Alex Murdaugh returns to court for hearing on what evidence can be used in retrial

Key Points:

• South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Debra McCaslin denied Alex Murdaugh's request for additional ballistics reports on .300 Blackout ammunition but ordered prosecutors to provide the defense with raw data used for crime scene comparisons.
• The defense argued that .300 Blackout rounds are commonly used locally and sought access to casings from other crimes for independent expert analysis, while prosecutors stated no ballistic matches linked the evidence to other weapons or cases.
• Judge McCaslin criticized defense lawyer Dick Harpootlian for a false statement about Murdaugh passing a polygraph test, clarifying Murdaugh failed a polygraph related to hidden assets and urging all counsel to be truthful in court.
• The hearing also addressed disputes over DNA testing of limited samples from Maggie Murdaugh's fingernails and cellphone, with the defense resisting prosecution proposals to share access to independent lab results, emphasizing rules protecting defense testing.
• Murdaugh's retrial preparation continues amid accusations of discovery delays by prosecutors, with defense seeking new evidence including untested DNA and ballistics, while a former prosecutor expressed skepticism about the defense's pursuit of uncorroborated claims involving alleged law enforcement possession of a murder weapon.