Alex Murdaugh’s Retrial To Take Place In Sumter County

Murdaugh was granted a new trial after the South Carolina Supreme Court determined his right to a fair proceeding was violated.

Alex Murdaugh’s double-murder retrial will be relocated to a new venue.

Judge Debra McCaslin ruled Tuesday that the trial will take place in Sumter County after defense lawyers argued that Colleton County’s jury pool was tainted by the highly covered original trial.

In the order, McCaslin wrote that Murdaugh can receive a fair trial in a different county, adding that it offers adequate security measures, courtroom facilities, and technological capabilities to conduct proceedings.

Murdaugh was granted a new trial after the South Carolina Supreme Court determined his right to a fair proceeding was violated when it found that former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill improperly influenced jurors during his 2023 murder trial.

As a result, the court unanimously overturned his 2023 convictions and two life sentences. Murdaugh is charged with murder and weapons offenses for the June 2021 shooting deaths of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, at their family estate.