{"id":2065,"date":"2026-06-24T23:07:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T23:07:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2065"},"modified":"2026-06-24T23:07:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T23:07:50","slug":"murdaugh-wants-retrial-in-sc-county-far-away-from-first-trial-requests-dna-test-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2065","title":{"rendered":"Murdaugh wants retrial in SC county far away from first trial; requests DNA test"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Lawyers for Alex Murdaugh filed pretrial motions Wednesday including one requesting a change of venue from Colleton County, South Carolina, where his first double-murder trial was held, and far from surrounding counties as well.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2064\">Murdaugh wants retrial in SC county far away from first trial; requests DNA test<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe basis for this motion is that this is among the most heavily publicized criminal prosecutions in the history of this state,\u201d Murdaugh\u2019s lawyers wrote.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor years, Defendant, his family, and the law firm with which his family was associated for generations have been the subject of saturating, sensational and continuous media coverage.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat coverage has been especially intense within the five counties that comprise the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit \u2014 Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper \u2014 where the Murdaugh name has been synonymous with the local legal system for nearly a century, where the population is small and interconnected and where the very documentaries, books and films that have shaped public opinion were researched, filmed, and produced.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnder the circumstances, the Defendant cannot obtain the fair and impartial trial guaranteed to him by the state and federal constitutions,\u201d the motion said.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>It will be up to state Judge Debra McCaslin, assigned to the Murdaugh case by Chief Justice John Kittredge, to decide on that motion after state prosecutors have had a chance to reply.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Murdaugh, 58, was convicted in a 2023 jury trial in Colleton County of killing his wife, Maggie, and son Paul in June 2021 at their 1,700-acre estate in a rural section of county. Maggie was killed with an assault rifle, and Paul with a shotgun \u2014 facts that allowed his defense team at that trial to speculate that two people must have been involved.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>But the jury considered other evidence \u2014 including that Murdaugh lied about being near the murder scene that night \u2014 and convicted him in deliberations that lasted less than three hours.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Murdaugh\u2019s conviction of killing his wife and son was subsequently overturned in early May by the S.C. Supreme Court because of jury tampering by former Colleton County clerk of court Becky Hill, who was writing a book on the case.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2062\">Windshield flies off tumbling fire engine, hits man in his yard, NC officials say<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Murdaugh is currently in state prison serving as lengthy sentence for financial crimes. His two consecutive ilfe sentences for killing his wife and son were vacated by the Supreme Court in its order overturning his conviction. Murdaugh has always contended he is innocent of killing his wife and son.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Judge McCaslin will hold a hearing at the Lexington County courthouse on Monday. She will likely not take up the change of venue and the DNA motions since the state has not had a chance to file a reply. Instead, Monday\u2019s hearing will likely focus on general matters, such as approximately when a retrial might be held and how much time is needed for each side to prepare.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<h2>Tests of DNA from wife\u2019s fingernails sought<\/h2>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Another motion filed by Murdaugh attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian on Wednesday requests a court order requiring the state to produce DNA evidence of material allegedly found under Maggie Murdaugh\u2019s left-hand fingernails.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSLED determined this was from an unknown and unrelated male. No further analysis was attempted,\u201d defense lawyers wrote.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis evidence, however, is crucial to the defense,\u201d the motion said, citing an out-of-state murder case in which a husband was eventually cleared of murder charges because of DNA evidence of another person being found. That case involved an Indiana state trooper, David Camm, who spent 13 years in prison before being exonerated.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In their motion, Harpootlian and Griffin wrote that they knew a DNA testing company that could analyze that evidence, but testing the DNA will take \u201cconsiderable time\u201d so speed is needed for a court order.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Other members of Murdaugh\u2019s defense team are Phil Barber and Margaret Fox.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The State reached out to the Attorney General\u2019s office, which is prosecuting the case, for comment on the defense teams new motions.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Spokesman Robert Kittle said the state will respond in the appropriate legal filings.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2061\">The Midlands has a massive new entertainment center with bowling, food and more<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Another motion filed by Alex Murdaugh\u2019s attorneys Wednesday requests a DNA analysis of material allegedly found underneath Maggie Murdaugh\u2019s fingernails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2063,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-elections"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Murdaugh wants retrial in SC county far away from first trial; 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