Alex Murdaugh is set to return to a South Carolina courtroom Friday as his defense presses to toss the murder case and narrow what evidence jurors can hear in a retrial that one former federal prosecutor says comes with a new strategic reality: the defense has "played all their cards."The disbarred attorney is scheduled to appear before Circuit Judge Debra McCaslin at 10 a.m.in Lexington County for a pretrial hearing ahead of his April 2027 retrial in the killings of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul.Unlike Murdaugh's June court appearance, which set a retrial timetable, Friday's hearing follows a flurry of motions from both sides revealing their competing strategies.ALEX MURDAUGH LAWYERS ALLEGE ‘FABRICATED’ EVIDENCE WAS USED TO SECURE MURDER INDICTMENTSThe disputes range from a defense effort to dismiss the murder indictments outright to battles over whether prosecutors can again introduce evidence of Murdaugh’s financial crimes, use testimony he gave during his first trial and present other evidence to a new jury.Disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh will be tried again for allegedly murdering his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul, on his hunting estate in June 2021.
(Andrew J.Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool, File)Nathan S.
Williams, a South Carolina federal criminal defense attorney and former assistant U.S.attorney who served as criminal chief for the District of South Carolina, told Fox News Digital that a second trial changes the strategic landscape for Murdaugh."There is no surprising the government or the state at trial," Williams said.
"He's given his testimony, they can prepare infinitely now to cross examine him.""That tends to be frankly more helpful for the state.I think they usually have a better chance on retrial," he added, while noting that limits on some of the state's evidence could cut the other way.ALEX MURDAUGH'S DOUBLE MURDER CONVICTION UNANIMOUSLY OVERTURNED BY SOUTH CAROLINA SUPREME COURTMurdaugh, 58, was convic...