Alex Murdaugh Defense Pushes for Evidence on Alleged Police Handling of Murder Weapons

On the Friday before the scheduled retrial, the South Carolina Court of Appeals heard motions filed by Alex Murdaugh’s defense team. The motions seek raw data from the 3-D laser scan of the Moselle crime scene, the original scans, additional DNA testing on two fingernail clippings and a cell-phone swab collected from Maggie Murdaugh, and any records concerning the alleged handling, transport, concealment, or disposal of the murder weapons by Yemassee Police Chief Greg Alexander. The defense argues that such evidence could undermine the prosecution’s theory that the weapons were in Murdaugh’s possession after the June 7, 2021 killings.

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Murdaugh was convicted in 2023 of murdering his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, at the family estate, Moselle, in Colleton County. The South Carolina Supreme Court later overturned those convictions after finding that former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill improperly influenced the jury. A retrial is scheduled to begin on April 5, 2027, and will be held in Sumter County due to concerns about impartiality in the original venue.

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• The prosecution’s original case relied on a .300 Blackout rifle and a shotgun, asserting that the rifle’s uncommon ammunition linked the murders to the Murdaugh household.

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• South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) records show more than 700 incidents involving .300 Blackout ammunition since 2021, contradicting the claim of rarity.

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• The murder weapons have never been recovered, and no definitive DNA profile has been produced from the evidence despite prior testing.

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He also indicated that the state will provide raw cell-phone data and 3-D scans when legally obligated.

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Former prosecutor Joshua Ritter described the defense’s focus on the police-chief allegation as a “wild goose chase” and suggested it amounts to “borderline delay tactics,” questioning the merit of pursuing uncorroborated reports.

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• “The same explanation has been provided to SLED,” — Joe McCulloch, defense attorney

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• “It is exculpatory of the theory that the State tried: if the weapons and the clothing left the scene in the hands of law enforcement officers, they did not leave in Defendant Murdaugh’s hands, and they did not go to Almeda,” — Dick Harpootlian, Murdaugh defense attorney

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• “Mr. Alexander had nothing to do with taking evidence or concealing it,” — Joe McCulloch, defense attorney

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The defense’s claim that Chief Alexander handled the murder weapons relies on a report from *The Post & Courier* citing an unnamed “Lowcountry official.” That report has not been independently corroborated, and prosecutors have not produced the alleged witness statement. While the defense argues that the weapons may have been stored at the police station, the state maintains that no such evidence has been disclosed and that the grand-jury testimony remains confidential.

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The court’s upcoming decision on the motions will determine whether the defense gains access to the raw forensic data and any records concerning the alleged police-chief involvement. The retrial is set to commence on April 5, 2027, where the contested evidence will likely play a central role in the renewed prosecution of Alex Murdaugh.

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