Judge Moves Alex Murdaugh's 2021 Double-Murder Retrial to Sumter County

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 8

Sumter County will host Alex Murdaugh's retrial after Judge Debra McCaslin granted his request to move the double-murder case out of Colleton County.
Defense lawyers argued the original venue's jury pool was tainted by intense publicity around the 2023 trial, which was later overturned over jury tampering.
McCaslin said Sumter County can provide a fair trial and cited its security, courtroom facilities, transportation access and technological capacity.
Court testimony also challenged concerns about logistics at other proposed venues, with witness Phil Barber saying nine budget hotels in Mount Pleasant sit about 15 minutes from the Charleston courthouse.
Murdaugh will again face murder and weapons charges in the June 7, 2021 killings of his wife Maggie and 22-year-old son Paul after losing his 2023 convictions and two life sentences.