Alex Murdaugh’s defense team is seeking to have newly disclosed reserve DNA samples analyzed by an independent laboratory, Othram Inc., before the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) conducts additional testing.
Background
Murdaugh was convicted in March 2023 of murdering his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, at the family’s Colleton County hunting estate in June 2021. However, the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned his convictions in May, citing jury tampering.
The defense argues that allowing SLED to conduct additional short tandem repeat (STR) testing first could consume or degrade the remaining DNA, making it unavailable for Othram’s single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) testing.
Request for Independent Testing
Murdaugh’s attorneys have filed a memorandum requesting that the reserve DNA samples be released to Othram for analysis. They estimate that Othram could complete its analysis within 60 to 90 days at Murdaugh’s expense.
The defense also criticizes SLED’s handling of forensic evidence, citing previous disputes over blood evidence recovered from one of Murdaugh’s T-shirts.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
