In a surprising development during Alex Murdaugh’s retrial, his defense attorneys suggested on Friday that a recent homicide in Allendale County might be linked to the infamous Murdaugh murders. This unexpected claim startled both prosecutors and the presiding judge, as it introduces a possible new angle to the case.

This courtroom appearance follows a significant legal turnaround for Murdaugh. Earlier this year, the South Carolina Supreme Court threw out his 2023 convictions and two life sentences for the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. The decision came after questions of fairness and jury tampering emerged.

The Supreme Court’s ruling centered on allegations against former Colleton County Clerk of Court, Becky Hill, who reportedly influenced the jury, thereby compromising Murdaugh’s right to a fair trial. Consequently, a new trial was ordered, even as Murdaugh remains behind bars, serving sentences for various unrelated financial crimes.

Presenting to Circuit Court Judge Debra McCaslin, defense attorney Jim Griffin highlighted findings from a FITSNews report. The report speculates that weapons tied to the Allendale County murder could be linked to those used in the Murdaugh case, suggesting broader implications.

Griffin said the defense wanted the state to investigate and turn over any related records.

FITSNews told News Media that Griffin’s reference was to its Aug. 8 “Week in Review” YouTube episode. According to a transcript reviewed by News Media, FITS founding editor Will Folks and research director Jenn Wood discussed what they described as an unverified report involving a possible third gun at the Moselle crime scene.

“We’re hearing reports that a Murdaugh gun was used in a subsequent crime,” Folks said. “We’re not going to say where at this point. We’re not going to get into the details.”

Folks said the outlet was investigating whether the firearm was tied to the Murdaugh family and perhaps one of the guns that has never been recovered.

Wood cautioned that the information had not been confirmed.

“It’s a pretty consistent rumor and, you know, I’m hearing it from very good sources,” Wood said. “We have not been able to validate a lot of it, and I’m not sure if it’s even the gun. It just said that it was tied to the murder of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.”

Neither speaker identified Allendale County, described a ballistics comparison or said investigators had established that a weapon used in the Murdaugh killings was used in a subsequent crime.

At Friday’s hearing, Griffin did not identify the victim, the alleged weapon or any testing that supported the purported connection. He said the defense wanted related records as potential Brady material — evidence that could be favorable to the defense.

Griffin told McCaslin that a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) firearms examiner testified at Murdaugh’s first trial that shell casings from the .300 Blackout rifle used to kill Maggie Murdaugh bore extraction marks matching casings recovered from the Murdaugh family’s shooting range.

Griffin said that if shell casings from the Allendale County case matched casings tied to the Murdaugh murders, the defense wanted the underlying testing and investigative records.

Such a finding, he argued, could raise questions about the original ballistics analysis or suggest that a firearm associated with the Murdaugh case was later used in another killing.

Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters told the court the allegation was entirely new to him.

“I have never heard the first thing about that,” Waters said, adding that he communicates with SLED daily and had not been told of any such development.

“I will certainly look into that, but I would be flabbergasted to find out that actually had happened and no one had advised this office of that,” Waters said.

McCaslin also appeared struck by the allegation.

“As far as the murder in Allendale with the murder weapons, you certainly raised my eyebrows on that,” McCaslin told Griffin.

Griffin said FITSNews had broken other Murdaugh-related stories before the defense learned of them. He also told the court that a podcast included a reference to the alleged connection.

McCaslin directed Griffin to send the material to Waters for review.

Waters said he does not follow podcasts or blogs covering the case.

“I don’t watch the podcast and I don’t read the blogs because I try to base what I’m doing on the evidence and not on speculation that’s out there in the media,” Waters said. “It would blow my mind if something like that had happened in SLED and not call me.”

No evidence establishing a connection between an Allendale County homicide and weapons used in the Murdaugh killings has been presented.

Waters later said during Friday’s hearing that SLED then told him there is no known ballistics match linking a .300 Blackout used in an Allendale County shooting to another crime. Waters said the firearm evidence from the Allendale case was entered into a ballistics database but “there have been no leads or no matches on that.”

“I’m going to find out more and double check, and we’re going to run this down,” Waters said, adding that SLED told him there were “no leads or hits” involving the .300 Blackout used in the Allendale shooting.

A troubling moment unfolded during Friday’s airing of “PFT Live.”

The broadcast took an unexpected twist when co-host Michael Holley suddenly lost consciousness while sharing the screen with Mike Florio.

Seated in his chair, Holley was seen swaying unsteadily before tumbling to the side, prompting “PFT Live” to swiftly cut to a commercial break for his safety.

“During Friday’s airing of @PFT_Live, Michael Holley experienced overheating and fainted inside his home studio,” Pro Football Talk shared in a post on X on Friday morning. “We went to a commercial break immediately to ensure he received assistance. We are relieved to report that Michael made a quick recovery and is doing well.”

In a statement to Awful Announcing, Mike Florio explained that Holley’s home studio had been “very warm” at the time of the incident.

“Michael was in the studio at his home,” Florio said. “It’s very warm in there. He hadn’t had anything to eat or drink before the show. He became overheated during the show and passed out. I didn’t notice until he slumped in his seat, because I was looking at the camera, not the monitor. We went to break right away to try to get him assistance, if he needed it. Fortunately, he recovered quickly and is fine.”

Clips from the show are available NFL on NBC’s YouTube page (which owns Pro Football Talk), though it did not include footage of the incident.

The pair reportedly had been discussing recent comments made by “Monday Night Football’ analyst Troy Aikman regarding his dual roles as a commentator and consultant for the Dolphins.

In an unprecedented event, neighborhoods across Indiana find themselves submerged as the White River has swelled to historic levels, surpassing 24.5 feet. This marks a new record, leapfrogging the previous high-water mark set back in 1913 by more than a foot.

Since Tuesday, an astonishing deluge has unfolded with over 11 inches of rainfall recorded to the east of Indianapolis. In response, Gov. Mike Braun declared a state of emergency on Thursday and has activated the Indiana National Guard to aid in relief efforts.

“Our state response is fully mobilized, resources are moving where they’re needed, and we will continue working around the clock to support every impacted community,” Braun announced, assuring residents in a public statement of the state’s commitment and actions underway.

In the city of Anderson, local authorities have issued mandatory evacuation orders as streets lie beneath several feet of water, encroaching on homes and threatening safety.

Charlie Simmons, a resident of Anderson, shared his personal ordeal, stating he had just finished rebuilding his home when the floodwaters arrived.

“I’ve been working on it for about the last year,” he said. “I got in a couple months ago. Now it’s destroyed.” 

As a lifelong Anderson resident, Simmons said he’s never seen flooding this severe. 

The town of Yorktown, Indiana, which is in Delaware County, shared videos Thursday on its Facebook page, showing the widespread damage and severity of the flooding.

Meanwhile, in nearby Franklin County, swampy water covered train tracks and streets, and for the second consecutive day, several feet of water surrounded homes in Cambridge City.

First responders have rescued dozens of people across the region.

The flooding could still worsen as the river is expected to continue to spill over its banks until Sunday.

Kelsie Hoffman

contributed to this report.