{"id":4985,"date":"2026-08-21T09:35:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T09:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=4985"},"modified":"2026-08-21T09:35:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T09:35:51","slug":"murdaugh-prosecutor-creighton-waters-says-hell-let-judge-decide-on-new-trial-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=4985","title":{"rendered":"Murdaugh prosecutor Creighton Waters says he\u2019ll let judge decide on new trial site"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Like most prosecutors, Creighton Waters, the lead prosecutor in the Alex Murdaugh retrial case, is not hesitant about making a point.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=4983\">A Trump stop, debate flub and big spending shape last week of SC\u2019s GOP Senate runoff<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>But when it comes to expressing a preference for a county to retry Murdaugh on double murder charges, Waters will let state Judge Debra McCaslin be the decider.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe leave it to the court\u2019s discretion to choose an appropriate venue considering all of the factors: including logistics, expense, and most importantly, impanelment of a fair and impartial jury,\u201d Waters wrote in an email letter to McCaslin on Wednesday, Aug. 19.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>McCaslin will be the trial judge at Murdaugh\u2019s new trial, which is scheduled to start  April 5.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>McCaslin, ruled Friday, Aug. 14, that because of the pervasive publicity surrounding Murdaugh and his case, the accused killer and disbarred attorney could not receive a fair trial in Colleton County, where he was tried last time, and its nearby counties in the 14th Judicial Circuit \u2014 Beaufort, Hampton, Allendale and Jasper.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>That left 41 other South Carolina counties, some of which are more preferable than others because of courtroom size, location, parking and other variables.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>After defense attorneys earlier this month suggested Charleston because of a potential large jury pool, prosecutors objected because of Charleston\u2019s higher prices, traffic congestion and parking difficulties.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Instead of Charleston, prosecutors suggested in an Aug. 12 filing that Spartanburg, Newberry, Lancaster, York or Florence counties were suitable alternatives.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=4981\">Spartanburg man sentenced to four life terms for 2020 home invasion killings<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In that filing, prosecutors mentioned the Masters golf tournament, which attracts thousands of tourists, takes place in the April 5 week and would render Richland, Lexington and Aiken counties unsuitable because of the Masters crowds.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>On Monday, Aug. 17, Murdaugh\u2019s attorneys proposed the Richland County courthouse as a trial site. They said that the first week of trial would be taken up with jury selection, so the Masters tournament would not interfere with the trial once it gets going.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>McCaslin had said she hoped that prosecution and defense would agree on a site.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was in hopes the two of you-all could agree on a destination but since that\u2019s not happening, I will decide, and I will let you-all know,\u201d McCaslin told Harpootlian and Waters at last Friday\u2019s hearing.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>McCaslin did not set a timetable by which she will make a decision. Her decision may involve taking trips to various courthouses to see for herself to meet clerk of court staff and see which more suitable.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>So a decision on which county to try Murdaugh may not come anytime soon.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Murdaugh\u2019s wife, Maggie, and son Paul were found shot to death at the family estate in rural Colleton County in June 2021.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In July 2022, Murdaugh was indicted for their murders.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In January 2023, Murdaugh stood trial in Colleton County and in March of that year was convicted of Maggie and Paul\u2019s murders. Judge Clifton Newman sentenced him to two consecutive life terms in prison.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=4979\">FBI stops former Rep. Eric Swalwell at SFO to seize his cellphone, laptop<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>State Judge Debra McCaslin had hoped prosecution and defense attorneys could agree on a site for his new trial. That\u2019s not happening.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Murdaugh prosecutor Creighton Waters says he\u2019ll let judge decide on new trial site - US Moving Experts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=4985\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Murdaugh prosecutor Creighton Waters says he\u2019ll let judge decide on new trial site - US Moving Experts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"State Judge Debra McCaslin had hoped prosecution and defense attorneys could agree on a site for his new trial. 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