US News
Murdaugh lawyers and prosecutors set to clash over evidence before retrial
Associated Press reports Friday's South Carolina hearing will address DNA testing, ballistics data and defense questions about a grand jury probe.
The short version
- Associated Press reports that Murdaugh's prosecutors and defense lawyers return to South Carolina court Friday amid escalating evidence disputes.[Associated Press]
- Both sides are expected to dispute DNA testing of genetic material under the wife's fingernails and ballistics data from eight counties.[Associated Press]
- Defense lawyers ask whether a grand jury is investigating a police officer; prosecutors declined to confirm or deny.[Associated Press]
- Murdaugh faces an April retrial on murder charges and remains imprisoned on financial-crime sentences regardless of that outcome.[Associated Press]
Key facts
- Murdaugh, 58, is scheduled to stand trial again in April on two murder charges over the June 2021 deaths of his wife Maggie and son Paul.[Associated Press]
- Pretrial hearings are being held in Lexington County, while the retrial has been moved to Sumter County, about 80 miles from Colleton County.[Associated Press]
- The South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Murdaugh's 2023 convictions, ruling that a court clerk influenced jurors during his trial.[Associated Press]
- Both sides are expected to dispute whether defense DNA experts can test remaining genetic material found under the wife's fingernails, and whether authorities must turn over ballistics data from eight surrounding counties.[Associated Press]
- Neither the clothing nor the weapons linked to the killings have been found.[Associated Press]
- Murdaugh pleaded guilty to stealing around $12 million from clients and is serving a 40-year federal sentence concurrently with a 27-year state sentence; he will remain in prison regardless of the murder trial's outcome.[Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- Whether a grand jury is investigating a police officer who was friends with Murdaugh is unconfirmed; the question comes from defense lawyers, and prosecutors declined to confirm or deny.[Associated Press]
- Neither the murder weapons nor the clothing have been found, so their connection to the officer or the defendant remains unestablished.[Associated Press]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.
- Alex Murdaugh’s defense and prosecutors expect to clash over evidence during pretrial hearingAssociated Press · Wire: associated-press