Alex Murdaugh is back in court this week in South Carolina. He wants his murder charges thrown out. His lawyers say the state's own witness lied. Prosecutors say that is not true.

Murdaugh is 57 years old. He will stand before Judge Debra McCaslin in Lexington County on Friday. This hearing will not decide guilt. It will decide where the trial happens. It will also decide what evidence jurors can see. The real trial is set for April 2027.

This case is big news across the whole country. It was one of the most watched murder cases in years. Now courts must decide if Murdaugh gets a fair second trial. This tests how courts handle cheating by their own staff. South Texas readers followed the first trial closely. That trial is over. This new legal fight is just starting.

The South Carolina Supreme Court threw out Murdaugh's murder convictions on May 13, 2026. Judges said Becky Hill broke the law. Hill was the Colleton County court clerk during the first trial. She told jurors to watch how Murdaugh acted on the stand. She told them not to be fooled by him. Judges called her actions "unprecedented." They said she broke Murdaugh's right to a fair trial. Hill later pleaded guilty in December 2025. She admitted to leaking sealed crime scene photos. She used her job to help sell a book about the case.

Now Murdaugh's lawyers want more. They filed papers asking the judge to drop the murder charges completely. They say a former state police agent named David Owen lied to the grand jury. That false testimony helped get Murdaugh charged with killing his wife Maggie and son Paul in June 2021. Prosecutors have not agreed to drop the charges. They are fighting back hard against that claim.

The defense also wants a new location for the trial. They want it moved from Colleton County to Charleston. They say years of news coverage hurt the local jury pool. Hill's actions hurt it too, they say. The state does not want to move the trial. They say it will cost too much. They also note the trial date falls during the Masters golf event, which fills up hotels statewide. Prosecutors offered other counties instead, like Spartanburg, Florence, York, Newberry, and Lancaster.

Money and old testimony are also part of this fight. Prosecutors want to use words Murdaugh said in his first trial against him again. They say a defendant cannot erase what he swore to under oath. The defense says that is unfair. They say Murdaugh only testified the first time because of money evidence used against him. Prosecutors also want to bring back proof of Murdaugh's money crimes. They say it shows why he killed his family. Court papers say his money troubles were turning into "a perfect storm" before the killings.

Murdaugh is not free while all this happens. He is already locked up. He is serving a 40-year federal prison term. He is also serving a 27-year state prison term. Those terms are for stealing millions of dollars from clients and his own law firm. Those money crimes are a separate case. They are not part of the new murder trial.

On August 10, the judge made a new rule. Murdaugh can now wear regular clothes at hearings. He does not have to wear handcuffs in court anymore. The judge said he still has the right to be seen as innocent until a jury says otherwise.

Friday's hearing will not decide if Murdaugh is guilty. It will decide where the trial happens next spring. It will also shape what evidence jurors hear. Both sides will likely keep filing new legal papers. The April 2027 trial date is getting closer every week.