Expert: Alex Marda's 'wild goose chase' for missing guns targets police chief

Alex Murdagh's defense claims a Yamasee police chief was seen with murder weapons, but a former prosecutor calls it a "wild goose chase."

Ex-homicide prosecutor calls Alex Murdagh's defense "wild goose chase"

Former prosecutor Joshua Ritter said Alex Murdagh's defense was "grasping at straws" by pursuing unsubstantiated claims about missing murder weapons ahead of a retrial.

LEXINGTON, Calif. - Alex Murdagh's defense team is on a "wild goose chase" over claims the police chief handled the alleged murder weapons, a former prosecutor said, as the case returns to court Friday.

Murdaugh was convicted in 2023 of murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul at the family's Moselle property in Colton County. A hearing is scheduled for Friday morning at 10 a.m. to discuss several items of evidence as both the prosecution and the men's defense prepare for a retrial next year.

The South Carolina Supreme Court later overturned the convictions after finding that former Calton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill had improperly influenced the jury. His retrial is scheduled to begin on April 5, 2027. Mardav is still innocent of the murders.

The ALEX MURDAUGH MURDER SAGA picks up right where it left off before the next battle in a down-country court.

Alex Murdaugh appears for a court hearing on Monday, June 29, 2026, at the Mark H. Justice Center. Westbrook arrives in Lexington, South Carolina. Murdaugh will be tried on June 7, 2021, in the shooting of his wife and son after his original conviction was overturned due to jury tampering. (Tracy Glantz/State via Pool)

At the center of Friday's hearing are several requests for DNA evidence related to Maggie Merda's nail clippings and cellphone swabs, ballistics evidence, raw data from cell phones recorded during the investigation and raw crime scene data, which includes Farrow laser scans of the crime scene.

A separate hearing will be held on November 13 where additional applications will be heard.

Murdaugh's defense team previously sought to release DNA evidence collected from under Maggie Murdaugh's fingernails to Othram for analysis. After Othram's test, the defense claimed further analysis was necessary to recover a DNA profile of the man, which the defense said the state crime lab identified but did not fully investigate.

Alex Mordo points to the man's unknown DNA in the push for new testing

Marda's defense attorney, Dick Harpotlian, argued that the partial DNA profile from the swabs on Maggie Marda's phone should also be further tested.

Defense attorneys requested a list of every shooting in the counties surrounding the crime scene where .300 or Blackout projectiles were recovered, along with details about each crime. They also requested raw data from a 3D laser scan that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) took of the crime scene. Prosecutors handed over a read-only viewer file in 2022, but the defense says it needs the raw data to reconstruct the scene.

Murdado Defense Says Detectives Found Male DNA Under Victim's Fingernails But Skipped Key Test

In the latest case, prosecutors said the "government is happy to provide" the original crime scene scan by a laser reconstruction machine. Prosecutors also called Murdagh's ballistics request "a speculative fishing trip for public consumption." The government also said the phone data they requested was provided to them in 2022 and accused Murdagh's defense of publishing "blatant falsehoods" in its plan.

Murdaugh's defense team also asked the judge to compel prosecutors to release information they have "regarding the manipulation, transportation, concealment or disposal of the weapons allegedly used to kill Maggie Murdaugh and Paul Murdaugh, including a statement a witness gave to South Carolina law enforcement officers in 2023 in which he defended himself to police about an initial defensive scene." Murdaugh changed his clothes, the report of every interview conducted on that subject, and the testimony and evidence presented to the state grand jury about it."

Mardado's lawyers claim prosecutors withheld witness claiming police chief handled murder weapons: FILE

According to the motion filed in late September by Morda's attorneys, press reports indicate that a state grand jury received testimony showing that Yamasee Police Chief Greg Alexander was seen in possession of the murder weapon shortly after the June 7, 2021, murders.

"According to those reports, witnesses have testified that Yamasi City Police Chief, Greg Alexander, was seen with murder weapons immediately after the murders on June 7, 2021, and that the second Yamasi officer is under investigation for carrying and concealing weapons and clothing.

Alex Mardado called for new evidence to be sought in the search for gaps in the case

The paper cites a story from The Post and Courier that reports "a Lowcountry official told SLED officers that Chief Alexander talked about arriving early at the scene of the murder and offering Murdoch a change of clothes," and that the official believes the guns and clothing were brought to the police station and stored there.

It should be noted that these allegations cannot be confirmed by The Post and Courier.

As the judge looks for answers, defense attorney Alex Mardado says the murder weapon may be connected to a separate murder

In Murdaw's first murder trial in 2023, prosecutors argued that he used two different types of weapons to kill his family members, then clean with a nearby water hose, change clothes and go to his parents' home, where he allegedly left the murder weapons. Apparently, he returned a week later to destroy them. Prosecutors have previously acknowledged that the weapons were never recovered by police.

According to an Oct. 8 filing by prosecutors, they neither confirmed nor denied that the matter might be under investigation, but said the grand jury proceedings are confidential. Prosecutors said they would turn to them for more information when legally required.

Alexander, through his lawyer, Joe McCulloch, denied the allegations made in the media.

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His attorneys said that "if the reports are accurate," prosecutors have evidence that contradicts their own theory.

District Judge Debra McCaslin speaks to attorneys during a pretrial hearing before the retrial for the murder of Alex Murdagh in Lexington, California, August 14, 2026. (Tracy Glantz of State (Columbia, South Carolina) / Pool)

"It's one of those cases where, you know, there was a lot of reporting early on, a lot of conspiracy theories swirling around this case," Ritter said. "I see no reason why a judge would allow this essentially wild goose chase of an unconfirmed report that law enforcement may be in possession of a murder weapon."

"Obviously the defense would like to pursue this to its absolute limit because they think there's a chance it could snowball, but I think the judge will probably give a little leeway for something like that," he added.

The former prosecutor said he sees Morda's recent cases as "borderline delay tactics."

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Alex Murdaugh appears in court during a pretrial hearing before his murder retrial in Lexington County Court in Lexington, S.C., Aug. 14, 2026. (Tracy Glantz of The State (Columbia, South Carolina)/Pool)

"I think it's borderline delay tactics. I think it understands those tactics. To be fair, I think from their perspective, they're saying we're allowed to zealously defend our client. And if part of that means we have access to any evidence, including raw data, so we can do our own independent testing of it, no one should judge us for that." And that's very true, but at the same time, it's not the first time they've seen this evidence.

Ritter said he doesn't expect Friday's hearing to delay the retrial, and that Judge Debra McCaslin will likely make sure the defense gets what it's owed.

"I imagine the judge will address their concerns, make sure the prosecution turns over all the discovery they have and the defense is entitled to, but I don't see that delaying progress," he said.

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