Murdaugh Lawyers Ask Judge to Dismiss Murder Indictments, Alleging Investigator Misled Grand Jury
Photo: CBS NewsAttorneys for Alex Murdaugh asked a judge in South Carolina on Friday to throw out the original murder indictments for the killings of his wife and son, alleging the chief investigator lied to the grand jury. The request went to Judge Debra McCaslin at a pretrial hearing. Murdaugh, 58, faces a retrial after the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned his convictions and life sentence, ruling that a court clerk improperly influenced jurors during his 2023 trial. Prosecutors say he killed his wife, Maggie, and younger son, Paul, on the family's Lowcountry property in 2021. Even if the request is granted, it may not stop or delay an April retrial, because prosecutors can seek new grand jury indictments as soon as next month and the defense said it will not block them. The investigator is State Law Enforcement Division agent David Owen, who retired abruptly in 2024 after being honored as State Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. Last year a judge threw out another murder case Owen worked on because he never passed along a suicide threat the victim's mother reported.
The New York Post leads with the defense push and frames the lying allegation as a new line of attack. It repeats the longshot and retrial details, calls Murdaugh a disgraced lawyer, and adds that he is serving decades in prison for stealing millions from clients. CBS News carries nearly identical wording and facts, but also notes that Owen has acknowledged mistakes in the case while denying he intentionally misled the grand jury. NBC News offers a shorter hearing-underway report with correspondents discussing what could come next, without the Owen background. The two sides largely agree on the facts and differ mainly in what they include: the Post stresses the prison term for theft, while CBS stresses Owen's response. NewsNation, an independent outlet, is distinct in saying the defense alleges investigators misled the grand jury about blood splatter evidence.
How the sides differ Right sources open with the defense bid and Murdaugh's prison term for stealing; left sources add Owen's acknowledged mistakes and denial; alternative sources highlight blood splatter claims.
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CBS News leads with the defense request and adds Owen's acknowledged mistakes and denial of intentional deception; NBC News covers the hearing live with correspondents discussing what could come next.
NewsNation focuses on the defense claim that investigators gave the grand jury false blood splatter evidence, a specific allegation the other excerpts do not mention.
The New York Post leads with the defense bid to dismiss the indictments, calls the retrial request a longshot, and adds Murdaugh's decades-long sentence for stealing from clients.