Judge Debra McCaslin Sets April 5 Retrial Date for Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Case

Alex Murdaugh returned to a Lexington County courthouse Monday for a pretrial hearing after the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned his murder convictions and life sentence, setting a retrial to start April 5.

Judge Debra McCaslin told the lawyers, "I see we have a full house," as she laid out a timeline for hearings and set deadlines for discovery, while prosecutors and defense attorneys argued over how quickly the case can move.

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Prosecutors say Murdaugh shot his wife Maggie and younger son Paul, age 22, because he believed sympathy over their deaths would buy him time to fix his financial crimes.

Murdaugh, who is serving a 40-year federal sentence alongside a 27-year state sentence after pleading guilty to stealing about $12 million from clients and his family’s law firm, appeared in an orange prison jumpsuit during the hearing.

The hearing also addressed a request to turn over DNA found under Murdaugh’s wife’s fingernails for testing at a private lab, with investigators saying it was from an unknown and unrelated man.

Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian argued that Murdaugh should be able to review evidence in prison, saying there are more than 20,000 pages of documents, while prosecutors said restraints and jumpsuits are necessary because "Every time someone is transferred out of court, it is a security risk."

Harpootlian described the shackles in court, noting "Chains around the hands, chain around the waist, chains on his feet," as he argued a jury would see Murdaugh shackled like a dangerous criminal when he has been convicted of financial crimes.

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The judge also pressed on whether discovery was complete, and the defense replied "we don't know what we don't know," as scheduling for additional hearings and the next trial date moved forward.

On DNA, prosecutors said the state has turned over extensive discovery and characterized the DNA request as "a bit of a red herring," while the defense sought independent testing of DNA found under Maggie Murdaugh’s fingernails.

The next pretrial hearing was set for Aug. 14, as McCaslin continued to manage scheduling and procedural disputes ahead of the retrial.

The retrial’s timeline hinges on DNA testing and the exchange of evidence, with Judge Debra McCaslin warning, "Please do not think that this case is going to be tried a year later, because it's not. We're going forward," as she sought to keep the case moving.

Defense attorneys also asked to change venue from Colleton County, where the killings happened and the first trial took place, while the judge said that matter was not decided Monday and would be handled through further scheduling.

Murdaugh’s lawyers argued that independent DNA testing could take up to six months, and NewsNation reported McCaslin tentatively scheduled the retrial for April 2027 depending on DNA testing time.

Even with the murder convictions wiped, Murdaugh remains in prison while serving a 40-year federal sentence and a 27-year state sentence for financial crimes, and the court continued to address whether he could use a laptop in prison to review discovery.

After the May ruling, Murdaugh’s lawyers said they would seek a new trial consistent with the Constitution and the guidance from the South Carolina Supreme Court, as the next pretrial hearing was set for Aug. 14.