Overview
- Judge Debra McCaslin ordered the venue transfer on Tuesday, moving the double-murder retrial out of the 14th Circuit to Sumter County.
- McCaslin found Colleton County's jury pool was tainted by high juror disqualification rates, the Murdaugh family's deep local ties, and prior improper contacts by former Colleton clerk Becky Hill.
- The judge set jury selection to begin April 5, 2027, scheduled a pretrial hearing on Nov. 13, 2026, and ordered motion filing and response deadlines for Oct. 30 and Nov. 7 respectively.
- Sumter was chosen because the court said it has the security, courtroom space, technology, and infrastructure to handle a high-profile, multiweek trial and the county is already preparing for large crowds.
- Murdaugh remains jailed on separate state and federal financial-crime sentences while prosecutors will retry him on murder and weapons charges after the South Carolina Supreme Court vacated his 2023 convictions.