Alex Murdaugh was back in co
urt Monday on charges he killed his wife and son, appearing silently at a pretrial hearing that was mostly short on substance but long on spectacle as the true crime sensation continues to captivate.
Murdaugh’s murder convictions and sentence of life in prison were overturned last mont
h by the South Carolina Supreme Court. On Monday, a new judge laid out a timeline for hearings and set the retrial to start April 5. She also nailed down deadlines for m
aking sure the defense and prosecution have exchanged evidence, a process called discovery.
Dozens of media outlets, from international agencies and local TV stations to podcasters, we
re inside the 200-person Lexington County courthouse to again chronicle every forehead rub and quizzical look from the once-rich and imposing Southern lawyer.
“I see we have a full house,” Judge Debra McCaslin said as the hearing began.
For many, it was a rare glimpse of how life in state prison has changed the 58-year-old Murdaugh. After pleading guilty to stealing about $12 million from clien
ts and his family’s law firm, he is serving a 40-year federal sentence at the same time as a 27-year state sentence.
Unlike just about everyone else in the courtroom, the judge said she was new to the story, which combines a grisly double murder with the fall of a powerful legal dynasty.
“I don’t know anything about the first trial, so when you tell me something, please be complete,” McCaslin told the lawyers.
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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 financ
ial crimes. At that point in 2021, he was close to being exposed by both his law firm and the family of
a teen who filed a wrongful death suit after Paul crashed a boat while drinking.
A jury convicted Murdaugh of two counts of murder in 2023. While admitting he is a thief, insu
rance cheat, bad lawyer and longtime opioid addict, he has adamantly denied the killings.
Murdaugh wore an orange prison jumpsuit Monday, listening with his mouth set in a tight line.
At one point, as defense attorney Dick Harpootlian was asking the judge to let Murdaugh wear civilian clothes in court, he told his client to stand.
“Chains around the hands, chain around the waist, chains on his feet,” Harpootlian noted, saying a jury would see Murdaugh shackled like a dangerous criminal when he’s only been convicted of financial crimes.
