A South Carolina judge ruled Alex Murdaugh's retrial cannot be held in Colleton County or anywhere else in the 14th Circuit, though she has not yet set a new venue. The retrial, set for April 5, 2027, follows the state Supreme Court's decision to overturn his double murder conviction after finding the court clerk had tampered with the jury.
Judge Debra McCaslin ruled Murdaugh's prior trial testimony may be reused by prosecutors but barred any mention of his polygraph test, warning of contempt or mistrial. She did not rule on the defense's motion to dismiss over alleged investigator misconduct, since prosecutors have not yet responded.
Murdaugh remains imprisoned on separate financial crime convictions carrying 27 years on state charges and 40 years federally, and continues to maintain his innocence in the murders of his wife and son.
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