After granting change of venue, judge announces location for Alex Murdaugh's retrial
Alex Murdaugh arrives for a judicial hearing June 29, 2026, at the Marc H. Westbrook Judicial Center in Lexington, South Carolina. (Photo by Tracy Glantz/The State via the Associated Press)
The retrial for Alex Murdaugh, a former South Carolina lawyer convicted of killing his wife and son in 2023, will be moved to Sumter, South Carolina, which is about 83 miles from Walterboro, South Carolina, where the first trial happened.
In May, the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Murdaugh’s conviction on the basis that Rebecca Hill, a former clerk of court for Colleton County, South Carolina, improperly influenced the jury, the Sumter Item reports.
The retrial is scheduled for April 2027.
The court found that Murdaugh could not receive a fair and impartial trial again in Walterboro, FITSNews reports, and the Sumter courthouse has the space, the security and the technology to accommodate a high-profile trial.
Murdaugh, who practiced personal injury law with his family-owned law firm, was also charged in federal court with allegedly stealing money from clients. And in 2023, he pleaded guilty to charges including wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering, according to a September 2023 press release from the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.
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