Alex Murdaugh’s legal team is requesting that a judge dismiss the charges against him, alleging that the lead investigator in the murder case lied to the grand jury and presented false evidence.
In a motion filed on August 7, Murdaugh’s attorneys claimed that David Owen, the lead investigator from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, testified before the grand jury about “perjury and fabricated evidence,” which they assert demonstrates prosecutorial misconduct.
According to the lawyers, more details regarding this alleged misconduct will be presented in upcoming filings.
They stated, “The basis of this motion, outlined further in a supplemental memorandum, is that David Owen, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s lead case attorney, testified that he provided physical evidence to the Colleton County grand jury that directly implicated the defendant, later admitting it was false and that it was fabricated by law enforcement.”
Murdaugh’s attorneys also seek to move his new murder trial to Charleston County, arguing that finding an impartial jury in Colleton County is unlikely and that “this prosecution has garnered unprecedented public attention in the history of this state.” They believe a change to Charleston would maintain local justice values while mitigating local bias.
This motion was submitted prior to a pretrial hearing scheduled for Friday.
Once a highly regarded lawyer in the Lowcountry, Murdaugh was convicted in March 2023 of killing his wife, Maggie, and their son, Paul.
The murder case faced significant disruption when court clerk Rebecca Hill reportedly made inappropriate remarks to jurors during the trial.
While prosecutors contend Murdaugh had a fair trial, the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned his conviction, calling for a new trial.
