Alex Murdaugh cites unknown male DNA in bid for new testing

Alex Murdaugh’s defense team is seeking additional forensic testing after pointing to unknown male DNA discovered beneath Maggie Murdaugh’s fingernails as part of its effort to challenge the disgraced South Carolina attorney’s murder conviction.

Dig deeper:

In motions filed Tuesday in Colleton County, Murdaugh’s attorneys requested that a judge authorize independent DNA testing, move future proceedings outside the 14th Judicial Circuit and allow Murdaugh to review case materials electronically while incarcerated.

RELATED: Alex Murdaugh retrial could bring potential death penalty

One of the motions asks the court to order the state to turn over DNA evidence collected from beneath Maggie Murdaugh’s left-hand fingernails for analysis by an independent laboratory. According to the filing, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division identified the sample, labeled SLED Item No. 70, as belonging to an unknown, unrelated male.

What they're saying:

"No further analysis was attempted," the defense wrote.

The filing states that Murdaugh’s legal team contacted Othram Inc., a forensic genetic genealogy company that also assisted in the Bryan Kohberger case, to explore additional testing options.

According to the motion, Othram believes it can conduct a more comprehensive analysis of the DNA sample, though the process would require significant time and expedited handling. The defense is asking the court to allow the evidence to be sent to Othram, with Murdaugh covering the cost of the testing.

In a separate filing, Murdaugh’s attorneys asked the court to move the trial outside the 14th Judicial Circuit, which encompasses Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties.

RELATED: Alex Murdaugh murder conviction overturned by South Carolina Supreme Court

The defense argued the case is "among the most heavily publicized criminal prosecutions in the history" of South Carolina, contending that Murdaugh, his family and the family’s longtime law firm have faced years of "saturating, sensational, and continuous media coverage."

The attorneys also argued that the publicity has been particularly intense within the five-county judicial circuit, where the Murdaugh family has maintained deep ties to the local legal system for nearly a century. They contended that relocating the trial to another county within the same circuit would not eliminate the alleged prejudice.

The venue request is not unexpected. Murdaugh’s lead attorney, Dick Harpootlian, previously told Fox News Digital that he intended to seek a change of venue.

A third motion asks the court to require the South Carolina Department of Corrections to allow Murdaugh to review discovery materials using a secure laptop while preparing for trial.

The defense said the amount of discovery is so extensive that printing it would require numerous banker’s boxes.

To address that issue, Murdaugh’s attorneys proposed supplying the prison with a laptop equipped with an encrypted, password-protected hard drive for his use.

According to the filing, the device would have no internet access or cellular capability, could not be used to make audio or video recordings without written approval from the Department of Corrections, and would be stored in the warden’s office or another secure location whenever Murdaugh was not using it.

The defense argued that the proposed arrangement would provide greater security than transporting large volumes of paper records into the prison, particularly because many of the documents are sealed or covered by a protective order.

No rulings on the motions were included in Tuesday’s filings. Fox News Digital has reached out to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office and Murdaugh’s defense team for comment.