Alex Murdaugh's defense team has raised an allegation that a recent homicide in Allendale County could be connected to the murder weapons used in the 2021 killings of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and son, Paul Murdaugh. The claim, presented during a court hearing Friday, surprised prosecutors and the judge overseeing Murdaugh's retrial.
Murdaugh's original convictions for the murders were overturned in February by the South Carolina Supreme Court due to improper jury influence by the former Colleton County Clerk of Court. He is currently serving separate sentences for financial crimes and remains incarcerated.
During the hearing, defense attorney Jim Griffin told Circuit Court Judge Debra McCaslin that the defense had learned through media reports of a potential link between a recent Allendale County murder and firearms associated with the Murdaugh case. Griffin requested that the state investigate and provide any related records.
These reports originated from a discussion on a news outlet's "Week in Review" YouTube episode, where the founding editor and research director mentioned unverified information about a possible third gun at the Moselle crime scene. They noted that while the information was not confirmed, it was tied to the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.
Griffin stated that if shell casings from the Allendale County case matched those from the Murdaugh murders, it could call into question the original ballistics analysis or suggest that a firearm linked to the Murdaugh case was later used in another crime. He requested these records as potential Brady material, which could be favorable to the defense.
Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters told the court that the allegation was entirely new to him and that he had not been informed of any such development by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Waters indicated he would investigate the claim, expressing disbelief that such information would not have reached his office.
Judge McCaslin also conveyed surprise at the defense's assertion. Waters later stated that SLED had informed him there was no known ballistics match linking a .300 Blackout rifle used in the Allendale County shooting to any other crime. He added that while the firearm evidence from the Allendale case was entered into a ballistics database, there have been "no leads or no matches on that."