Murdaugh defense says detectives found male DNA under victim's nails but skipped key testing

Attorneys for Alex Murdaugh accused prosecutors Wednesday of withholding a witness statement that allegedly claims a South Carolina police chief handled the weapons used to kill Murdaugh’s wife and son and helped arrange a change of clothes for him after the 2021 murders. The defense is asking a judge to intervene.

Murdaugh was convicted in 2023 of murdering his wife, Maggie, and their son, Paul, at the family’s Moselle property in Colleton County.

The South Carolina Supreme Court later overturned those convictions, ruling that former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill improperly influenced the jury. Murdaugh’s retrial is scheduled to begin April 5, 2027.

The motion filed Wednesday by Murdaugh’s lawyers cites press reports that a state grand jury heard testimony alleging Yemassee Police Chief Greg Alexander was seen with the murder weapons soon after the June 7, 2021, killings.

Alex Murdaugh

Alex Murdaugh appears in court during a pretrial hearing ahead of his murder retrial at the Lexington County Courthouse in Lexington, S.C., Aug. 14, 2026. (Tracy Glantz of The (Columbia, South Carolina) State/POOL)

“According to those reports, 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 second Yemassee officer is under investigation for transporting and concealing weapons and clothing,” the filing states.

The motion also references a report by The Post and Courier stating that “a Lowcountry official told SLED agents that Chief Alexander ‘spoke of arriving early to the murder scene and talked about providing a change of clothes to Murdaugh,’” and that the official believed the guns and clothing were taken to the police station and stored there.

The Post and Courier could not independently corroborate the allegations.

During Murdaugh’s first murder trial in 2023, prosecutors argued that he used two types of weapons to kill his wife and son, then used a nearby water hose to clean himself up before changing clothes and driving to his parents’ house. They said he left the weapons there and returned a week later to dispose of them. Prosecutors had previously acknowledged that investigators never recovered the guns.

Alex Murdaugh in court

Alex Murdaugh attends a judicial hearing on Monday, June 29, 2026, at the Marc H. Westbrook Judicial Center in Lexington, South Carolina. Murdaugh will be retried in the June 7, 2021, shooting deaths of his wife and son, after his original conviction was overturned due to jury tampering. (Tracy Glantz/The State via Pool)

Alexander, through his attorney, Joe McCulloch, denied the accusations described in the media reports. News Outlet contacted Alexander and McCulloch for comment.

Murdaugh’s defense team asked the judge to order prosecutors to disclose all information they possess “concerning the handling, transport, concealment, or disposal of the alleged weapons used to kill Maggie Murdaugh and Paul Murdaugh.” That request includes a 2023 statement to South Carolina Law Enforcement Division agents in which a witness allegedly said a Lowcountry police chief discussed arriving early at the scene and providing Murdaugh with a change of clothes, along with related interview reports, grand jury testimony and exhibits.

Alex Murdaugh in court

Alex Murdaugh arrives for a judicial hearing on Monday, June 29, 2026, at the Marc H. Westbrook Judicial Center in Lexington, South Carolina. Murdaugh will be retried in the June 7, 2021, shooting deaths of his wife and son, after his original conviction was overturned due to jury tampering. (Tracy Glantz/The State via Pool)

His attorneys argued that, “if the reports are accurate,” prosecutors have withheld evidence that could contradict the state’s original theory of the killings.

News Outlet has contacted the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office for comment.

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