Alex Murdaugh back in court amid defense questions about police handling of missing murder weapons

Alex Murdaugh Back in Court Over Missing Weapons Claims

Healfromzero.com – Alex Murdaugh back in court as his defense team seeks more records before his scheduled retrial on double-murder charges. The former South Carolina attorney appeared Friday while lawyers pressed questions about how police may have handled the weapons and clothing connected to the 2021 killings of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul.

The retrial is set to begin April 5 after the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Murdaugh’s original murder convictions. The court’s decision stemmed from concerns that the Colleton County clerk improperly influenced jurors, not from a finding on Murdaugh’s guilt or innocence.

Defense Seeks Answers About Missing Weapons

Maggie Murdaugh and Paul Murdaugh, 22, were killed at the family’s Moselle estate on June 7, 2021. The weapons used in the shootings have never been recovered.

At the first trial, prosecutors argued that Murdaugh used a family shotgun and a .300 Blackout rifle, then took the weapons to his mother’s home in Almeda before disposing of them. His defense now contends that newly raised allegations could challenge that account.

In a September 30 filing, attorneys pointed to claims that local law enforcement officers handled the guns and clothing shortly after the killings. The filing cited an account from a Lowcountry official who later told state investigators that a police chief had described arriving early and giving Murdaugh a change of clothes.

The defense argues that, if weapons or clothing left the property with officers, it would conflict with the state’s theory that Murdaugh personally removed them from Moselle and transported them to Almeda. Alex Murdaugh back in court therefore centers not only on missing evidence, but also on the original investigation’s handling of the crime scene.

“It is exculpatory of the theory that the State tried: if the weapons and the clothing left the scene in the hands of law enforcement officers, they did not leave in Defendant Murdaugh’s hands, and they did not go to Almeda,” defense attorney Richard Harpootlian wrote.

Grand Jury Testimony and Police Response

Murdaugh’s lawyers said a South Carolina grand jury heard testimony last month about the allegations. Their filing said witnesses described Yemassee Police Chief Greg Alexander as being seen with the murder weapons shortly after the killings, and alleged that another Yemassee officer was under investigation in connection with transporting and concealing weapons and clothing.

“Witnesses have testified that the Chief of Police of the Town of Yemassee, Greg Alexander, was seen with the murder weapons in the immediate aftermath of the June 7, 2021, killings, and that a second Yemassee officer is under investigation for transporting and concealing weapons and clothing,” the defense wrote.

Alexander received a subpoena but did not testify before the grand jury, according to his attorney, Joe McCulloch. McCulloch denied that Alexander improperly removed evidence, saying the chief arrived after many officers were already at the estate and had no opportunity to secretly transport anything from the scene.

As Alex Murdaugh back in court continues to draw attention, the dispute may shape what evidence and investigative material the defense can pursue before the new trial.

Why the Earlier Convictions Were Vacated

Murdaugh was convicted in 2023 on all murder counts and sentenced to two life terms. Prosecutors said he killed his wife and son as financial misconduct in his personal and professional life was coming under increasing scrutiny.

He denied shooting Maggie and Paul, though he acknowledged lying to investigators about his whereabouts on the night of the killings. The South Carolina Supreme Court later vacated the convictions after finding that the original trial’s integrity had been compromised by the clerk’s conduct.

South Carolina FAQ

When is the retrial scheduled? The retrial is scheduled to begin April 5.

Were the murder weapons recovered? No. The shotgun and .300 Blackout rifle identified in the prosecution’s original theory have not been recovered.

Why was the first verdict overturned? The state Supreme Court found that the Colleton County clerk improperly influenced jurors, requiring a new trial.