Alex Murdaugh is scheduled to appear in court Monday for a pretrial hearing concerning the charges of murdering his wife and son. The hearing is expected to be brief, focusing on setting deadlines for the exchange of evidence between the defense and prosecution, and scheduling future dates for hearings and a potential retrial.
Murdaugh's convictions for the 2021 killings of Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh and their son Paul Murdaugh were overturned in March by the South Carolina Supreme Court. The court cited concerns that evidence of Murdaugh's financial crimes, presented extensively during the original trial, may have unfairly influenced the jury in the murder case. The justices also noted a court official's alleged instruction to jurors to watch Murdaugh's body language, which they deemed a suggestion of guilt.
The once prominent attorney, now 58, continues to serve time in a South Carolina prison. He previously pleaded guilty to stealing approximately $12 million from clients and his family's law firm. He has maintained his innocence in the murders of his wife and son.
Murdaugh's defense attorneys have filed several pretrial motions. They have requested that Murdaugh be allowed to wear civilian clothing and not be shackled during future hearings and his retrial. In a written request, they argued that his convictions for non-violent, white-collar crimes do not justify presenting him as a shackled prisoner.
Additionally, the defense has asked prosecutors to provide DNA found under Maggie Murdaugh's fingernails for testing at a private laboratory. Investigators had previously stated this DNA belonged to an unknown, unrelated male. The defense also seeks to provide Murdaugh, who has been disbarred, with a laptop in prison to review evidence without internet access, aiming to reduce the need for printing extensive documents. They have also filed a motion to hold the retrial outside of Colleton County, where the killings occurred and the initial trial took place.
Murdaugh is currently serving a federal sentence of 40 years and a state sentence of 27 years concurrently for his financial crimes. The legal proceedings continue to draw significant media attention, with numerous outlets expected to cover the hearing at the Lexington County courthouse.