Crime · Colleton County
Murdaugh Murder Retrial Set for April 5 in Sumter County; DNA and Missing Weapons Disputed
Alex Murdaugh, 58, is scheduled for an April 5 retrial on two murder charges in the June 2021 shootings of his wife Maggie and son Paul at their Colleton County, S.C. home. The South Carolina Supreme Court overturned his 2023 convictions after ruling a court clerk improperly influenced jurors. Pretrial hearings in Lexington County center on disputes over DNA evidence found under Maggie Murdaugh's fingernails, ballistics from shootings in eight surrounding counties involving the same gun type, and whether authorities must disclose a possible grand jury investigation into a police officer friend of Murdaugh who allegedly arrived at the scene early. Neither the murder weapons nor bloody clothing have been recovered. The retrial was moved to Sumter County due to extensive publicity in Colleton County.