Just days before Alex Murdaugh is expected in court, his attorneys have filed a flurry of motions as they prepare for his retrial on charges that he murdered his wife and son.
Change of venue
The 58-year-old’s defense team wants his new trial to be held outside the Fourteenth Judicial District. That includes Allendale, Beaufort, Hampton, and Jasper Counties, as well as Colleton County, where Murdaugh was convicted in 2023 following a six-week long trial, televised worldwide.
The defense motion cites the area’s “small and interconnected population” where “the very documentaries, books and films that have shaped public opinion” were produced.
New DNA testing
In another motion, Murdaugh’s attorneys ask a judge to require the state to produce DNA evidence found beneath Maggie Murdaugh’s fingernails shortly after she was killed in June of 2021.
The defense argues initial testing that showed that the DNA was found from an “unknown and unrelated male” did not go far enough. They want more testing from an independent lab.
That evidence was not presented during the original trial.
Computer access
And finally, Murdaugh’s defense team wants the former high-profile attorney to have access to a secure laptop so he can review case materials to help his team prepare.
While Murdaugh’s murder convictions were overturned, he's still serving time for stealing millions from former clients, his old law firm, as well as others.
No word if any of these motions will be addressed during Monday’s status conference. The court-ordered meeting is where the judge establishes a trial date, issues a scheduling order, and sets deadlines for discovery as well as motions.
But it’s the first time the public will be introduced to the new judge selected to oversee the case, Circuit Court Judge Debra McCaslin. It’s also the first time Murdaugh will be seen since being granted a new trial.