The hearing focused on allegations that a court clerk had tampered with the jury and compromised the integrity of the trial process.

Judge Jean Toal made the ruling after hearing testimony from all 12 jurors involved in Murdaugh's trial, as well as from Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill. Toal carefully considered whether the clerk's alleged improper comments had influenced the jury's decision. The judge ultimately found that Hill was not completely credible as a witness and seemed to have been swayed by the allure of celebrity. However, Toal concluded that the jurors had not been influenced by her actions.

During the hearing, Hill vehemently denied tampering with the jury for personal gain or any other reason. She insisted that she had not engaged in any conversations with jurors about the case. However, her credibility was questioned due to the "literary license" she took in her self-published book about the trial, titled "Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders." It was revealed that Hill had plagiarized a passage from a BBC News article, and the book has since been removed from sale.

Further adding to the complexity of the case, Rhonda McElveen, the court clerk of Barnwell County who had assisted Hill during Murdaugh's trial, testified with conflicting information. McElveen claimed that Hill had remarked that a guilty verdict would be better for book sales, challenging Hill's earlier denial of this statement.

Murdaugh, a once-prominent personal injury lawyer, was found guilty of the 2021 fatal shootings of his wife and son at their Colleton County estate. As part of the evidentiary hearing, Toal questioned each juror individually, with all but one proclaiming that Hill's communications did not influence their decision. However, Juror Z, who had initially stated in an affidavit that Hill had made prejudicial remarks, eventually admitted under questioning that the clerk's actions had indeed influenced her verdict.

The hearing took an unexpected turn when it was discovered that some jurors had accessed their cellphones in a back room and watched Juror Z's testimony via Court TV's live feed. This breach of the judge's earlier decision not to allow juror discussion during the waiting period prompted Toal to inquire if this would affect their responses during testimony. None of the jurors claimed that it would sway their statements.

In closing arguments, the chief prosecutor of the state attorney general's office, Creighton Waters, emphasized that the majority of jurors testified to having engaged in honest deliberation and denied feeling pressured by Hill. Waters asserted that Juror Z's inconsistent testimony was a result of being influenced by her fellow jurors. Meanwhile, Murdaugh's defense lawyer, Jim Griffin, portrayed Hill as an unreliable witness, citing her extraneous contact with jurors as well as her questionable statements in her book.

The judge's decision not to grant Murdaugh a new trial implies an uphill battle for his defense team, which had the burden of proving jury tampering. However, regardless of the outcome of his murder appeal, Murdaugh will remain in prison, as he had previously been sentenced to 27 years for financial crimes committed against his clients.

This case continues to draw significant attention due to the prominent background of the Murdaugh family and the shocking nature of the crimes committed. As legal proceedings unfold, the public eagerly awaits further developments in this ongoing saga.