Alex Murdaugh in court as murder retrial process starts

Key Points:

• Alex Murdaugh will appear in court Monday for a pretrial hearing on charges of killing his wife and son, following the South Carolina Supreme Court's recent overturning of his murder convictions and life sentence.
• The hearing will primarily focus on setting deadlines for evidence exchange and scheduling future hearings or a new trial, with little substantive discussion expected.
• Murdaugh's defense is seeking permission for him to wear civilian clothes and avoid shackles during hearings, arguing that his non-violent white-collar convictions do not justify such treatment in front of jurors.
• Defense attorneys have filed motions including requests for DNA testing of evidence found under the victim's fingernails, provision of a laptop without internet access for evidence review, and a change of trial venue from Colleton County.
• Murdaugh, who admitted to financial crimes but denies the murders, remains incarcerated serving concurrent federal and state sentences related to his thefts, while the Supreme Court cited procedural issues and prejudicial testimony in overturning his murder convictions.