Judge hears pre-trial motions from Alex Murdaugh’s defense team

FLORENCE, S.C. — A judge heard arguments Thursday on three new filings from disbarred South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh’s defense team.

Murdaugh is accused of murdering his wife and son, Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, who were killed at the family’s hunting estate on June 7, 2021.

In a pre-trial hearing, his defense team attacked state prosecutors, claiming they conducted a flawed and biased investigation, WPDE reported.

On Wednesday, prosecutors filed a written response to the motions from Murdaugh’s lawyers. According to WPDE, they said they have evidence proving Murdaugh was at the property at 8:44 p.m. on the day his wife and son were killed. Police said Murdaugh didn’t call 911 until around 10 p.m. -- more than an hour and 15 minutes afterward.

PAST COVERAGE:

According to WPDE, the state said the defense knows about the evidence. They did not provide any more information about it.

Prosecutors said the case is complex and the discovery is significant, WPDE reported. The state is still waiting for the FBI to give is analysis of cell phone tower data and a timeline of the murders.

Murdaugh’s lawyer said his team is still missing information, and said they need it so their independent experts can weigh in as they prepare for trial, WPDE said. The prosecution said they already sent some of the information the defense is requesting, and said they weren’t aware of some of the issues they were experiencing with other evidence.

According to WPDE, Murdaugh’s lawyer said he didn’t want to appear in court because authorities treat him like an animal when he’s on his way from jail to court.

(WATCH BELOW: Evidence dispute spills into public in Alex Murdaugh case)