Disgraced former attorney Alex Murdaugh returned to a South Carolina courtroom Monday morning for the first time since the state Supreme Court threw out his convictions for murdering his wife and son.
Murdaugh was convicted in March 2023 of fatally shooting his 52-year-old wife, Maggie, and their 22-year-old son, Paul. He has maintained his innocence in the killings, though he admitted to stealing millions of dollars from clients and his family’s law firm.
The South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously overturned the murder convictions in May and ordered a new trial after finding former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill improperly influenced the jury.
The Hearing
As reported on Tuesday’s AM Update, Murdaugh entered the Lexington County courthouse in an orange prison jumpsuit and shackled at his hands, waist, and feet. He sat quietly throughout the high-profile proceeding.
The 200-seat courtroom was packed with reporters, local television crews, international news agencies, and podcasters as one of the country’s most closely watched true-crime cases prepares to do it all over again.
Newly assigned Judge Debra McCaslin acknowledged the crowd as she opened the hearing, welcoming “those of you who’ve never been to Lexington County.”
Murdaugh’s defense team used the session to ask the judge to resolve several major issues before another jury is seated, including where the retrial will be held, whether DNA evidence can undergo new independent testing, and whether their client can access a secure laptop in prison to review trial materials.
On the topic of the venue, Murdaugh’s lawyers argued the publicity surrounding the first trial makes it impossible to seat an unbiased jury anywhere in South Carolina’s 14th Judicial Circuit, which includes Colleton County where he was first tried.
Judge McCaslin urged both sides to see whether they can agree on a new locale, saying she will make the decision of if they cannot reach an agreement.
The defense also asked to retest material recovered from beneath Maggie Murdaugh’s fingernails, which investigators previously traced to an unknown man unrelated to the family. Murdaugh’s attorneys argued newer technology could reveal more than the original analysis and offered to pay for testing at a private Texas laboratory.
Judge McCaslin pressed the defense on how long the additional testing could take and did not reject or approve the the request on Monday. Instead, a ruling is expected by the next pretrial hearing.
New Trial Date
Judge McCaslin is new to the case and told both sides she has not followed its history. She set the retrial for next spring and warned attorneys not to expect further delays.
“I’m thinking April 5… and let me tell you this. I think y’all know me pretty well. When I set a trial date, I don’t do continuances. I don’t do it,” she cautioned.
South Carolina Senior Assistant Deputy Attorney General Creighton Waters, who is spearheading the prosecution for the retrial, said the state would be ready. Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian said his team would be prepared as well – assuming there are no delays in DNA testing.
“I will have that information by the next pretrial,” McCaslin noted. “If I need to extend it out a couple of weeks, I will, if that’s the case. Please do not think that this case is going to be tried a year later, because it’s not. We’re going forward.”
The retrial is scheduled to begin April 5, 2027, with the next pretrial hearing set for August 14. Regardless of the outcome in the murder case, Murdaugh will remain behind bars on separate financial crimes convictions. He is currently serving a 40-year federal sentence after pleading guilty to stealing millions from clients, along with a concurrent 27-year state sentence for similar financial crimes.
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