Alex Murdaugh may be a liar, a thief and one of the most hated men in America — but his lawyers say that does not make him a killer.

Now the disgraced South Carolina legal heir is getting another shot in court after a stunning twist blew open one of the most infamous murder cases in the country.

Murdaugh was convicted in 2023 of slaughtering his wife, Maggie, and their son, Paul, at the family’s hunting estate. The case shocked the nation and exposed a once-powerful family dynasty built on money, influence and secrets.

But as Murdaugh prepares for a new murder trial, his defense team is reviving a jaw-dropping claim: investigators were so eager to pin the grisly killings on him that they allegedly leaned on questionable evidence and never seriously chased another suspect.

His attorney, Jim Griffin, said police locked onto Murdaugh almost from the start.

“Here was a father who was standing with a shotgun next to his deceased wife and son,” Griffin said. “Nine times out of ten that guy will have done it. But in this case, they never got beyond that.”

Murdaugh has admitted he lied to police about where he was the night Maggie and Paul were gunned down near the dog kennels in June 2021.

That lie helped destroy him in the eyes of the jury.

But Murdaugh has always insisted he did not kill his wife and son.

Now his lawyers are hammering away at what they say were major cracks in the state’s case.

One of the most explosive fights involves blood-spatter evidence.

Griffin claimed investigators initially planned to use blood-spatter findings to suggest Murdaugh had been only feet away when Maggie and Paul were executed. But the defense says testing on Murdaugh’s T-shirt came back negative for human blood in November 2021.

“We were stunned they were doing this,” Griffin said.

The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office has denied that any evidence was fabricated.

Spokesman Robert Kittle previously said no evidence was made up, but acknowledged prosecutors decided not to use that disputed testing once questions were raised.

That was not the only bombshell.

Griffin also challenged testimony about guns found at the Murdaugh property.

A South Carolina Law Enforcement Division agent testified that shotguns loaded with a mix of birdshot and buckshot were found at the home — similar to the combination used to kill Paul.

But Griffin said that was not true.

“The fact of the matter is that they did not find any guns on the property loaded in such a fashion,” he said.

For Murdaugh’s defense, those alleged problems are not minor mistakes. They are the heart of a case they say was built around a suspect first and evidence second.

Prosecutors, however, painted a very different picture at trial.

They portrayed Murdaugh as a desperate man whose perfect-looking life was collapsing under opioid addiction, stolen money and financial scandal. They argued he murdered Maggie and Paul to gain sympathy and distract from the wreckage closing in around him.

A jury believed them.

On March 2, 2023, Murdaugh was found guilty and later sentenced to two consecutive life terms without parole.

But then came the shocker.

In May 2026, Murdaugh was granted a new murder trial after allegations that a county clerk improperly influenced jurors during the original proceedings.

The ruling gave Murdaugh the legal lifeline few ever expected.

It does not mean he is going home.

Even with a new murder trial ahead, Murdaugh remains behind bars after pleading guilty to 22 federal crimes, including bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.

Still, the stakes are massive.

If Murdaugh wins his retrial, one of the most infamous murder convictions in modern America could collapse.

Griffin believes a second jury may see the case differently.

“Frankly, on a retrial in a criminal case, the statistics are they favor the defendant,” he said. “He’s never faltered in over three years since he was charged with these murders, that he didn’t do it.”

But Murdaugh still faces a brutal problem: his own lies.

The most damaging piece of evidence remains the kennel video that placed him near Maggie and Paul shortly before they were killed. Murdaugh repeatedly told investigators he had not been there — until the video proved otherwise.

Sunny Hostin of The View, a former attorney, said that footage could still haunt him in a second trial.

“While I think he could still be convicted because there’s very compelling evidence, there’s video footage that places him at the crime scene,” Hostin said. “He repeatedly lied about not being there, but now you have the defense that’s super prepared for the best evidence.”

She also warned that retrying a case this famous can be messy.

“I think it’s really hard to retry cases that have become so popular,” Hostin said.

Now America is facing a question that once seemed impossible.

Could Alex Murdaugh — a self-confessed liar and convicted fraudster — actually convince a jury that he was framed, rushed to judgment or wrongly convicted of murder?

Or will prosecutors once again prove he is the man who wiped out his own family?

The next trial could either bury Murdaugh forever — or blow the entire case wide open.