The defense team for Alex Murdaugh scored a major win during pre-trial motions when Circuit Court Judge McCaslin granted permission for independent, advanced DNA testing on evidence gathered from the 2021 crime scene.
The Ruling For More Testing
The ruling will allow a lab named Othram to re-examine traces of male DNA found under Maggie Murdaugh’s fingernails and on her cellphone. Prosecutors opposed the request, arguing that further testing could destroy the small amount of remaining DNA evidence.
According to People, the judge ultimately sided with the defense, stating, “This is a really important case” and noting that the evidence “isn’t doing the defense any good sitting at SLED.”
Defense attorney Phil Barber told the court that the Y-STR test on the DNA sample is expected to take around 90 days.
Hoping To Identify Another Person
As reported by WJCL, “Prosecutors acknowledged that multiple DNA swabs taken from Maggie Murdaugh’s phone and fingernails are believed to belong to unidentified males.”
Murdaugh’s team feels they should be granted permission to find all of the evidence pertaining to the murder case. Judge McCaslin said that it will help “identify other individuals who may be connected.”
Despite the DNA ruling, not everything went the way of the defense on Friday. The judge wouldn’t allow them to pursue requests about ballistics and termed their efforts a “fishing expedition.”
Viewers React
When Law&Crime Network shared the proceedings on YouTube, it showed that the judge doesn’t seem to be prepared to take any theatrical nonsense from the prosecution or the defense. And she warned them not to turn it into “a circus.”
True crime followers had plenty to say in the comments section following the hearing. One viewer wrote, “The fact that there has to be a retrial because some busybody couldn’t follow rules etc is so infuriating.”
Here are a few more responses from the discussion:
- “I love this judge already! She is absolutely not playing around with these lawyers. ‘I just didn’t fall off the turnip truck’ and warning them she won’t let this turn into a circus is exactly what this case needs.”
- “If she’s the judge this trial is going to be dynamite to watch. Looking forward to it.”
- “He will spend the rest of his life in prison for his financial crimes. This is pointless.”
- “Murdaugh is in jail studying his case. He then presents to his lawyers and they are in front of judge! He thinks he is so smart that he can get out of this.”
The retrial for the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh is set to begin in April 2027. It will take place in Sumter County in an effort to secure a fair and impartial jury.
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