# Murdaugh retrial moved to Lexington

True crime · Heat 1.0 / 10 · 2 shows · 7m airtime

On September 8, 2026, Judge Debra McCaslin filed an eight-page order moving Alex Murdaugh's retrial out of Colleton County, 86 miles away to Sumter County, a venue neither side requested. The order cites the 2023 double murder trial, where roughly 900 Colleton County residents were summoned, 123 qualified, and every member of the final panel said they had heard of the case. It also notes that three generations of Murdaughs held the Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor's Office from 1920 to 2006, and that associating the Murdaugh name with public service or with privilege and resentment disqualifies a juror. Defense attorney Harpootlian had promised McCaslin the defense would never appeal the venue issue if the case went to Charleston. The discussion now…

Page: https://boilpoints.com/point/murdaugh_retrial_moved_to_lexington_3774857929

## Segments

- [Crime Stories with Nancy Grace](https://boilpoints.com/u/crimestorieswithnancygrace), 2026-09-11, 0:00 to 1:27: **Reports the venue move to Sumter County**. Hourly crime alert on the venue ruling: Judge McCaslin moves the Murdaugh retrial to Sumter County, weighing Colleton County's costs, witness convenience, facilities and security, after the state Supreme Court overturned the 2023 convictions over clerk Becky Hill's jury influence. New angle: Judge Deborah McCaslin granted the change of venue, choosing Sumter County over the defense's suggested Charleston or Richland.
- [Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski](https://boilpoints.com/u/hiddenkillerswithtonybrueski), 2026-10-04, 2:04 to 3:17: **Recalls the 2023 Colleton jury pool**. Opens the episode by looking back at the 2023 Colleton County jury pool - roughly 900 summonses, 123 qualified, and a final panel where every person stood when asked if they had heard of the case - as the backdrop to the venue change. New angle: In 2023, roughly 900 Colleton County residents were summoned, 123 qualified, and every member of the final panel said they had heard of the case.
- [Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski](https://boilpoints.com/u/hiddenkillerswithtonybrueski), 2026-10-04, 4:41 to 5:56: **Frames the venue change as a power problem**. Pulls the venue order back to the family's grip on the Fourteenth Circuit: three generations of Murdaugh solicitors from 1920 to 2006 across the five counties, and Colleton's roughly 39,000 residents. Frames the tainted pool as a power problem, not a fame problem. New angle: Three generations of Murdaughs held the Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor's Office from 1920 to 2006.
- [Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski](https://boilpoints.com/u/hiddenkillerswithtonybrueski), 2026-10-04, 5:56 to 6:59: **Reads the order's reasoning on the Murdaugh name**. Reads the order's reasoning on the Murdaugh name itself: residents may tie it to public service or to privilege and resentment, either of which disqualifies a juror. Adds Harpootlian's line calling the Colleton County Courthouse the scene of the crime. New angle: McCaslin's order says associating the Murdaugh name with public service or with privilege and resentment disqualifies a juror.
- [Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski](https://boilpoints.com/u/hiddenkillerswithtonybrueski), 2026-10-04, 10:04 to 12:05: **Details the venue fight behind the order**. Goes into the venue fight behind McCaslin's order: the defense asked for Charleston and promised never to appeal the issue if it got it, while Creighton Waters called Charleston the most expensive and logistically impossible county in the state. New angle: Harpootlian promised McCaslin the defense would never appeal the venue issue if the case went to Charleston.