Judge rules on DNA request in Alex Murdaugh’s new murder trial

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleAlex Murdaugh was back in court again Monday on charges he killed his wife and son, appearing silently at a pretrial hearing (Tracy Glantz/Pool The State via)Alex Murdaugh attended a pretrial hearing Monday after the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned his murder convictions and life sentence last month.The hearing's primary goals were to establish deadlines for exchanging evidence between the defense and prosecution, and to set dates for future hearings and the retrial, which is scheduled for April 5.Murdaugh, who is currently incarcerated for financial crimes, appeared in an orange prison jumpsuit and shackles as his defense attorneys argued that this attire could prejudice jurors and request he be allowed to wear civilian clothing.Defense lawyers also requested that Murdaugh be granted access to a laptop without internet connectivity to review over 20,000 pages of evidence and sought independent testing of DNA found under his wife's fingernails, which investigators had previously attributed to an unknown man. The defense said they’re happy to pay for the independent DNA testing, and the judge replied, “I’m gonna let you pay for it,” drawing a chuckle from the courtroom.The defense is additionally advocating for a change of venue for the upcoming trial, proposing it be moved out of Colleton County, where the killings occurred and the initial trial took place, citing concerns about potential jury prejudice following issues from the previous trial.In fullThe Murdaugh saga isn’t over as family patriarch heads back to court in a murder retrial fightThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

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