|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
by WILL FOLKS
***
The first substantive hearing ahead of confessed fraudster/accused killer Alex Murdaugh‘s April 2027 retrial was held in Lexington County, South Carolina this week, with presiding judge Debra McCaslin moving quickly through a host of motions raised by prosecutors and defense attorneys. In keeping with her efficient, no-nonsense handling of this high-profile case, McCaslin expeditiously assessed arguments addressing venue for the upcoming proceedings, DNA evidence, polygraph admissibility and whether Murdaugh’s testimony in his internationally watched first trial could be used against him in the second.
She also navigated some unexpected bombshells that detonated during the hearing…
Murdaugh is once again facing two counts of murder and two weapons charges tied to the graphic slayings of his wife, 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh, and their younger son – 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh. Those murders took place on the evening of June 7, 2021 at the family’s Moselle hunting property in Colleton County, South Carolina.
Murdaugh was convicted of both murders in March of 2023, but those convictions were unanimously overturned by the South Carolina supreme court in May after the justices concluded former Colleton County clerk of court Rebecca “Becky” Hill improperly inserted herself into the jury’s deliberative process.
***
FITSNews provided team coverage of the recent retrial hearing, and our founding editor Will Folks and research director Jenn Wood subsequently hosted a special edition of the Week in Review focused on what transpired.
To recap: McCaslin ordered Murdaugh’s retrial moved not only from Colleton County (where the first trial was held) but also from the entire fourteenth judicial circuit – which is comprised of Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties.
McCaslin said her venue ruling was influenced heavily by a recent decision from S.C. circuit court judge Keith Kelly in a Murdaugh-adjacent civil case.
Because prosecutors and defense attorneys failed to agree on a location for the upcoming trial, McCaslin indicated she would issue an order in the coming weeks settling the question – although her remarks hinted that the defense’s preferred location of Charleston County was an unlikely outcome. Potential venues include Florence, Laurens, Lexington, Newberry and Richland counties.
The defense did score a significant victory when McCaslin determined testing related to unknown male DNA found under the fingernails of Maggie Murdaugh could move forward at an independent laboratory – although she cautioned defense attorneys as to their obligation to inform the court at each step of the process and receive expressed permission regarding specific future tests.
As for Murdaugh’s prior testimony, McCaslin ruled it admissible – subject to limitations on other evidence and testimony allowed into the retrial. She also ruled there would be no discussion of polygraph results – including the polygraph examination failed by Murdaugh’s accused drug dealer/check casher Curtis “Eddie” Smith.
***
THE BOMBSHELL…
This week’s proceedings were thrown for a loop when Murdaugh attorney Jim Griffin made reference in his opening remarks to an April 2026 murder in Allendale, S.C. rumored to have ties to the Murdaugh saga.
While Griffin’s courtroom revelation referenced reporting from our media outlet, we were actually in the middle of our inquiries when he made the comments…
***
???? #Murdaugh
— FITSNews (@fitsnews) August 15, 2026
Regarding the "Allendale murder" referenced during today's Alex Murdaugh status conference, there is no "FITSNews reporting" on this crime because our inquiries are ongoing.
Our @TheWillFolks and @IndyJenn_ will share more details on tomorrow's 'Week in Review,'… pic.twitter.com/DF1xYc7n5x
***
Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters said Griffin’s courtroom revelation was “the first I’m hearing” of a potential Allendale connection – although he later indicated the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) had essentially ruled out any connection.
“From what I was just told by SLED, there are no leads or hits on the Blackout that was used in the Allendale shooting,” Waters said.
SLED subsequently issued a statement claiming that .300 Blackout caliber cartridge cases from the Allendale homicide were “triaged” and entered into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) on August 13, 2026 – a day after our inquiries (and less than 24 hours prior to the Murdaugh hearing).
“As a result of these actions, no investigative leads were developed to any previously entered evidence,” SLED’s statement concluded.
SLED confirmed to FITSNews late Friday (August 14, 2026) that the cartridge cases from the Murdaugh crime scene had also previously been entered into NIBIN, although it is unclear exactly when that upload took place.
***
***
Lead Murdaugh attorney Dick Harpootlian was skeptical of SLED’s conclusions – reminding the court that David Owen, the lead agent on the murder investigation into his client, admitted under oath to misleading grand jurors on the initial probable cause affidavits leading to his indictment.
“We were lied to – the grand jury was lied to by SLED,” Harpootlian said, adding that Waters was also “lied to” by the law enforcement agency.
The dismissal of the original indictments against Murdaugh is the focus of another pending motion in this retrial – as are proposed sanctions tied to the alleged fabrication of the blood spatter “evidence” used to obtain them (and used to convict Murdaugh in the court of public opinion). McCaslin has yet to rule on either of these motions – but is expected to hear them at the next status conference.
McCaslin will reconvene the Murdaugh matter on November 13, 2026. Motions for that hearing must be submitted by October 30, 2026, with responses due on November 6, 2026.
In the meantime, FITSNews is continuing its investigation into the Allendale murder and its rumored connection to the broader Murdaugh saga. Stay tuned for additional reporting from our media outlet on that subject.
Thanks again to everyone who watches our show – and especially all of you who support us by subscribing to our media outlet. Your subscriptions drive everything we do at FITSNews. The lights, the camera, the accountability… all of it. So, if you appreciate our work – please subscribe today! And if you’re already a subscriber, please consider gifting a subscription to a friend… or grabbing some of our cool merch!
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
***
SOUND OFF…
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.
1 comment
If the discussion of the .300 blackout was a “bombshell”, the bomb was a dud.