In a filing submitted on September 28, 2026, the defense team for former solicitor Alex Murdaugh asked a state circuit court judge to compel the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to provide the raw extraction archives from the phones seized during the 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul.
Why the raw files matter
The motion notes that prosecutors have already supplied Cellebrite Reader and Magnet AXIOM reports generated from the devices, but have not produced the underlying extraction archives, keychain files, or extraction logs. Those files, the defense argues, would let their own forensic examiner verify the timeline the state presented at Murdaugh’s first trial.
“The defense has the reports,” the motion states. “It does not have the data.” Without the source files, Murdaugh’s lawyers say they cannot determine whether the reports omitted any records that might favor their client.
Phone evidence central to the case
Data from Paul Murdaugh’s iPhone captured a video of his father at the Moselle crime scene shortly before the killings on June 7, 2021. Maggie’s phone contributed screen‑activity, step counts and orientation changes that helped prosecutors reconstruct the final minutes before the murders.
During the original trial, an 81‑gigabyte extraction from Alex Murdaugh’s phone was delivered on January 30, 2023—just one day before SLED’s cellphone examiner began testifying. The defense claims that timing left insufficient opportunity for meaningful review.
Broader discovery disputes
The cellphone request follows a September 18 filing seeking additional DNA, ballistics records, and the raw data from a three‑dimensional scan of the Moselle crime scene. Both motions emphasize the defense’s need for the underlying evidence that supports the state’s conclusions.
Earlier, FITSNews reported that text messages from Murdaugh’s phone, preserved in raw records, did not appear in the 88‑page timeline presented to jurors. Those messages involved longtime associate Curtis “Eddie” Smith and were not alleged to have been withheld, but they illustrate the potential gaps between raw data and summarized reports.
Judicial timeline
The defense has asked Circuit Court Judge Debra McCaslin to hear the motion before the next scheduled hearing on November 13 and to order production within ten days of any ruling. They also request written confirmation if any requested file or log no longer exists.
With the retrial set to begin on April 5, 2027, in Sumter County, the court’s decision on the motion could shape the evidence landscape for what is likely to be a high‑profile second prosecution of a once‑prominent legal figure.
Original reporting: FITSNews — read the source article.
