Alex Murdaugh's lawyers have applied to Texas-based Othram to independently test DNA found under the fingernails of his wife Maggie Murdaugh, which is said to belong to an unknown male.
Once a prominent lawyer in South Carolina, Murdaugh was found guilty in 2023 of killing his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, on the family's hunting estate. The conviction was later overturned due to jury manipulation, and a new trial was postponed to April 2027.
The defense team asserts that the DNA found under Maggie's fingernails belongs to an unknown, unrelated male. For this reason, an independent test was requested from Othram, which specializes in advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy.
The prosecution, however, stated that the DNA in question was previously tested by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and that only a "very partial and incomplete" profile mixture with Maggie's DNA was obtained. It was noted that this profile did not contain enough identifying information to be submitted to the national DNA database CODIS.
High-profile cases solved by Othram
Operating in the Houston area, Othram is known for its technology used in murder investigations where traditional methods have failed and in decades-old cold cases.
University of Idaho murders
In the 2022 investigation into the killing of four University of Idaho students, Othram's technology was used to analyze DNA from a knife sheath found at the scene. The company assisted the Idaho State Police, Moscow police, and the FBI in identifying Bryan Kohberger as a suspect. Kohberger later pleaded guilty to the four murders and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Rachel Morin murder
After the 2023 killing of Rachel Morin, a mother of five, in Maryland, Harford County officials and the FBI worked with Othram on DNA evidence that could not be matched through traditional methods. Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was arrested on charges of raping and murdering Morin and was convicted in 2025.
Carla Walker cold case
The 1974 abduction and murder of 17-year-old Carla Walker in Texas went unsolved for over 40 years. Othram worked with Fort Worth police to analyze DNA from the crime scene and identified 77-year-old Glen Samuel McCurley as the killer. McCurley pleaded guilty.
Lady of the Dunes
In 2023, Othram's genetic genealogy work revealed that the "Lady of the Dunes," found in the Massachusetts dunes in 1974 and unidentified for years, was Ruth Marie Terry. Her husband, Guy Rockwell Muldavin, was identified as the killer.
Gilgo Beach victim
As part of the Gilgo Beach investigation on Long Island, remains found in 1996 and known as "Fire Island Jane Doe" were identified through Othram's tests in 2022 as belonging to Karen Vergata. Rex Heuermann pleaded guilty to killing eight women, including Vergata.
Murdaugh's lead attorney, Dick Harpootlian, told Fox News Digital, "They decided that night he was guilty, and everything they did after that excluded any other possibility. That's why there is no evidence linking him to the murder scene."
The prosecution, however, characterized the defense's request as "aimed at public consumption rather than forensic evidence." At the first hearing on June 29, 2026, Judge Debra McCaslin did not yet rule on the request, asking for clarification on whether the DNA sample was usable.
