Judge Allows New DNA Testing Ahead of Alex Murdaugh Murder Retrial
publishers 18articles 18first reported 16 Oct, 06:15 UTCdeveloping since 16 Oct · 7 editions
A South Carolina judge has allowed Alex Murdaugh’s defense to conduct additional DNA testing on genetic material found beneath his wife Maggie Murdaugh’s fingernails, as the two sides prepare for his murder retrial in April.
The decision came during a pretrial hearing focused on disputes over evidence in the June 2021 shooting deaths of Maggie and the couple’s younger son, Paul, at their Colleton County home. The judge also warned attorneys about their conduct and said the retrial would not “become a circus,” according to reports from CNN, Court TV and The Post and Courier.
Other disputes include a defense request for ballistics and related records from shootings in eight nearby counties involving the same type of firearm as one of the weapons used in the killings. The murder weapons have not been found.
Murdaugh’s attorneys have also sought information about whether prosecutors convened a grand jury to investigate a police officer who was friendly with Murdaugh and may have arrived at the property before other officers. Prosecutors have declined to confirm whether such an investigation or related evidence exists, citing restrictions on grand jury disclosures.
The South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Murdaugh’s 2023 murder convictions earlier this year, finding that the court clerk improperly influenced jurors. Murdaugh, 58, remains imprisoned after pleading guilty to financial crimes involving theft from clients.
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Written from 7 articles, 1 with the publisher's own text; 7 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 18 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
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