Murdaugh Lawyers Say Key Weapon Claim Was Withheld

Attorneys for Alex Murdaugh have asked a judge to step in after accusing prosecutors of withholding information tied to the 2021 killings of Murdaugh’s wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. In a filing submitted Wednesday, the defense pointed to reports of a witness statement alleging that Yemassee Police Chief Greg Alexander handled the weapons used in the murders and discussed providing Murdaugh with a change of clothes shortly after the shootings.

Murdaugh was convicted in 2023 of killing his wife and son at the family’s Moselle property in Colleton County. But the South Carolina Supreme Court later overturned those convictions, finding that former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill improperly influenced the jury. Murdaugh’s retrial is now scheduled to begin on April 5, 2027.

The latest dispute arrives as defense lawyers say several urgent evidence issues are approaching a court review. A spokeswoman for Murdaugh’s legal team told Fox News Digital that Judge Debra McCaslin informed them that DNA, cell phone extraction, ballistic data, and FARO scan data will be addressed at an Oct. 16 hearing. Other motions are expected to be taken up at a separate hearing on Nov. 13.

In their motion, Murdaugh’s attorneys cited press accounts stating that a state grand jury heard testimony that Alexander was seen with the murder weapons in the immediate aftermath of the June 7, 2021, killings. According to the filing, reports also indicate that a second Yemassee officer is under investigation for allegedly transporting and concealing weapons and clothing.

The defense also referenced reporting by The Post and Courier. That report said a Lowcountry official told agents with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division that Chief Alexander spoke of arriving early at the murder scene and talked about providing Murdaugh with a change of clothes. The same report said the official believed the guns and clothing were brought into the police station and stored there.

Those claims remain disputed. The Post and Courier reported that it could not independently corroborate the allegations. Alexander, through his attorney, Joe McCulloch, denied the accusations described in media reports. Fox News Digital said it reached out to both Alexander and McCulloch, as well as the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, for comment.

Why the defense says the issue matters

At Murdaugh’s 2023 murder trial, prosecutors argued that he used two different types of weapons to kill Maggie and Paul. They said he then cleaned himself with a nearby water hose, changed clothes, drove to his parents’ house, and left the murder weapons there before returning about a week later to dispose of them. Prosecutors had also acknowledged that law enforcement never recovered the weapons.

Murdaugh’s lawyers now argue that, if the newly cited reports are accurate, the state may have possessed evidence that conflicts with that theory. In their filing, they asked the court to order prosecutors to turn over any information concerning the handling, transport, concealment, or disposal of the alleged murder weapons. That request specifically includes the witness statement reportedly given to SLED in 2023, interview reports on the subject, and testimony and exhibits presented to the state grand jury.

The defense framed the issue as part of a broader push to examine whether potentially significant material was not disclosed before trial. With the retrial date already set, the outcome of the October and November hearings could shape what evidence is available to both sides as the case moves forward again.