South Carolina judge sets date date for Murdaugh murder retrial at hearing

Bristow Marchant, The State on Jun 29, 2026

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — Three years after he was led out of court in chains, convicted of brutally murdering his wife and son, disgraced Lowcountry attorney Alex Murdaugh returned to a South Carolina courtroom Monday for the first hearing since his murder conviction was overturned.

On May 13, the South Carolina Supreme Court set aside Murdaugh’s 2023 conviction in the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul, shot to death at the Murdaugh family home in Colleton County five years ago.

Murdaugh appeared in a Lexington County courtroom Monday ahead of a potential second trial on those murder charges.

Judge Debra McCaslin is looking at scheduling a trial for the week of April 5, depending on how long DNA analysis may take, if witnesses are available and what the new attorney general elected in November may do. “Don’t think this is going to be tried a year later, because it’s not,” she said.

Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian said the main concern is how long DNA analysis may take. Fellow defense attorney Jim Griffin raised that the defense will likely have motions to evidence of Murdaugh’s financial crimes, which they contested being allowed into Murdaugh’s 2023 trial.

McCaslin said future pretrial hearings would likely be held at the Lexington County Courthouse. The next hearing will be Aug. 14. She wants motions by Aug. 7. “Please don’t file something at 10 o’clock at night and expect me to rule on it in the morning,” she said.

Harpootlian renewed his request that Murdaugh not appear at hearings in his prison garb and be unshackled, arguing it could be prejudicial to future jurors. “Potential jurors are watching this right now,” he said. “Wherever this goes it will be difficult to get a jury ... He’s not Ted Bundy.”

Waters says the shackles are standard security protocol for an inmate with the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Murdaugh is currently serving a 27-year sentence for financial crimes.

The proceedings were being livestreamed by CourtTV.

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