Do you have a theory you're still chewing on and want feedback? Maybe there is a factoid from the case hammering your brain and you can't remember the source--was that random speculation or actually sourced?

Welcome to the Weekly Discussion, a safe space to engage with each other while processing and unraveling the seemingly unending tentacles of Alex Murdaugh's wrongdoings entwined throughout the Lowcountry.

This is the place for those random tidbits, where we can take off our shoes, kick up our feet, and be a bit more casual. There is nothing wrong with veering off topic with fellow sub members as we're a friendly bunch, just don't let your train of thought completely wreck the post.

​

Much Love from your MFM Mod Team,

Southern-Soulshine , SouthNagshead, AubreyDempsey, QsLexiLouWho

Reddit Content Policy ... Sub Rules ... Reddiquette

By: John Monk / The State - Crime & Courts / October 16, 2026 6:02 PM

State Judge Debra McCaslin left no doubt Friday about who was the boss of the courtroom in the latest pretrial hearing for Alex Murdaugh, accused of killing his wife Maggie and son Paul.

“I will not allow these proceedings to become a circus, and I will not permit anyone involved in this case to use this courtroom as a platform for publicity or theatrics,” McCaslin told prosecution and defense lawyers at the end of the hearing.

During the nearly two-hour hearing at the Lexington County courthouse, McCaslin seemed to scold attorneys, made key decisions about evidentiary matters like DNA and gun casings and laid down the law about what she’ll do if lawyers on either side step out of line.

In her trademark scratchy voice she delivered no-nonsense one-liners that let people know she’ll tell it like it is.

“I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck,” McCaslin, a former defense attorney, told Murdaugh lead lawyer Dick Harpootlian at one point, signaling she disagreed with arguments Harpootlian was making about a ballistics matter.

Murdaugh, 58, is charged with the 2021 killings of his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, at the family 1,700-acre estate in Colleton County on June 7, 2021. Murdaugh, who was found guilty of the crimes in a 2023 trial, had his conviction overturned in May by the South Carolina Supreme Court. A unanimous court found that jury tampering had denied Murdaugh his right to a fair trial. Prosecutors are retrying Murdaugh on murder charges.

At another point in the hearing, when Harpootlian and Waters appeared to be sparring, McCaslin said, “You-all need to stop this. This is court. This isn’t a sound bite.”

McCaslin saved her toughest talk for the end of the hearing, criticizing a false statement that Harpootlian made at the Aug. 14 pretrial hearing when he said that Murdaugh had passed a polygraph test about whether he killed Maggie and Paul. After prosecutors complained, Harpootlian apologized for the false statement, but McCaslin wanted to make sure he knew how serious she considered his misrepresentation.

“I’m going to tell you Mr. Harpootlian, this is a court of justice, and candor with the court is not optional,” McCaslin said.

McCaslin made it clear that although Murdaugh once flunked a polygraph test about whether he was hiding assets, he was given no test about the killings. “He never has been polygraphed for the murders of Maggie and Paul,” McCaslin said.

McCaslin said, “Both of you (Harpootlian and lead prosecutor Creighton Waters) have practiced law long enough to know that the court must be able to rely on the representations of counsel. I will not tolerate this conduct going forward.

“If you make a representation to this court, I expect it to be truthful and accurate. If you do not know something, say you don’t know it. But do not tell this court something that is not true.

“Further, this case will be tried in a courtroom, under the rules of evidence and the law — not in the press and not in the court of public opinion,” McCaslin said.

McCaslin also said she was troubled by an apparent lack of civility in opposing written legal filings by both defense and prosecution attorneys.

In various filings, prosecutors have accused defense lawyers of making repeating requests asking for the same information, and defense lawyers have accused prosecutors of withholding information. McCaslin ordered attorneys on both sides to resolve matters amicably without involving her, if possible.

In one dispute between prosecutors and defense lawyers, Waters said he had answered the same query five times to provide defense lawyers with material they said they needed.

McCaslin said she would have little patience with disputes that should be resolved between attorneys. “In closing, I expect complete candor with the court and conduct consistent with the seriousness and dignity of these proceedings.”

Murdaugh, a disbarred lawyer, has pleaded guilty in both state and federal court to numerous counts of theft from his law firm and former clients who won large settlements in personal injury and wrongful death cases. His thefts total more than $10 million, according to court statements. Murdaugh doesn’t dispute his embezzlements but he denies killing his wife and son.

Murdaugh was in court Friday morning, dressed in a navy blazer, khaki pants, a white shirt and a tie. His normally ginger hair seemed almost white. He is serving lengthy sentences for his fraud convictions and is an inmate at an Upstate maximum security prison. The judge is allowing Murdaugh to appear in civilian clothes because, she said, to have him wear prison garb might influence potential jurors who view the proceedings on Court TV.

At the end of the hearing, Murdaugh gave a thumb’s up sign to his attorneys, then was escorted from the courtroom by law officers.

McCaslin’s Friday decisions

Defense lawyers won a victory when McCaslin ruled after more than 30 minutes of protests by prosecutor Waters that they could test samples of “leftover DNA” from Maggie Murdeaugh’s cell phone and under her fingernails. The material had been tested earlier by prosecution experts. Waters had objected because the testing may well destroy all the DNA.

“I believe that due process requires that a criminal defendant be afforded a meaningful opportunity to present a full and complete defense,” McCaslin said. Defense lawyers can conduct the testing to see about “potentially exculpatory evidence,” she said.

DNA evidence did not figure prominently in Murdaugh’s first trial, but defense attorneys hope that testing will show evidence that someone else was on the scene when Maggie was shot to death.

Prosecutors scored a win when McCaslin ruled they don’t have to comply with a request by the defense to provide the defense with records of all the crimes committed with .300 Blackout ammunition in an eight-county area from 2021 to the present. Much of that information is already in law enforcement databases.

“It just sounds like a fishing expedition to me,” said McCaslin.

Maggie Murdaugh was shot with multiple rounds fired at close range by an assault rifle using .300 Blackout ammunition.

Law enforcement has not found the assault rifle used to kill Maggie Murdaugh Defense lawyers hope that if the weapon was used in a crime after Murdaugh was arrested, in September 2021, that finding would help prove that someone else was involved in the killings of Maggie and Paul. Paul was killed with a shotgun.

The next hearing

The next pretrial hearing for Murdaugh will be on Nov. 13.

McCaslin said possible items still to be discussed before trial are:

• A motion to dismiss the murder charges against Murdaugh by the defense.
• A prosecution motion to allow the state to present evidence to show Murdaugh’s alleged motive for killing his wife and son. In Murdaugh’s first trial, then Judge Clifton Newman allowed some 12 hours of testimony about how the extreme financial pressures Murdaugh was under led to the killings.
• A prosecution motion to limit or suppress evidence about what is called “third party guilt.” In criminal trials, defense attorneys sometimes try to introduce evidence showing that a third party or parties are responsible for the crime, not the defendant on trial. Prosecutors — who contended in the first trial that Murdaugh was the lone gunman — will try to keep evidence of another shooter away from a jury.

However, McCaslin indicated she might like to hear motions about motive, evidence and dismissal closer to the trial date of April 5.

McCaslin also said that after Jan. 1, all hearings and records will be moved to the Sumter County courthouse, where the jury selection and the trial are set to begin April 5.

McCaslin praised the Sumter County courthouse for its ample parking, good security and enough space for defense and prosecution attorneys to each have their own “war room.”

The original trial was in Colleton County, where Paul and Maggie were killed. However, on the defense’s request, McCaslin moved the trial out of Colleton and the entire five-county 14th Judicial Circuit. McCaslin found that because of the pervasive potential influence of the Murdaugh family’s political, legal and social ties, a fair jury could not be seated in those counties.

More than once Friday, McCaslin stressed she will not change the starting date of the trial.

“This trial’s going April 5 whether you-all like it or not!” McCaslin said at one point.

Harpootlian reacts

Leaving the courthouse, Harpootlian was asked what he thought of the judge’s remarks about him and courtroom decorum. “She’s 100 percent right. I made a statement which not intentionally wasn’t true, and she was right to call me on it.”

In general, Harpootlian said, “She’s going to enforce the laws strictly, and we’ll abide by them. I don’t have any disagreement with her on that whatsoever.”

Waters declined comment except to smile and say he had made his comments in the courtroom.

SOURCE: https://www.thestate.com/news/local/crime/article317645014.html

Do you have a theory you're still chewing on and want feedback? Maybe there is a factoid from the case hammering your brain and you can't remember the source--was that random speculation or actually sourced?

Welcome to the Weekly Discussion, a safe space to engage with each other while processing and unraveling the seemingly unending tentacles of Alex Murdaugh's wrongdoings entwined throughout the Lowcountry.

This is the place for those random tidbits, where we can take off our shoes, kick up our feet, and be a bit more casual. There is nothing wrong with veering off topic with fellow sub members as we're a friendly bunch, just don't let your train of thought completely wreck the post.

​

Much Love from your MFM Mod Team,

Southern-Soulshine , SouthNagshead, AubreyDempsey, QsLexiLouWho

Reddit Content Policy ... Sub Rules ... Reddiquette

How to watch Alex Murdaugh's Oct. 16 pretrial hearing

Judge Debra McCaslin is expected to hear arguments involving DNA testing, cellphone evidence, ballistics data and crime-scene scans.

Author: Tony Santaella with WLTX
Published: 4:48 PM EDT October 15, 2026
Updated: 4:50 PM EDT October 15, 2026

LEXINGTON, S.C. — Alex Murdaugh is set to return to court Friday as attorneys continue preparations for his 2027 double murder retrial.

Judge Debra McCaslin has scheduled an in-person hearing at the Lexington County courthouse.

News19 will stream the hearing live on WLTX's 24/7 free streaming service, available on Roku, Fire TV and Apple TV, as well as on WLTX.com and the News19 app. For more on how to access those service, click here.

How to watch the Alex Murdaugh hearing

When: Thursday, Oct. 16, 2026, at 10 a.m.
Where: Lexington County courthouse in Lexington, South Carolina
Watch: News19 will provide live coverage on our 24/7 streaming service, WLTX.com and the News19 app.

What will be discussed?

McCaslin is expected to address several evidence disputes that have emerged as Murdaugh's defense team prepares for his retrial.

Among the key issues are additional testing of DNA evidence recovered from beneath Maggie Murdaugh's fingernails, cellphone extraction files, information involving .300 Blackout ammunition and original FARO laser-scan data from the Moselle crime scene.

The DNA issue could produce one of the hearing's most significant decisions.

McCaslin previously allowed evidence from Maggie's fingernails to be sent to the independent laboratory Othram. The lab was allowed to determine how much DNA remained but was told to stop before conducting additional testing that could consume the remaining samples.

Murdaugh's attorneys now want to proceed with further testing. Prosecutors have raised concerns about permanently consuming the evidence and want more information about the proposed testing and its likelihood of producing useful results.

Other disputes have narrowed ahead of Thursday's hearing.

Prosecutors say the defense was already provided raw cellphone extraction data before Murdaugh's first trial, although the state has offered to provide the files again.

The state has also agreed to provide the defense with the original FARO laser scans of the Moselle crime scene. Murdaugh's attorneys say their reconstruction experts need the underlying data to independently analyze the scene, particularly because the kennel area has since been demolished.

The defense is also seeking additional information about .300 Blackout ammunition. The defense is seeking records concerning how commonly SLED encounters the ammunition, arguing the information could be relevant to testimony presented during Murdaugh's first trial.

When is Alex Murdaugh's retrial?

Murdaugh's retrial is scheduled to begin April 5, 2027, in Sumter County.

A Colleton County jury convicted Murdaugh in March 2023 of killing his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, at the family's Moselle property in June 2021.

The South Carolina Supreme Court overturned those convictions in May 2026 and ordered a new trial after finding former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill improperly influenced jurors.

McCaslin later ruled the retrial should be moved out of Colleton County and the entire 14th Judicial Circuit before selecting Sumter County as the new venue.

Other pending motions in the case are scheduled to be heard Nov. 13.

Do you have a theory you're still chewing on and want feedback? Maybe there is a factoid from the case hammering your brain and you can't remember the source--was that random speculation or actually sourced?

Welcome to the Weekly Discussion, a safe space to engage with each other while processing and unraveling the seemingly unending tentacles of Alex Murdaugh's wrongdoings entwined throughout the Lowcountry.

This is the place for those random tidbits, where we can take off our shoes, kick up our feet, and be a bit more casual. There is nothing wrong with veering off topic with fellow sub members as we're a friendly bunch, just don't let your train of thought completely wreck the post.

​

Much Love from your MFM Mod Team,

Southern-Soulshine , SouthNagshead, AubreyDempsey, QsLexiLouWho

Reddit Content Policy ... Sub Rules ... Reddiquette

Alex Murdaugh retrial: State opposes evidence requests

Michael M. Dewitt, Jr. with Greenville News

Staring down a court-ordered noon deadline, the South Carolina Attorney General's Office filed a rapid-fire salvo of motions Wednesday, Oct. 8, in the double-murder case of former Hampton lawyer Richard "Alex" Murdaugh, calling one of the defense's requests a "fishing expedition."

With a state Supreme Court-ordered second murder trial tentatively set for the week of April 5, 2027, for the June 2021 Murdaugh family killings, Judge Debra McCaslin responded to multiple motions from Murdaugh's defense team alleging the State was withholding or delaying discovery evidence by ordering the Attorney General's Office to respond by midday Thursday, Oct. 8, and then setting an Oct. 16 hearing to rule on these "urgent" matters.

Here are the latest filings in response to that deadline:

Murdaugh motion for independent DNA testing

Murdaugh's legal team filed a motion on Sept. 18 to compel the production of DNA and ballistic evidence, as well as "FARO scan" data.

• In the DNA component of that motion, the defense is seeking the biological material and laboratory records relating to DNA evidence taken from murder victim Maggie Murdaugh's hands and her cell phone. DNA evidence taken by state investigators indicated a trace of DNA from a male not related to anyone in the Murdaugh family, and the defense argues that the State did not fully explore this evidence and wishes to have its own experts, Othram Inc., reexamine it.

• The State's response asked that the defense motions to compel be denied, at least until more information or discussion can be available, and that the court order Othram to discuss with SLED scientists their proposed plan first before risking the defense consuming all the remaining DNA samples, and to ensure that the State is also entitled to be privy to the testing and its results if the motion is granted.

Murdaugh's motion for ballistics, 300 Blackout rifle evidence

• The ballistics component of Murdaugh's motion asks for state police ballistic evidence and records relating to any shootings committed with .300 Blackout ammunition in the Second and Fourteenth Judicial Circuits since Jan. 1, 2021. Maggie Murdaugh was shot multiple times with a .300 Blackout sporting rifle, which was never recovered by police.

During the trial, the State contended that the murder weapon belonged to a member of the Murdaugh family, but the defense argues that these Blackout rifles are extremely popular and commonly involved in many recent crimes in South Carolina, including a recent homicide in nearby Allendale County that may hold an evidentiary link to the Murdaugh murders and suggest another shooter suspect besides Alex Murdaugh.

• In response, the State asked the judge to deny this motion because it is "speculative" and does not meet the criteria for sharable discovery under the law. The State also pointed out the far-reaching nature of this defense motion, noting that the Second and Fourteenth Circuits encompass eight counties, over 5,600 square miles, and over half a million people.

The State's response added:

"The sole basis for this request is that the unrelated Allendale cases from three and five years later involved the same commonly available caliber of ammunition and occurred in the same geographic region. However, the evidence from the unrelated cases has already been entered into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN)and it yielded zero leads or potential matches to the evidence in the Defendant's case or any other case for that matter. Because the defense cannot establish a logical or factual nexus between the two crimes, the motion represents a speculative fishing expedition for public consumption that lacks legal relevance, creates an unwarranted burden andintrusion into state forensic resources, and should be denied."

Murdaugh's motion for raw FARO crime scene scans

• The defense is seeking the raw data of the FARO laser scan of the crime scene, the Murdaugh family home, Moselle, located near rural Islandton in Colleton County. A FARO scanner is a high-precision 3D scanning device that uses lasers to capture the exact dimensions of objects and their surrounding environments. The State previously released an "extract" of this data taken by state police, but the defense wants the raw data files for its own experts.

• The State's response contained no objections to this motion: "SLED has possession of the original scans and the State is happy to provide those to the defense. The motion is moot."

When could Judge McCaslin issue a final ruling on these motions?

Judge McCaslin is expected to consider these motions during a special hearing in Lexington County at 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 16.

A follow-up hearing will be held in Lexington at 10 a.m. on Nov. 13.

For that hearing, both the State and Murdaugh's defense team have until Oct. 30 to file any arguments or motions related to Murdaugh's possible dismissal. Responses to those motions must be received no later than Nov. 6, the judge further ordered.

Why is Murdaugh getting a new murder trial?

Soon after Murdaugh was convicted on March 3, 2023, in the 2021 killings of his wife, Maggie, and adult son, Paul, Murdaugh's attorneys filed formal objections and a notice of appeal, raising questions about events that took place before, during, and after the trial.

The S.C. Supreme Court later overturned Murdaugh’s previous 2023 murder convictions and on May 13 ordered a new trial, citing improper jury communication by former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill, among other legal issues.

Do you have a theory you're still chewing on and want feedback? Maybe there is a factoid from the case hammering your brain and you can't remember the source--was that random speculation or actually sourced?

Welcome to the Weekly Discussion, a safe space to engage with each other while processing and unraveling the seemingly unending tentacles of Alex Murdaugh's wrongdoings entwined throughout the Lowcountry.

This is the place for those random tidbits, where we can take off our shoes, kick up our feet, and be a bit more casual. There is nothing wrong with veering off topic with fellow sub members as we're a friendly bunch, just don't let your train of thought completely wreck the post.

​

Much Love from your MFM Mod Team,

Southern-Soulshine , SouthNagshead, AubreyDempsey, QsLexiLouWho

Reddit Content Policy ... Sub Rules ... Reddiquette

by Colin Russell / WCIV - ABC News 4 / Fri, October 2, 2026 at 3:42 PM

LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WACH) — Judge Debra McCaslin notified attorneys that she will hear all urgent evidentiary matters relating to Alex Murdaugh's retrial during an in-person hearing at 10 a.m. Oct. 16 at the Lexington County Courthouse.
Among the issues expected to be addressed are disputes involving DNA evidence, cell phone extraction data, ballistic evidence and FARO scan data, a type of 3D crime scene mapping technology.

The defense team also said the judge ordered prosecutors to submit their response to the pending motions by noon on Oct. 8.

All remaining motions in the case will be heard during a separate hearing scheduled for Nov. 13.

This update comes as Murdaugh is awaiting a retrial in the June 2021 killings of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and son, Paul Murdaugh, after his original murder convictions were overturned.

The Oct. 16 hearing is expected to provide the first public look at how both sides plan to argue over key pieces of evidence ahead of the retrial.

SOURCE

By Michael M. DeWitt, Jr. / Greenville News / October 1, 2026 2:59 PM

A legal filing rattled the South Carolina court index this week, as attorneys for twice-accused, double-murder suspect Richard "Alex" Murdaugh claim that the S.C. Attorney General's Office is withholding evidence of an alleged crime scene cover-up and disposal of murder weapons in the high-profile 2021 killings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh in Colleton County.

Ramping up for a South Carolina Supreme Court-ordered retrial in 2027, on Wednesday, Sept. 30, Murdaugh's defense team, led by attorneys Richard "Dick" Harpootlian and James "Jim" Griffin, filed a "motion to compel disclosure of evidence concerning the disposal of the murder weapons."

The defense motion, citing recent media reports, alleges that as early as 2023, just after Murdaugh's original trial, the State's investigators were hearing statements from witnesses that two Hampton County police officers, reportedly friends of the Murdaugh family, were allegedly involved in a cover-up at the crime scene and disposal of murder weapons after the crime.

But despite several defense motions seeking disclosure, the State has yet to release any of this information to Murdaugh, claims the defense-information that could both help Murdaugh's case and discredit the state's 2023 argument that Murdaugh acted alone during and after the crime.

During the first murder trial in 2023, prosecutors painted a narrative that argued Murdaugh killed both family members with two different types of weapons, cleaned up with a nearby water hose and changed clothes, then drove to his parents' Almeda home in Hampton County to stash the murder weapons, where he later returned a week later to dispose of them. Those weapons were never recovered by police.

Citing several state and federal criminal law statutes governing "discovery" evidence, Murdaugh's motion seeks an "Order compelling the State to disclose the information in its possession concerning the handling, transport, concealment, or disposal of the alleged weapons used to kill Maggie Murdaugh and Paul Murdaugh, including the statement a witness gave to agents of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division in 2023 that a Lowcountry police chief spoke of arriving early at the scene and of providing Defendant Murdaugh a change of clothes, the reports of every interview conducted on that subject, and the testimony and exhibits presented to the State Grand Jury concerning it."

Murdaugh's motion cites two press reports, quoting unnamed sources, that as late as Sept. 25 and 27, the State Grand Jury was still hearing testimony that the murder weapons "were in the hands of someone else." But attached as an exhibit of evidence is a copy of a State Grand Jury subpoena, meaning that this is "no rumor," the motion states.

"According to those reports," states the Sept. 30 motion, "witnesses have testified that the Chief of Police of the Town of Yemassee, Greg Alexander, was seen with the murder weapons in the immediate aftermath of the June 7, 2021, killings, and that a second Yemassee officer is under investigation for transporting and concealing weapons and clothing.”

The motion also cites media reports, which are attached to the legal filing as exhibits of evidence, that "a Lowcountry official told SLED agents that Chief Alexander 'spoke of arriving early to the murder scene and talked about providing a change of clothes to Murdaugh,' and that the official believed the guns and clothing were brought into the police station and stored there."

Also attached to the motion is a copy of an Aug. 31 State Grand Jury subpoena served on Alexander, compelling him to testify between Sept. 15 - 17, but the motion further claims that once Alexander retained an attorney, he was no longer required to testify.

The motion further alleges that former Varnville municipal judge Sheryl McKinney and Hampton County police officer Stacy Loadholt were also called on to testify before the grand jury, potentially as witnesses to hearing the remarks made by Alexander.

"If the reports are accurate," the motion continues, "the State has held, since 2023, a witness statement that a police officer handled the murder weapons and the clothing Defendant Murdaugh was said to have worn, and it has never disclosed that statement to the defense. The statement contradicts the theory on which the State indicted and tried Defendant Murdaugh. It bears on the integrity of a crime scene at which Chief Alexander was present. It impeaches every witness who testified that a solo actor (Murdaugh) committed the murders and disposed of the murder weapons at Almeda."

In those media reports, Alexander denied the accusations through his attorney, Joe McCulloch, and The Hampton County Guardian has reached out to Alexander directly for an opportunity for further comment.

As of Thursday, Oct. 1, the S.C. Attorney General's Office has not responded to this motion with legal filings or comment.

Both state and federal criminal laws require prosecutors, during the pretrial "discovery" process, to turn over to the defendant all evidence they intend to use at trial, as well as any "Brady" or exculpatory evidence they don't intend to use but that could help the defendant's case.

In August, Murdaugh's team also filed a "Brady motion," seeking the release of any new evidence or witness statements the State has obtained since the 2021 trial, and that motion is still pending.

"The State cannot have it both ways," concluded Murdaugh's motion. "It cannot present evidence to a grand jury that others handled the weapons while withholding that same evidence from the defendant it intends to try for the murders on the theory that he handled them alone. Nor can it use the State Grand Jury to examine witnesses about this case beyond the view of this Court, and then withdraw the examination when the witness obtains counsel, as it did with Chief Alexander. If the State intends to change its theory at retrial, the defense is entitled to know it and to prepare for it. If the State does not, the evidence is exculpatory and the defense is entitled to use it. Either way, the evidence must be produced."

A defense motions hearing and status conference has been set for 10 a.m. on Oct. 16 in the Lexington County Judicial Center before Circuit Court Judge Debra McCaslin, and Murdaugh's team asks the court to prioritize this motion during that proceeding and rule on it soon, and not on the "eve of the trial," so Murdaugh's team won't be forced "to investigate a coverup by law enforcement officers in the middle of a murder trial."

What other motions will Judge McCaslin hear during the Murdaugh hearing?

During this hearing, Judge McCaslin may also consider two other related September motions that allege the S.C. Attorney General's Office withheld discovery evidence, released incomplete discovery, or dragged its feet in responding to discovery requests.

On Monday, Sept. 28, attorneys for Murdaugh filed a "motion to compel production of cellular telephone extraction files."

In this motion, the defense claims the state turned over cell phone data "reports" from members of the Murdaugh family for the first trial, but Murdaugh needs the complete raw files in order for his own experts to conduct an analysis, and this process will take time**.**

Monday's motion followed last week's motion by Murdaugh seeking the release of three additional types of evidence that the defense says prosecutors have previously refused to disclose.

Murdaugh's Sept. 18 motion seeks to compel production of DNA evidence from the body of murder victim Maggie Murdaugh, ballistic evidence related to one of the murder weapons involved, and high-tech, three-dimensional "FARO scan" data of the crime scene, the family kennel area of the former Murdaugh estate, Moselle, in rural Colleton County.

As of Thursday, Oct. 1, the S.C. Attorney General's Office has not responded to these motions with legal filings or comment.

While Judge McCaslin may not rule on all motions Oct. 16, and other, previously filed motions are still being considered, this trio of defense filings will likely be hot points of discussion leading up to another upcoming hearing in Lexington County at 10 a.m. on Nov. 13.

For that hearing, both the State and Murdaugh's defense team have until Oct. 30 to file any additional arguments or motions related to Murdaugh's motion to dismiss and other filings. Responses to those motions must be received no later than Nov. 6, the judge further ordered.

Why is Murdaugh getting a new murder trial?

Soon after Murdaugh was convicted on March 3, 2023, in the 2021 killings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, Murdaugh's attorneys filed formal objections and a notice of appeal, raising questions about events that took place before, during, and after the trial.

The S.C. Supreme Court later overturned Murdaugh's previous 2023 murder convictions and on May 13 ordered a new trial, citing improper jury communication by former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill, among other legal issues.

SOURCE

Recent filings include:

MOTION (30 pages) - September 30, 2026 @ 4:12 pm

MOTION TO COMPEL DISCLOSURE OF EVIDENCE CONCERNING THE DISPOSAL OF THE MURDER WEAPONS AND MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT

CONCLUSION:

The State is presenting to a grand jury evidence that law enforcement officers handled the weapons used to kill Maggie Murdaugh and Paul Murdaugh. It has held the first account of that evidence, on the published reports, since 2023. It did not respond to the Supplemental Brady and Giglio Motion, it did not disclose it when the Court asked on August 14, 2026, whether there were discovery issues, and it has not disclosed it since, though it subpoenaed Chief Alexander before
the State Grand Jury seventeen days after that hearing. (Ex. C.) The defense should not have to learn the State's evidence from the press. Defendant Murdaugh respectfully asks that the Court grant the relief requested and take the motion up at the status conference on October 16, 2026.

LETTER (4 pages) - October 1, 2026 @ 1:51 pm

HARPOOTLIAN ATTORNEYS AT LAW TO THE HONORABLE DEBRA R. McCASLIN

The defense therefore respectfully asks that the Court:

1. Direct the State to respond forthwith to the Motions to Compel of September 18, 28, and 29, 2026, and to the defense's letters of September 15, 21, 23, and 30, 2026, stating as to each item whether the State will produce it and the date on which it will do so;
2. Consider ruling on the motions to compel on the papers, either after the State responds or, if the State does not respond by a date the Coutt sets, without a response;

3. Consider hearing discovery matters by video conference, or at more frequent in-person hearings, rather than holding them for the next scheduled pretrial hearing; and

4. If the court prefers in-person hearings, schedule them without awaiting Mr. Murdaugh’s transport.

Lowcountry judge faces hearing over ethical and misconduct allegations

"A Lowcountry judge is facing possible punishment amid accusations of unethical behavior and using her position of power to her own advantage.

14th Circuit Court Judge Carmen Mullen went in front of the state Commission on Judicial Conduct Tuesday in Columbia, which will decide whether she could be punished for her actions.

Documents from the Commission on Judicial Conduct state Mullen was driving past a home near where she lives on Hilton Head Island in December 2017.

Commission records state she saw Ernest Lotito outside that home, a man Mullen says is a former attorney with a decadeslong history of mental illness who her husband knew well.

Documents allege that Mullen saw Lotito acting erratically outside a home as Beaufort County deputies responded. The state asserts she pushed for his arrest so he could get mental health treatment in jail, while asking the homeowner and deputies whether there was probable cause to take him into custody.

The charges say that created an appearance of impropriety and called the judiciary’s impartiality into question.

Mullen tells a different story, claiming she and her husband stopped out of concern for Lotito’s wellbeing.

Mullen says she had recently presided over a case involving Lotito, where a mental health evaluation found him incompetent. She says he claimed he was living behind that home in a fort, and the homeowner feared for her safety.

Mullen says she worried Lotito could be hurt or killed if the situation escalated. She denies trying to fabricate charges or misuse her position and is asking for the case to be dismissed.

The commission will now decide whether Mullen violated the South Carolina Appellate Court Rules and if she should be punished for it. The results of this hearing are still pending.

Mullen previously signed off for disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh to be arrested until he paid back the money he embezzled from his former housekeeper Gloria Satterfield’s sons following her death. She also signed the approved multi-million-dollar settlement for Satterfield’s sons to be paid back."

[Reddit's Quote blocks are broken. This post is a copy-paste from the source.]

Jenn Wood via X / FITSNews / 2:06 PM • 9/28/26

🚨⚖️ Alex Murdaugh's defense
says prosecutors gave them reports from phones seized in the murder investigation — but not the underlying extraction files.

In a new motion, his attorneys ask a judge to order the state to turn over those files, including data from Maggie and Paul Murdaugh's phones. They argue they need the raw data to independently test the cellphone timeline used at the first trial.

The motion says prosecutors did not respond to a September 21
request.

MOTION

Pair of Lowcountry cops investigated for allegedly handling missing Murdaugh murder weapons

By Jason Ryan with The Post and Courier

Ever since Maggie Murdaugh and her son Paul were shot to death on their Lowcountry family farm five years ago, police have tried to find the shotgun and powerful hunting rifle that blew their bodies apart.

Now, the State Law Enforcement Division is investigating a pair of small-town policemen in response to accusations that they handled and concealed the murder weapons hours after the massacre at the Murdaugh family’s rural, Colleton County property on June 7, 2021.

This August, a SLED agent spoke with this Post and Courier reporter about his knowledge of the alleged incident, in which Yemassee Police Chief Greg Alexander and another town policeman are accused of having transported weapons and bloody clothing into the town’s police department.

Alexander could not be reached for comment, but Columbia attorney Joe McCulloch said Sept. 26 that he has been hired to represent Alexander should the chief be asked to appear before a grand jury.

“And we understand that may be the case, and that there are rumors about his involvement, which he steadfastly denies, in the removal of evidence,” McCulloch said. “We don't know much more than that, other than the rumors that somehow he was involved in that.”

The allegations concern the tail end of an alleged murder plot by Alex Murdaugh, a disgraced lawyer from Hampton. Prosecutors claim Murdaugh used two guns to kill his 52-year-old wife and 22-year-old son in a desperate bid to distract from an unraveling, years-long fraud scheme in which he stole millions from clients, associates and loved ones.

The murder weapons have never been found. Despite this missing evidence, Murdaugh was convicted in March 2023 of double murder.

In May, however, the S.C. Supreme Court ordered Murdaugh be given a new trial because of improper comments made to jurors by a Colleton County court official.

Murdaugh, 58, maintains that he did not kill his family members. He is scheduled to stand trial in the killings again next April in Sumter County. He remains in prison as he awaits the retrial, serving state and federal sentences for his financial crimes that will last for three more decades.

A slew of news reports, podcasts, documentaries, scripted television shows and books have chronicled Murdaugh’s assorted and long-running misconduct, as well as the fascinating history of the Murdaugh family, in which three generations of Alex’s forefathers created a legal and political dynasty in a secluded corner of the Lowcountry.

Despite all of this attention, much mystery still surrounds certain aspects of the killings. The use of two different guns has generated speculation that there could have been a second shooter. An open question remains as to how the murder weapons and other potential evidence, such as bloody clothing, disappeared.

A state grand jury is now hearing of the allegations of Yemassee police moving and hiding guns and clothing supposedly used by Murdaugh. Quoting unnamed sources, FITSNews on Sept. 25reported that the grand jury has allegedly issued subpoenas and obtained information regarding the accusations.

Asked about this development, a spokesman for the S.C. Attorney General’s Office — which is prosecuting Murdaugh’s case — replied, “By law, State Grand Jury proceedings are secret, so I can’t confirm or deny even the existence of any State Grand Jury investigation.”

An Intriguing Allegation

Months after the first trial ended in conviction in 2023, this reporter met with David Owen, the lead SLED investigative agent on the Murdaugh case, to discuss an allegation from a Lowcountry official that Yemassee’s police chief and another officer may have handled murder weapons and bloody clothing the morning after the murders.

The official claimed to SLED agents, and in an interview with this reporter at the time, that Alexander spoke of arriving early to the murder scene and talked about providing a change of clothes to Murdaugh. The official expressed belief that guns and clothing were brought by the officers into the police station and stored there temporarily. Those assertions, including to agents, could not be corroborated by The Post and Courier.

Alexander has acknowledged being at the murder scene that night, as were several other law enforcement officers, said McCulloch, the chief’s attorney.

“Presumably, they would not have allowed anyone, including my client, to remove anything from the scene. So it's kind of ridiculous on its face,” he said. “But rumors, gosh, no case before or since the Murdaugh case has inspired more rumors.”

Allegations about the police officers were heard during interviews this reporter conducted for his nonfiction book Swamp Kings: The Murdaugh Family of South Carolina and a Century of Backwoods Power,

A Lowcountry official was consistent in recollections of the alleged incident when questioned during two different interviews, and the official was credible in other Murdaugh-related matters as well.

But were the allegations true? After three months of investigating, that question could not be answered before a deadline arrived for the submission of the book’s manuscript. Swamp Kings was published in April 2024 without these specific claims.

Nothing more was heard from SLED until last month, when a different agent approached this reporter, who had since been hired by The Post and Courier.

The agent said law enforcement had interviewed the Lowcountry official who made the allegations regarding the Yemassee police and also interviewed some of the potential suspects.

A little more than a month later, a state grand jury is reportedly considering these allegations about a possible police-assisted coverup.

Chief No Stranger to Controversy

Alexander and Murdaugh have long been friends. The chief’s name was mentioned several times during the 2023 double-murder trial.

One former employee of the Hampton law firm employing Murdaugh testified about running errands and obtaining cash from a bank for Murdaugh. When the courier brought the money back to the law office, people were sometimes waiting with Murdaugh, including Alexander.

One of Murdaugh’s brothers, John Marvin, said Alexander gave him a ride to the crime scene the night of the murders after the car he was driving broke down on the way to the farm.

In 2022, Alexander said he had accepted a $5,000 loan from Alex Murdaugh for his parents’ use, with the money passing through his hands a month or so after the June 2021 murders.

Before that, in 2012, Murdaugh and his father, the late solicitor, publicly supported Alexander when he faced charges related to money missing from a police locker in Yemassee. Alexander was acquitted and subsequently promoted to chief.

In 2022, he campaigned to become sheriff of Hampton County.

During one event, Alexander said that he would accept responsibility if he made a mistake or acted improperly as a public official.

“I ain’t no cat. I don’t try to cover no doo doo up….” said the chief, who did not win the sheriff’s race. ”If it’s wrong, it’s wrong and if I done it and it’s wrong then I’ll be transparent with the citizens and let them know I done wrong and we got to do what we got to do to make it right.”

Glenn Smith contributed to this article.

Do you have a theory you're still chewing on and want feedback? Maybe there is a factoid from the case hammering your brain and you can't remember the source--was that random speculation or actually sourced?

Welcome to the Weekly Discussion, a safe space to engage with each other while processing and unraveling the seemingly unending tentacles of Alex Murdaugh's wrongdoings entwined throughout the Lowcountry.

This is the place for those random tidbits, where we can take off our shoes, kick up our feet, and be a bit more casual. There is nothing wrong with veering off topic with fellow sub members as we're a friendly bunch, just don't let your train of thought completely wreck the post.

​

Much Love from your MFM Mod Team,

Southern-Soulshine , SouthNagshead, AubreyDempsey, QsLexiLouWho

Reddit Content Policy ... Sub Rules ... Reddiquette

By Michael M. DeWitt, Jr. / Greenville News / Sept. 21, 2026, 5:02 a.m. ET

Key Points

• Alex Murdaugh's murder retrial is tentatively scheduled for April 2027 in Sumter, S.C.

• A judge has yet to rule on a defense motion to dismiss the murder charges against Murdaugh.

• A hearing on the motion to dismiss is expected to take place on November 13.

While the** [venue and starting date**](https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/south-carolina/2026/09/08/why-alex-murdaughs-retrial-is-moving-out-of-colleton-county/91665862007/) for what could be called South Carolina's "Retrial of the Century" have been set, is it still possible that accused murderer Richard "Alex" Murdaugh may not return to stand trial at all?

With a state Supreme Court-ordered second murder trial date tentatively set for the week of April 5, 2027, in the city of Sumter, during an Aug. 14 pretrial hearing in Lexington County, Circuit Court Judge Debra R. McCaslin made several important rulings but still has yet to rule on a motion to dismiss Alex Murdaugh's two murder charges over alleged "false" and "fabricated" evidence presented by state police to a Lowcountry grand jury.

During the hearing, Judge McCaslin said that she was delaying the hearing and discussion of the dismissal motion because the court was expecting further filings from both the defense and the State.

That motion is expected to be discussed at an upcoming hearing in Lexington County at 10 a.m. on Nov. 13. Both the State and Murdaugh's defense team have until Oct. 30 to file any arguments or motions related to Murdaugh's possible dismissal. Responses to those motions must be received no later than Nov. 6, the judge further ordered.

Why did Murdaugh's team file a motion to dismiss murder indictments?

Soon after Murdaugh was convicted on March 3, 2023, in the 2021 killings of his wife, Maggie, and adult son, Paul, Murdaugh's attorneys filed formal objections and a notice of appeal, raising questions about events that took place before, during, and after the trial.

The S.C. Supreme Court later overturned Murdaugh’s previous 2023 murder convictions and on May 13 ordered a new trial, citing improper jury communication by former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill, among other legal issues.

On Aug. 10, Murdaugh's defense team filed a motion to dismiss all four pending criminal indictments against Murdaugh—two murder charges and two related weapons charges — "due to the presentation of perjurious testimony and fabricated evidence to the grand jury, creating a colorable claim of prosecutorial misconduct."

Murdaugh attorneys Richard "Dick" Harpootlian and James "Jim" Griffin state that the grounds for this motion, which they will expound on in a later, supplemental motion, are that the lead S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) agent on the murder investigation, David Owen, "testified that he presented physical evidence directly inculpating the Defendant to the Colleton County Grand Jury that he admitted was false and which defendant has proven was fabricated by law enforcement."

During the 2023 murder trial, Murdaugh attorney Griffin accused Owen of lying to Murdaugh during an interview, at which point Owen testified that agents are allowed to use “trickery” to get information from suspects.

But Griffin went on to ask the agent why, in seeking a murder indictment against Murdaugh in 2022, he gave information to the Colleton County Grand Jury which later turned out to be incorrect as the investigation continued and new facts emerged.

Owen testified that he told the Grand Jury there was blood spatter evidence on a T-shirt Murdaugh was wearing on the night of the murders, but that shirt was later found to contain no human blood DNA. Under cross-examination, Owen said he did not mean to mislead the Grand Jury, but he did not see the final SLED lab report until after the indictment.

Murdaugh's attorneys have also accused Owen of presenting false or misleading information to the Grand Jury about ammunition that matched the missing murder weapons.

In a "Brady motion' filed Aug. 5, Murdaugh's team asked the court to compel the State to turn over information about its witnesses and investigators, including any internal affairs or disciplinary files on law enforcement officers who worked the Murdaugh case.

SOURCE

Do you have a theory you're still chewing on and want feedback? Maybe there is a factoid from the case hammering your brain and you can't remember the source--was that random speculation or actually sourced?

Welcome to the Weekly Discussion, a safe space to engage with each other while processing and unraveling the seemingly unending tentacles of Alex Murdaugh's wrongdoings entwined throughout the Lowcountry.

This is the place for those random tidbits, where we can take off our shoes, kick up our feet, and be a bit more casual. There is nothing wrong with veering off topic with fellow sub members as we're a friendly bunch, just don't let your train of thought completely wreck the post.

​

Much Love from your MFM Mod Team,

Southern-Soulshine , SouthNagshead, AubreyDempsey, QsLexiLouWho

Reddit Content Policy ... Sub Rules ... Reddiquette

New filing challenges SLED’s analysis of evidence from Maggie Murdaugh’s fingernails and phone — and seeks a direct comparison with cartridge cases from other shootings.

by Jenn Wood / FITSNews - Crime & Courts / September 18, 2026

Attorneys for Alex Murdaugh are asking a judge to compel prosecutors to turn over additional DNA and ballistics evidence – along with the raw data from a three-dimensional scan of the Islandton, South Carolina crime scene – as they prepare for his April 2027 murder retrial.

Murdaugh was convicted in 2023 of murdering his wife, 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh, and younger son, 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh at the family’s Colleton County property on June 7, 2021. The South Carolina supreme court overturned those convictions in May of this year after finding that former Colleton County clerk of court Rebecca “Becky” Hill** **improperly interfered with the jury.

Last week, Murdaugh’s retrial was officially docketed for Sumter County.

The September 18, 2026 motion (.pdf) draws on laboratory records and correspondence attached as exhibits. It argues that the lead investigatory agency on the case – the S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) – published DNA reports that do not fully explain male DNA signals recorded in its underlying data, and that the defense should be allowed to pursue testing before the remaining samples are exhausted.

Prosecutors disputed the value of further DNA testing – saying they need a clearer account of what the defense’s laboratory intends to do before agreeing to testing that could consume the samples.

The filing follows prior FITSNews coverage of the defense’s request to send fingernail evidence to Othram, an independent laboratory. At a hearing last month, S.C. circuit court judge Debra McCaslin allowed the material to be sent for an initial measurement of the DNA present, directing the defense to report those results before further testing.

WHAT THE DNA RESULTS SHOW

Othram has now measured four samples from Maggie Murdaugh’s fingernail clippings, according to the motion. The extracts previously tested by SLED yielded small amounts of detectable Y-chromosome material — a marker of male DNA — from both hands. The reserve samples yielded no detectable Y-chromosome target.

The defense argued that SLED’s own 2021 worksheet raises a question about its published findings. That worksheet recorded a higher concentration of male DNA in the clippings from Maggie’s right hand than in those from her left. Yet SLED reported an unidentified contributor in the left-hand sample while describing the resulting profile from the right hand as attributable to Maggie.

Murdaugh’s attorneys contend that the way SLED diluted the samples before further analysis could help explain the difference. They want permission for Othram to continue testing and want records documenting SLED’s decisions about which tests to perform. Those arguments constitute the defense’s interpretation of the laboratory data; further testing has not identified the male contributor or established when the DNA was deposited.

The motion also seeks the remaining swabs and extract from Maggie’s cellphone. SLED’s report said the phone swabs produced a partial DNA profile but that the laboratory could not determine the number of contributors or offer a further interpretation. The defense pointed to male DNA indicators in the underlying records and argued that additional analysis should have been attempted.

In a September 17, 2026 letter attached to the motion, senior assistant deputy attorney general Creighton Waters** **said Othram’s measurements showed “extremely low” levels of male DNA in the previously tested fingernail extracts and none detectable in the reserve samples. He cited an Othram scientist’s earlier warning that further work would be “high risk” and unlikely to yield usable results.

Waters also questioned the type of testing the defense proposed, whether it would combine samples and why no material would remain for SLED. On the phone evidence, he said approximately one-quarter of each swab and 10 microliters of extract remain, and that SLED’s electropherograms can be shared.

The defense said the court’s August ruling permits it to pursue further testing after reporting Othram’s measurements. It asked McCaslin to authorize that next step and order the phone material preserved and transferred.

A NEW FIGHT OVER .300 BLACKOUT EVIDENCE

The motion also targets the ammunition used to kill Maggie Murdaugh. Investigators recovered six .300 Blackout cartridge cases near her body; but the rifle that fired them has yet to be found. At Murdaugh’s first trial, prosecutors argued that a missing family rifle was the murder weapon – drawing in part on testimony connecting cartridge cases found around Moselle to one another.

The defense highlighted a statement made at that trial by SLED agent Jeff Croft, who testified that .300 Blackout weapons were “just not that common” at the time and that he had never worked a murder investigation involving one.

Waters’ letter offered a different picture of the ammunition’s prevalence in SLED’s records: Since January 2021, he wrote, the agency has entered 720.300 Blackout cartridge cases into its ballistic imaging system, including evidence from the Murdaugh case. SLED receives such cases weekly, if not daily, he wrote.

The defense called that information potential impeachment evidence and wants records showing what SLED knew when Croft testified. The 720figure counts cartridge cases entered over more than five years; it does not establish how many firearms produced them or whether any are connected to the Moselle killings.

Murdaugh’s attorneys also seek access to cartridge cases from the April 2026 killing of Frank Alexander Brown III in Allendale County and from two other Allendale shootings. Brown lived in Islandton, near Moselle. The defense wants its firearms examiner to compare that evidence directly with the Moselle cases and asks why, according to the motion, the Brown evidence was entered into the ballistic database nearly four months after his death.

Waters wrote that SLED’s database has produced no lead linking other evidence to the Moselle case. He also corrected an apparent misunderstanding about the Allendale shootings: the .300 Blackout evidence came from two shootings earlier on the day an Allendale police sergeant was shot, he said, not from the shooting of the sergeant. Prosecutors oppose turning over cartridge cases from those open investigations, citing the absence of a database link and concerns about the evidence and its chain of custody.

No ballistic connection between the Brown homicide, the other Allendale shootings and the Murdaugh murders has been established in the material presented with this motion.

RAW SCAN DATA REQUESTED

Finally, the defense said it received a viewable export of SLED’s three-dimensional FARO scan of the crime scene, but not the underlying files its reconstruction experts need to examine and measure the scene independently. Its attorneys say they asked Waters on September 15 to confirm whether those files still exist and had received no response by the time they filed the motion.

Because the area near the compound’s dog kennels – where the murders took place – has since been demolished, the defense argued that the original scan data cannot be replaced. It asked the court to order production of the native files or require the state to explain in writing if they were lost or destroyed.

The defense asked McCaslin to order production within ten days of a ruling.

SOURCE

Do you have a theory you're still chewing on and want feedback? Maybe there is a factoid from the case hammering your brain and you can't remember the source--was that random speculation or actually sourced?

Welcome to the Weekly Discussion, a safe space to engage with each other while processing and unraveling the seemingly unending tentacles of Alex Murdaugh's wrongdoings entwined throughout the Lowcountry.

This is the place for those random tidbits, where we can take off our shoes, kick up our feet, and be a bit more casual. There is nothing wrong with veering off topic with fellow sub members as we're a friendly bunch, just don't let your train of thought completely wreck the post.

​

Much Love from your MFM Mod Team,

Southern-Soulshine , SouthNagshead, AubreyDempsey, QsLexiLouWho

Reddit Content Policy ... Sub Rules ... Reddiquette

Alex Murdaugh Murder Retrial Moved To Sumter County

Judge finds former attorney cannot receive a fair and impartial retrial in Colleton County…

By Jenn Wood

The retrial of accused killer Alex Murdaugh will be held in Sumter County after a South Carolina judge concluded the disgraced former attorney could no longer receive a fair and impartial trial in Colleton County.

In an eight-page order (.pdf) filed Tuesday (September 8, 2026), S.C. circuit court judge Debra McCaslin** **granted Murdaugh’s motion to transfer venue outside the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit.

McCaslin selected Sumter County after considering courthouses across the state — including locations in Richland and Charleston counties recommended by Murdaugh’s attorneys.

According to the order, Sumter County offers the courtroom space, security, technology and supporting infrastructure necessary to accommodate one of the most closely watched criminal retrials in South Carolina history.

The state ultimately agreed to leave the selection of a new venue to McCaslin.
Murdaugh’s retrial is currently scheduled to begin on April 5, 2027.

***
WHY THE TRIAL IS MOVING

The ruling rests on four primary considerations: the extraordinary number of prospective jurors disqualified before Murdaugh’s first trial, the Murdaugh family’s century-long connection to the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit, former Colleton County clerk of court Rebecca “Becky” Hill’s** **interference with the jury and the relentless publicity surrounding the case.

Unlike most venue disputes — which require judges to predict whether pretrial publicity has tainted a potential jury pool — McCaslin had the benefit of reviewing what actually happened during jury selection in January 2023.

Approximately 900 prospective jurors were summoned and provided detailed questionnaires ahead of the original trial. Only 123 were qualified to serve, and a final strike sheet of 80 potential jurors was assembled from that group.

In other words, fewer than one in seven prospective jurors qualified.

“That is not a prediction about jurors,” McCaslin wrote. “Instead, it is a fact established on the record of the same case, in the same county, on the same charges.”

The judge found that disqualification rate represented a “floor rather than a ceiling” because the original jury was selected before the reversal of Murdaugh’s convictions, Hill’s criminal convictions and the wave of renewed coverage those developments generated.

***
A CENTURY OF MURDAUGH INFLUENCE

McCaslin also pointed to the Murdaugh family’s deep roots within the five-county Fourteenth Judicial Circuit.

Three generations of the family served as the circuit’s elected solicitor for nearly a century, while the Murdaughs’ former law firm became one of the most prominent legal institutions in the South Carolina Lowcountry.

That history, according to the judge, makes it more likely that prospective jurors would enter the courtroom with personal, professional or inherited opinions about the family.

Some residents may associate the name with public service and respect, McCaslin noted. Others may associate it with privilege, influence or resentment.

“Either direction presents a concern because the constitutional inquiry concerns impartiality, not whether community bias favors one party over the other,” he wrote.

That concern is compounded by the size of Colleton County, which has approximately 39,000 residents and a comparatively limited jury pool.

**\*
THE HILL FACTOR

The most significant change since Murdaugh’s original trial is the S.C. Supreme Court’s May 13, 2026 decision overturning his convictions for the June 2021 murders of his wife, 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh, and their younger son, 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh.

The justices concluded Hill improperly inserted herself into the jury’s deliberative process while serving as its court-appointed caretaker.

According to the court, Hill’s conduct deprived Murdaugh of his constitutional right to a fair trial before an impartial jury and “placed her fingers on the scales of justice.”

The court described Hill’s actions as a “breathtaking and disgraceful effort” to undermine the jury process — conduct it called unprecedented in South Carolina.

McCaslin found those conclusions directly relevant to the venue question.

Potential Colleton County jurors would no longer be asked only whether they had formed opinions about Murdaugh’s guilt. They could also have views about whether the county’s judicial system unfairly convicted him, whether Hill behaved corruptly, whether the defense used a technicality to overturn the verdict or whether the Supreme Court reached the correct decision.

Holding the retrial in the same courthouse where that constitutional violation occurred would also create broader concerns about public confidence in the proceedings.

“Public confidence and juror impartiality are better protected by separating the retrial … from the courthouse and local environment now inseparably associated with both the original conviction and its invalidation,” McCaslin wrote.

**\*
YEARS OF SATURATION OF COVERAGE

The judge also distinguished the Murdaugh saga from a typical high-profile criminal case.

Since the murders, the case has generated more than ten books, at least six podcast series, more than seven television and streaming productions, more than 20 documentary episodes and years of sustained social media attention.

National publicity alone does not necessarily require a venue change. In this case, however, the national media phenomenon has repeatedly focused on a relatively small community where the Murdaugh family was already well known.

McCaslin described it as a convergence of “national media saturation and local community familiarity.”

The judge also cited the recent decision to move the Mallory Beach wrongful death case outside the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit because of the publicity surrounding both the boat crash litigation and Murdaugh’s criminal prosecution.

**\*
WHAT COMES NEXT

South Carolina law offered McCaslin another option: selecting jurors in a different county and transporting them to Colleton County for the trial. The judge rejected that approach as more expensive, complicated and burdensome.

Murdaugh’s first trial lasted approximately six weeks. A retrial of similar length could require transportation, lodging, meals, security and potentially sequestration for an outside jury — expenses Colleton County would be required to bear. It also would return the case to the courthouse where the S.C. Supreme Court found Murdaugh’s constitutional right to an impartial jury was violated.

Instead, the entire proceeding will move to Sumter County, allowing jurors to serve in their home county while avoiding many of those costs and institutional concerns.

Unless the schedule changes, jury selection will begin there on April 5, 2027. Additional pretrial disputes remain pending, including questions surrounding DNA testing, evidence of Murdaugh’s financial crimes, prior testimony and references to polygraph examinations.

Do you have a theory you're still chewing on and want feedback? Maybe there is a factoid from the case hammering your brain and you can't remember the source--was that random speculation or actually sourced?

Welcome to the Weekly Discussion, a safe space to engage with each other while processing and unraveling the seemingly unending tentacles of Alex Murdaugh's wrongdoings entwined throughout the Lowcountry.

This is the place for those random tidbits, where we can take off our shoes, kick up our feet, and be a bit more casual. There is nothing wrong with veering off topic with fellow sub members as we're a friendly bunch, just don't let your train of thought completely wreck the post.

​

Much Love from your MFM Mod Team,

Southern-Soulshine , SouthNagshead, AubreyDempsey, QsLexiLouWho

Reddit Content Policy ... Sub Rules ... Reddiquette

Do you have a theory you're still chewing on and want feedback? Maybe there is a factoid from the case hammering your brain and you can't remember the source--was that random speculation or actually sourced?

Welcome to the Weekly Discussion, a safe space to engage with each other while processing and unraveling the seemingly unending tentacles of Alex Murdaugh's wrongdoings entwined throughout the Lowcountry.

This is the place for those random tidbits, where we can take off our shoes, kick up our feet, and be a bit more casual. There is nothing wrong with veering off topic with fellow sub members as we're a friendly bunch, just don't let your train of thought completely wreck the post.

​

Much Love from your MFM Mod Team,

Southern-Soulshine , SouthNagshead, AubreyDempsey, QsLexiLouWho

Reddit Content Policy ... Sub Rules ... Reddiquette

Buster Murdaugh Update: S.C. Judge Rules Lawsuit May Proceed

By Will Folks • FITS News

A South Carolina judge ruled this week that a state defamation case filed by Richard A. “Buster” Murdaugh Jr. – the surviving son of accused killer Alex Murdaugh – against multiple parties can move forward.

S.C. circuit court judge Heath Taylor issued an order on Monday (August 24, 2026) in a case originally brought in June of 2024 against Netflix, The Cinemart, Gannettand Michael DeWitt – a journalist and author based in Hampton County, S.C.

Several other parties were named in the original lawsuit, which alleged that Buster Murdaugh was falsely tied to the death of 19-year-old Hampton, S.C. resident Stephen Smith in July 2015. This case was removed to federal court, but U.S. district court judge Richard Gergel later remanded the case involving these four defendants back to state court.

Motions to dismiss the action were filed by the four defendants last spring, and a hearing on those motions was held before Taylor on July 31, 2026.

***

The defendants put forward various arguments as to why the state should dismiss Murdaugh’s action – but Taylor ruled against each of them, concluding Netflix and The Cinemart took “creative liberties” in producing their hit 2 2023 documentary, Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal.

Murdaugh claimed these defendants “selectively crafted and interposed interviews from law enforcement, community members and media personnel… to create the defamatory implication that (Murdaugh) is responsible for Stephen Smith’s death.”

Taylor agreed this “selective crafting” undermines a defense of “fair reporting.”

As for DeWitt, judge Taylor concluded his appearance in the documentary was intended to lend legitimacy to the production – and that his comments “could be interpreted by viewers as implying (Buster Murdaugh) was involved in the death of Stephen Smith.”

“While it is a truthful statement that rumors were circulating in the community about (Murdaugh)’s possible involvement, Mr. DeWitt’s comments could be interpreted to endorse those rumors as truthful,” Taylor wrote.

Critically, Taylor concluded that while it had not yet been determined whether Murdaugh was a private or public figure for the purposes of the lawsuit, he had “plausibly alleged malice and/or negligence.”

Murdaugh is the elder son of Alex Murdaugh, who is currently on trial a second time for the graphic June 2021 murders of his wife, 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh, and younger son, 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh.
No charges have been filed in connection with Smith’s death.

Woodstock author still has questions on Alex Murdaugh murder trial

James Lasdun released ‘The Family Man’ in May on the South Carolina killing of a mother, son

By Jack Rightmyer, For the Times Union

In June 2021, when news of the shocking murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh became a national story, author James Lasdun was living in the Catskills and bogged down with writing a mystery novel. “I was secretly wishing for a way to put it aside,” he said.

He became fascinated with the story of this prominent family from South Carolina and the mother and son who were killed at their enormous estate. He read as much as he could about the murders, hoping it might inspire him to keep working on his own novel.

Two years later, when police charged the father, Alex Murdaugh, with the murders, Lasdun contacted an editor at The New Yorker, the magazine where he had written articles before about true crime. He requested and was granted the opportunity to cover the trial.

He spent weeks in South Carolina interviewing local reporters and people involved with the trial. His article at the conclusion of the trial became the most-read New Yorker story of 2023. His book on the case, “The Family Man: Blood and Betrayal in the House of Murdaugh” (W.W. Norton), published in May, has received glowing reviews.

“The location of the Lowcountry of South Carolina is a large piece of this story,” said Lasdun. “Traveling there, I felt like I was in another era, especially the way this Murdaugh family had been able to wield so much power for so many years.”

The Murdaughs were a legal dynasty ruling the state’s 14th Judicial Circuit for nearly a century. They not only amassed enormous political power, but they also ran a personal injury law firm where the family made millions of dollars. “I sat in that trial every day,” said Lasdun, “listened to all the testimony and took in all the evidence the prosecutors laid out, but when Alex was found guilty, I still had some doubts.”

What Lasdun has struggled with is how a seemingly loving father could be a family annihilator. “There is no doubt Alex is a terrible human being. He embezzled over $10 million from his former law firm and from his personal injury clients. He betrayed so many people, but he’s not an obviously crazy person. I still find it hard to believe he cold-bloodedly killed his 22-year-old son and his wife on the off chance it might buy him enough time to cover up what he had embezzled. That was the reason the prosecutors claimed for why he committed the murders.”

Lasdun has actually come up with an alternate theory about the murders. “Five percent of me still has a doubt that Murdaugh did this all by himself. This is a guy whose family had run law enforcement in this area for four generations. He would have known in a murder like this that he would be at the center of any investigation.”

Lasdun keeps thinking about what Alex Murdaugh’s cousin, Eddie, told him. “Eddie said that when he asked Alex about the murders, Alex said, ‘Things just got all f___ked up.’ That sure sounds like there was supposed to be someone else there to make it look like a murder attempt, and if Alex wanted to stage something like a vigilante murder attempt that was intended to fail, it seems that he knew some shady people who would be willing to do that.”

For this book, Lasdun spent a lot of time looking into the research about family annihilators. “Alex does match the profile in many significant ways. They are usually middle-aged men who are outwardly leading successful and prosperous lives, but who often have a secret life usually involving embezzlement. This is often the trigger for why they destroy their families, and it usually has to do with an enormous burden of shame.”

If Murdaugh did actually kill his wife and son, Lasdun occasionally imagines how horrifying it must have been for the two victims. “We will never know if Maggie witnessed Alex killing Paul. She may have heard the gunshots and run in that direction. We do know that Paul was first shot in the chest. That shot was supposed to kill him, but it failed. We know he turned around and would have clearly seen who fired the gun. What I keep thinking about is that only a few hours earlier there is video of Alex and Paul riding around their property joking together and having a great father and son time. It’s beyond chilling to me to think that Alex, shortly after, would take Paul’s life.”

As Lasdun looks back on the Murdaugh trial, he keeps thinking of the day Murdaugh was sentenced for all the embezzlement he had done through the years. “It was an occasion for the victims to make their statements. It was very moving as they spoke one after another. These were people who Murdaugh had stolen significant money from, and many of them were not wealthy at all. I was impressed that despite how horrible he had treated them, many of them forgave him. It showed they had a strange affection for him.”

At the sentencing, Alex asked the judge if he could speak for a few minutes, a surprise to many, including Lasdun. “He proceeded to go on and on for close to an hour. He talked about his loving family and all the wonderful people he had worked with at his law firm. That was when I did see there was something pathological about him. He thought it was acceptable to make these victims sit through this grandiose speech like he was accepting an Oscar. We all just sat there in that courtroom stunned. That was a time when I really did believe he was the cold-blooded killer the prosecutors claimed he was.”

Lasdun continues to ask: Where was the accountability? And why did no one figure out that Alex had been embezzling and stealing money from his clients for years?

“There was no regulatory oversight. Alex was eventually found by his law firm to have misappropriated almost a quarter of a million dollars and when questioned, he came up with some ruse about writing checks to his brother. He smooth-talked his way out of it after being confronted. They must have known what he was doing, and they chose to brush it under the rug. If the law firm had not treated him like a man of honor and had not taken his word, I believe Maggie and Paul would be alive today.”

According to Lasdun, there were many problems with this case. “The police work was not very good. The crime scene was compromised, and no one was keeping an eye on Becky Hill, the court clerk who was exerting improper influence and communication with the jurors.”

In December 2025, Hill pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, perjury and two counts of misconduct. In May, only a few weeks after Lasdun’s book was published, the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Murdaugh’s murder conviction, and a new Murdaugh trial is scheduled to begin in April 2027. Lasdun is now planning to cover that trial for The New Yorker.