Alex Murdaughs murder case is headed back to court Monday morning in the shadow of the clerk of court scandal that unraveled his convictions and gave one of Americas most notorious defendants a shot at a second trial.
Murdaugh, the disgraced former South Carolina attorney convicted in the 2021 murders of his wife and son before his convictions were overturned, is expected to appear at a 10 a.m. status and scheduling hearing in Lexington County, South Carolina.
It will mark Murdaughs first court appearance related to his potential retrial since he was sentenced in his sweeping financial crimes cases in March 2023.
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The hearing is not expected to dive into the grisly murders of his wife, Maggie, 52, and their younger son, Paul, 22, who were found shot to death near the dog kennels at the familys hunting estate, known as Moselle, in June 2021.
Instead, the proceeding is expected to focus on scheduling, discovery and other procedural matters as prosecutors and defense attorneys begin mapping out what could become Murdaughs second murder trial.
But criminal defense attorney and Fox News contributor Donna Rotunno told Fox News Digital that even a procedural hearing could reveal the first major fault lines in the next phase of the case: where the trial will be held and how fast the state can bring Murdaugh back before a jury.
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“I think the main thing were going to learn is whether or not theres going to be a change in venue and what the trial dates are looking like,” Rotunno said.
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Murdaughs defense team has pushed for a venue change out of the circuit, arguing that the legal circus surrounding the case and the misconduct allegations tied to the original trial make it impossible for him to get a fair retrial.
Venue changes are typically a steep climb, Rotunno said, because courts often find that wall-to-wall publicity follows a notorious defendant no matter where the case is moved.
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“A change of venue is always a difficult task because the courts position is, no matter where you live, you know about this,” she said. “You can read about it. You can watch these trials when theyre televised. So a lot of times courts will say it doesnt matter if we change the venue.”
But Murdaughs case, she said, is different.
His murder convictions were overturned after the South Carolina Supreme Court found improper comments by former Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca “Becky” Hill, whose conduct became the basis for Murdaughs bid for a new trial.
“I think in this situation, its a little bit different, given the fact that
