Alex Murdaugh: What the First People at the Scene Said

**Tony Brueski** (0:00)
This is Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski. Here now, Tony Brueski.

**Tony Brueski** (0:06)
DNA was recovered from underneath Maggie Murdaugh's left-hand fingernails at the crime scene in June of 2021 Sled cataloged it, determined it belonged to an unknown male who was not related to Alec Murdaugh. And then according to the defense's own court filing, no further analysis was ever attempted. Five years, that sample sat at an evidence locker while Alec Murdaugh was convicted, sentenced to two consecutive life sentences, appealed and had those convictions thrown out unanimously by the South Carolina Supreme Court. Five years of documentaries, podcasts, books, and nationally televised trial and a corrupt court clerk pleading guilty. And in that time, nobody ran a full analysis on DNA found under the fingernails of the woman. He is accused of killing. Jim Griffin, one of Murdaugh's defense attorneys, stood at a Lexington County Courtroom on June 29th and told Judge Debra McCaslin that the technology to properly identify that DNA didn't really exist in 2021 It does exist today. The Lather Defense wants to send it to his orthom, the same forensic genetic genealogy company whose work was central to the Bryan Kohberger case in Idaho. Roughly 200 cases cleared now, testing at Murdaugh's expense. And it could take about six months. The defense cited a specific case in their motion. A former Indiana state trooper named David Kam. He was convicted twice of murdering his wife and children. What happened when crime scene DNA that nobody had fully analyzed was finally tested. Now, that story comes up a little bit later here. And it's the reason the defense is pushing very hard. Now I hear you, I hear you, trust me. This is not an Alec Murdaugh is innocent piece. This is a here's what's going on. Here's what's going on in the court filings, in the hearing that just took place on the defense and on the prosecution side. I'm not here to say innocent or guilty. I'm leaving that with you, but we're just going to go through what all this means and what's going on. I'd love to get your thoughts in the comment section on Substack and YouTube. Do I think he's guilty of sin? Probably, probably. But you know, I'm open to hearing anything as should you. That doesn't mean it's going to change my mind. But if there's pieces of the story that we do not know about yet that actually have weight bearing on them into the case, well, that's important. We've got to decipher if some of these things are as important as they may seem on paper. There is something else. Dick Harpootlian, Murdaugh's lead attorney, walked into that same hearing with first responder transcripts and told the judge that there were other people at the Moselle property that night whose accounts don't line up. He said the defense has received tips from people claiming to have information about the case. Those tips were forwarded to Sled. Whether any of them were actually pursued is unclear. We don't know what we don't know, Harpootlian told the court. We don't have what we don't have. The Lexington County Courthouse on June 29th was what happens when the most watched murder trial in South Carolina history gets a reset. Murdaugh's first court appearance since the Supreme Court throughout his convictions media packed the courtroom. A woman drove nine hours from Pearl, Mississippi to be there. Outside someone popped a sign under a stop sign near the media tents that read Justice Coming Soon. Murdaugh walked in wearing an orange jumpsuit and double layered shackles. That became the first fight. Harpootlian pointed directly at the court TV camera and said potential jurors were watching the proceedings. He had Murdaugh stand up so the judge could see the change, the chains, and he said, He's not Ted Bundy. Harpootlian said that. The only thing he's been convicted of is stealing money. The prosecution's position filed before the hearing. This case is ultimately about the fact that the defendant thinks he is special. He is not. Prosecutors noted that Murdaugh had two disciplinary actions behind bars in 23 That contraband was intercepted in route to him through a family member. Harpootlian called the prosecution's filing histrionics. The defense withdrew its motion to appear in civilian clothes, but renewed the shackle argument in court. McCaslin said she would rule later. Will we have a shackled Alec or will we not have a shackled Alec? What do you think? Should we have a shackled Alec? Because the way this is sitting right now, he has not been convicted of murder. Oh, but he was, but he wasn't. The way our system rules, that has all been rewound, and none of that should have bearing going forward. He has been convicted of horrific financial crimes.