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Maggie and Paul Murdaugh: Case Timeline

Updated November 13, 2026

This timeline lists major events and changes in the court case. For the separate sequence of source documents, open the Paper Trail.

The March 2023 verdicts below are historical. The May 13, 2026 ruling ordered a new trial; the murder and weapon charges are pending again.

DateEventRecord
June 7, 2021Maggie and Paul are killed at Moselle in Colleton County.Attorney General charging announcement
July 12, 2022Alex loses his law license in a separate court proceeding.Supreme Court order
July 14, 2022Grand jury indicts Alex on two murder counts and two weapon counts.Charging documents
March 2, 2023First jury returns guilty verdicts. The court later orders a new trial.Court’s procedural history
Instructions and verdict report
March 3, 2023Sentencing follows the first verdict.Court’s procedural history
March 7, 2023Court TV publishes its James McDowell interview, following ABC’s March 3 Craig Moyer interview and TODAY’s March 6 juror conversation. These public accounts concern the first trial.Post-verdict interview report and original links
October 27, 2023Alex moves for a new trial based on alleged jury interference.Opinion 28329
January 26 and 29, 2024The court hears the jury-interference request and later denies a new trial.Opinion 28329
April 1, 2024Alex receives a 40-year federal financial-crime sentence, separate from the murder case.Department of Justice
February 11, 2026Supreme Court hears arguments in the related appeals.Official court notice
May 13, 2026Supreme Court orders a new trial because of improper outside influence on jurors.Published decision
New-trial ruling explainer
May 29, 2026The appeals court sends the case back for trial-court proceedings.June 8 order
June 8, 2026Judge Debra R. McCaslin is assigned to hear the four charges.Assignment order
August 7, 2026Defense files the motion to dismiss the indictments, later supported by the October 30 memorandum.Date identified in the defense memorandum
September 8, 2026Venue decision selects Sumter County for the retrial.ABC News report of order
October 16, 2026Evidence hearing addresses more testing and the sharing of records.Original Faces in the Footnotes coverage
October 30, 2026Defense files a memorandum supporting the dismissal motion first filed August 7, 2026.Party filing, not a ruling
November 10, 2026Latest defense reply and state’s opposition are reported.WCSC/WIS reporting
November 13, 2026Judge Debra McCaslin heard arguments on dismissal in Lexington County and said a written ruling would follow the next week.South Carolina Public Radio
Hearing preview
November 13 hearing report
April 5, 2027Reported retrial start in Sumter County. Future setting subject to change.ABC News

Future dates describe scheduled proceedings. Return to the case.

Why It Matters

A dated timeline shows what happened first and what changed later. It keeps the first verdict, the new-trial order, and future court settings from being confused with one another.

What Happens Next

The next development to watch is the written ruling. The April 5 retrial remains a future setting.

Every name has a story. Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were homicide victims. Alex Murdaugh’s 2023 murder verdict was set aside for a new trial; the pending murder and weapon charges are allegations, and he denies the killings. His separate financial-crime convictions are identified separately. Claims in motions and news reports are identified by source. They are not presented as court findings. Alex Murdaugh is presumed innocent of the pending murder and weapon charges unless and until they are proved in court.

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