Alex Murdaugh back in court amid defense questions about police handling of missing murder weapons: news

Alex Murdaugh Returns to Court as Defense Challenges Police Handling of Missing Murder Weapons

Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh returned to a Lexington County courtroom for a high-stakes pretrial evidence hearing ahead of his scheduled retrial. His defense team has intensified legal pressure on prosecutors, raising critical questions regarding potential police misconduct and the ongoing mystery surrounding the unrecovered murder weapons.

Defense Demands Grand Jury Evidence on Missing Firearms

Attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian filed motions demanding immediate disclosure of whether prosecutors convened a state grand jury to investigate local law enforcement officers. Central to the defense’s argument are allegations that a police chief who was a longtime friend of Murdaugh arrived at the Moselle property before other officers and may have helped conceal bloody clothing or the missing guns used to kill Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.

The defense maintains that if prosecutors possess evidence of an accomplice or an alleged police-assisted cover-up, it directly contradicts the state’s original prosecution theory, which argued Murdaugh acted entirely alone. Defense lawyers argue that withholding grand jury or investigative materials concerning potential third-party involvement undermines Murdaugh’s constitutional right to a fair trial. Prosecutors, citing statutory secrecy rules governing grand jury proceedings, declined to confirm or deny the existence of an ongoing investigation into any officers.

Key Evidence Disputes Ahead of Retrial

The hearing also centers on multiple discovery disputes aimed at meeting the April 2027 retrial deadline:

• DNA Testing: The defense seeks permission for independent specialists to test remaining genetic material discovered under Maggie Murdaugh’s fingernails.

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• Ballistics Records: Murdaugh’s legal team is demanding ballistics and firearm records from shootings in eight neighboring counties that involved the same model of weapon used at Moselle.

  CTV News

• Crime Scene Data: Disputes over access to computerized 3D crime-scene scans and complete raw cellphone data.

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The South Carolina Supreme Court previously vacated Murdaugh’s 2023 double-murder convictions after finding former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill engaged in improper communications with jurors. To safeguard juror impartiality following extensive publicity, the upcoming retrial has been moved to Sumter County. Murdaugh remains incarcerated serving decades-long federal and state sentences on unrelated financial crime charges.