A juror nicknamed the “egg juror” from Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile double-murder trial has petitioned South Carolina officials to disclose sealed documents related to allegations of jury tampering. Myra Crosby, who was removed from the jury during the 2023 trial before deliberations, filed a motion on May 18 requesting the South Carolina Supreme Court to lift protective orders on investigative files concerning former Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill.
The motion emphasizes the necessity for transparency, stating, “The public interest and the ends of justice are best served by transparency.” Crosby gained the moniker “egg juror” after she humorously asked a judge if she could retrieve her dozen eggs and purse upon dismissal, eliciting laughter in the courtroom.
Recently revealed details indicate no further reason to maintain the secrecy of the records. Prosecutors divulged that the investigation into jury tampering has concluded. According to the motion, 11th Circuit Solicitor Rick Hubbard acknowledged during a hearing for Hill that there is insufficient evidence to charge her criminally with jury tampering. “I don’t know that I have enough based on what we have to even get an indictment,” Hubbard stated in a transcript. “We cannot get a conviction because we cannot prove that case beyond a reasonable doubt.”
In a plea reflected in the filing, Crosby’s attorney, Joseph McCullough, noted that his client has repeatedly submitted South Carolina Freedom of Information Act requests to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), the attorney general’s office, and the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office. These requests aim to obtain the full investigative file into claims that Hill improperly influenced jurors during Murdaugh’s murder trial.
Despite these efforts, SLED refused to release the records, citing a protective order from the Supreme Court. Crosby now contends that those investigations have ceased. “As is now known,” the motion asserts, “the underlying purposes supporting issuance of the protective order no longer exist.”
In another development, Murdaugh’s defense team is pursuing access to the same materials. Attorney Dick Harpootlian informed Fox News Digital that Murdaugh’s lawyers have filed a separate motion seeking access to the sealed files to use them in ongoing civil litigation against Hill. “We, that is, Alex Murdaugh’s lawyers, also filed,” Harpootlian disclosed to Fox News Digital. “It’s a similar motion to allow us access to those files, to subpoena those files so that we might use them in the civil lawsuit that we have against her.”
Harpootlian highlighted a difference in the defense’s motion compared to Crosby’s petition, noting that Murdaugh’s attorneys are engaged in active litigation. “It’s not the same as Myra’s, because hers is basically an FOIL request, and she doesn’t have any pending litigation,” he stated. “We have, as you know, a pending [civil] lawsuit against Becky Hill.”
The defense alleges Crosby’s dismissal was part of a concerted effort by Hill to sway jurors toward convicting Murdaugh. The “egg juror” became known nationally after her removal through a viral courtroom moment where she comically requested her eggs and purse, stirring laughter.