NEWSAlex Murdaugh's Attorneys Demand Raw Cellphone Data Used to Build Murder Timeline Ahead of Retrial
Alex Murdaugh's attorneys have demanded raw cellphone data ahead of his upcoming retrial.
Sept. 29 2026, Published 11:29 a.m. ET
Alex Murdaugh's attorneys are demanding raw cellphone data, which they say is crucial to examining the murder timeline used against him.
The request comes as prepares for a retrial in the killings of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul Murdaugh.
Defense Wants Raw Phone Data
Alex Murdaugh's attorney's filled a motion for phone data on September 28.
In a motion filed September 28, Alex's legal team asked a South Carolina judge to force prosecutors to turn over cellphone extraction files from devices collected during the investigation, per FITSNews.
"The defense has the reports [from Maggie and Paul's phones]," the motion states. "It does not have the data."
Alex's attorneys say their own expert needs the original files to examine metadata, system records, and potentially deleted information.
Cellphones Were Key Evidence in Murder Trial
Both Paul and Maggie Murdaugh's cellphone data played a role in the timeline presented during Alex Murdaugh's trial.
Cellphone data played a major role in the prosecution's case during Alex's 2023 murder trial.
Paul's phone contained the kennel video that placed his father at the Moselle property shortly before Maggie and Paul were killed on June 7, 2021.
Alex had previously denied being at the property in the moments leading up to the killings.
Investigators also relied on information from Maggie's phone, including screen activity, step data, and changes in its orientation, to help establish what happened before the murders.
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Attorneys Cite Earlier Data Concerns
Alex Murdaugh's defense team argued that evidence was turned over too late during the 2023 trial.
The latest filing also raises concerns about when cellphone evidence was provided during the original trial.
According to Alex's attorneys, an approximately 81-gigabyte extraction from Alex's phone was turned over on January 30, 2023, which was one day before a SLED cellphone examiner began testifying.
The defense says it formally requested the additional extraction files on September 21 and asked prosecutors to respond by September 25.
The motion claims no response had been received when the filing was submitted.
Alex Murdaugh's Retrial Set for 2027
Alex Murdaugh's retrial is scheduled to begin in April 2027.
The requested material includes extractions from Maggie's iPhone, two phones belonging to Paul, and a 2022 extraction obtained by the U.S. Secret Service.
Alex's defense team is also seeking files connected to phones belonging to Timothy Gillespie and Christy Murdaugh, along with a June 2021 extraction of Alex's phone.
Attorneys are seeking logs and verification records connected to the multiple devices.
Alex was convicted of murdering Maggie and Paul in 2023.
The South Carolina Supreme Court overturned those convictions in May 2026 after determining former Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill improperly influenced the jury.
His retrial is scheduled to begin April 5, 2027.
The defense asked Judge Debra McCaslin to hear the cellphone motion before the next scheduled hearing on November 13 and require prosecutors to produce the requested material within 10 days of a ruling.
It also asked prosecutors to explain if a file or log no longer exists.
