Murdaugh Seeks New DNA Testing and Trial Move Over Unknown Male Sample

Q: Could new DNA testing on a victim's fingernails finally point to a different killer in the Murdaugh retrial?

Yes, it could, but only if the new testing does more than confirm the presence of unknown DNA and actually identifies a person tied to the killings. The defense wants an independent lab, Othram, to reanalyze male DNA found under Maggie Murdaugh’s fingernails, identified as SLED Item No. 70. According to the filings, SLED determined the DNA came from an unknown, unrelated male but did not pursue deeper analysis. The defense argues that newer forensic genetic genealogy methods may be able to generate a stronger profile and possibly identify the source. If that happens, the evidence could help the defense argue that investigators focused too narrowly on Alex Murdaugh and overlooked another suspect. That would be especially significant in a retrial, where the defense is expected to press alternative-suspect theories more aggressively. But the DNA alone would not automatically point to a different killer. Fingernail DNA can be transferred through ordinary contact and does not by itself prove involvement in a murder. Its value would depend on whether the profile is complete, whether it can be matched to a real person, and whether that person can be connected to the crime scene, timeline, or victims. So the testing has the potential to reshape the case, but only if it produces a meaningful identification and supporting evidence. Without that, it may remain an intriguing but inconclusive piece of forensic evidence rather than a breakthrough.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 25

Tuesday filings in Colleton County ask a judge to send DNA from under Maggie Murdaugh’s left-hand fingernails to an independent lab after state investigators identified it as belonging to an unknown, unrelated male.
The defense says no further analysis was done on SLED Item No. 70 and wants Othram Inc. to conduct deeper forensic genetic genealogy testing at Murdaugh’s expense, though the company warned the work would take time.
Separate motions seek to move any retrial outside South Carolina’s 14th Judicial Circuit, arguing years of intense local publicity and the Murdaugh family’s century-long legal ties there would prejudice jurors.
Murdaugh’s lawyers also want prison officials to let him review voluminous, partly sealed discovery on a secure offline laptop instead of paper boxes while he remains incarcerated.
No judge had ruled on the requests, and attorney Dick Harpootlian said any decision on whether Murdaugh would testify in a retrial would depend on how the evidence unfolds.