via their cellphones in the jury room. As a result, they may have heard questioning of one of their fellow jurors, identified as Juror Z, who testified that her guilty verdict was influenced.
Proceedings came to a temporary stop as Toal informed legal counsel of the news, after which she said she planned to question the jurors.
Attorney Mandy Powers Norrell told Newsweek that she doubts the news will have an influence on the hearing's outcome, but she said the situation was "very frustrating" and she expects it to come up in an appeal later. Powers Norrell is not involved with the case.
"The whole reason for having jurors sequestered and having the first juror's testimony embargoed was that the court did not want any juror to be influenced by the testimony by another juror," Powers Norrell said.
Although it's uncertain how the news could impact the result of the hearing, Toal said she planned to resume proceedings quickly. Counsel requested a five-minute recess, which Toal approved, but she stressed that counsel keep the break short.
"I'm not going to take all day on this thing," Toal said. "I need to just calm down a little bit, but I tell you, don't take any long period of time."
Newsweek reached out to Murdaugh's legal team by email for comment.
"The shocking news about jurors streaming the hearing on cell phones in the back has caused the judge to take a break," NewsNation correspondent Brian Entin posted on X (formerly Twitter). "Everyone is asking each other in the courtroom what this means big picture."
Jurors were called in to testify one by one. During testimony, Juror Z detailed Hill's actions and admitted that she was influenced.
"She made it seem like he was already guilty," Juror Z said, according to the Associated Press.
However, the other jurors weren't permitted to hear the testimony.
"The fact the jurors were sitting in the back room streaming the hearing is shocking," Entin said in another post on X. "they were being called in one by one ... and not supposed to hear what each other were saying or the arguments being made by the lawyers."
The jurors' cellphones have since been confiscated.
Update 1/29/24, 11:57 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 1/29/24, 12:57 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comments from attorney Mandy Powers Norrell.
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