By admin 
Alex Murdaugh is back in court Friday for the latest hearing ahead of his second murder trial.
Read more One of fastest growing SC areas to get a Curio Collection by Hilton in major downtown development
A host of contentious issues are set to be addressed, including how Judge Debra McCaslin will handle evidence of Murdaugh’s financial crimes, DNA and phone data evidence, and even whether a new trial will be held back in Walterboro or somewhere else.
This will be the second hearing inside a Lexington courtroom before McCaslin since the S.C. Supreme Court overturned the former Lowcountry attorney’s 2023 murder conviction in the killings of his wife and son. The first hearing back in June set a provisional date for a second trial of April 5, 2027. Another significant development ahead of Friday’s hearing is a decision allowing Murdaugh to appear in street clothes rather than the prison garb and shackles he’s appeared in previously.
Read more Can Darline Graham win GOP U.S. Senate runoff? Here’s her path to victory
But other issues raised by the prosecution, led by Creighton Waters, and the defense team of Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian remain to be settled. McCaslin may not issue any final decisions Friday, but she has indicated she wants to move quickly toward a retrial on Murdaugh’s much-publicized murder charges.
This page will be updated frequently with breaking news from the hearing once it gets underway at 10 a.m.
Read more Four SC coastal counties most vulnerable to hurricane impacts. Here’s why