Alex Murdaugh lawyers allege ‘fabricated’ evidence was used to secure murder indictments

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Attorneys for Alex Murdaugh allege that the lead agent in his murder case lied to the grand jury and presented “fabricated” evidence, and they are asking a judge to dismiss the indictments.

In a motion to dismiss dated Aug. 7, Murdaugh’s attorneys alleged that David Owen, the lead South Carolina Law Enforcement Division agent on his case, delivered “perjurious testimony and fabricated evidence” before a grand jury, characterizing his conduct as prosecutorial misconduct.

Murdaugh’s attorneys said more information about the alleged prosecutorial misconduct would be shown in a later filing.

“The grounds for this motion, as will be more fully set forth in a supporting memorandum, are that the lead case agent for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division in this case, David Owen, testified that he presented physical evidence directly inculpating the Defendant to the Colleton County Grand Jury that he admitted was false and which Defendant has proven was fabricated by law enforcement,” Murdaugh’s attorneys wrote.

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Alex Murdaugh reacts as he addresses the court during his sentencing for stealing from 18 clients, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, at the Beaufort County Courthouse in Beaufort, S.C. The push for a new murder trial of disbarred attorney Alex Murdaugh faces a steep uphill battle after a state judge limited witness questioning and set a high burden of proof surrounding bombshell claims that the court clerk tampered with the jury during last year's hotly-watched proceedings.

Disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh was convicted in March of 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)

His attorneys also filed a motion to transfer the venue of Murdaugh’s new murder trial to Charleston County, arguing that an impartial jury cannot be found in Colleton County, stating, “this prosecution has generated publicity without precedent in the history of this State.”

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Rather, they argued that a change to nearby Charleston County would “preserve the values of a local trial while curing the local prejudice.”

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Alex Murdaugh in court

Alex Murdaugh attends a judicial hearing on Monday, June 29, 2026, at the Marc H. Westbrook Judicial Center in Lexington, South Carolina. Murdaugh will be retried in the June 7, 2021, shooting deaths of his wife and son, after his original conviction was overturned due to jury tampering. (Tracy Glantz/The State via Pool)

The motions come ahead of a pretrial hearing scheduled for Friday.

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Murdaugh, formerly a prominent Lowcountry attorney from an influential legal dynasty, was convicted in March 2023 of fatally shooting his wife and son, Maggie and Paul.

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Alex Murdaugh's lawyer, Dick Harpootlian in court in Lexington, South Carolina

Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian, listens to prosecuting attorney Creighton Waters on Monday, June 29, 2026, at a status hearing at the Marc H. Westbrook Judicial Center in Lexington, South Carolina. Alex Murdaugh will be retried in the June 7, 2021, shooting deaths of his wife and son, after his original conviction was overturned due to jury tampering. (Tracy Glantz/The State via Pool)

The murder case descended into chaos when allegations that court clerk Rebecca Hill made inappropriate comments to jurors while the trial was ongoing.

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While prosecutors believe Murdaugh got a fair trial, the South Carolina Supreme Court reversed the convictions and ordered a new trial.

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