Crime · Lexington County
Murdaugh Pretrial Hearing Friday, Oct. 16, at Lexington County Courthouse
Alex Murdaugh, 58, is expected to appear Friday at the Lexington County courthouse for a pretrial hearing in his retrial for the June 7, 2021 shootings of his wife Maggie and son Paul at their estate in western Colleton County, South Carolina. Judge Debra McCaslin will consider motions on .300 Blackout assault rifle cartridges, DNA evidence under Maggie Murdaugh's fingernails, three-dimensional crime scene scans, and disposal of the two murder weapons, which have never been found. Jury selection for the new trial is set to begin April 5 in Sumter County after the S.C. Supreme Court overturned his original Colleton County convictions in May due to jury tampering by a former county clerk. Murdaugh is currently serving a 27-year state sentence and a 40-year federal sentence for fraud.