In 2015, 19-year-old Stephen Smith died after he was hit by his car and the driver didn't stop. I cant tell you. His death was ruled a. Before we continue on to all the death and human suffering, it might be helpful to know that, due to their Low Country origin, both Alex and Murdaugh are not pronounced how you probably think theyre pronounced. What Stephens life was like, what I will say, is know of no evidence that would support any kind of relationship between Stephen and Buster, said Michael Hemlepp, attorney for the Smith family. Addressing the missing clothing, Buster testified that his father had clothes a lot of places including the familys various homes adding that they never stayed at Moselle after that day. Map in Murdaugh murder case: 5 deaths and a, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Map in Murdaugh murder case: 5 deaths and a mysterious shooting. Alex Murdaughs only surviving son Buster gave stoic testimony as his father looked on smiling in the South Carolina courtroom where he is on trial for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul. Growing up, he said that his parents attended every game he and Paul ever played in sports and that his father coached their little league teams. While Mallory's friends Miley, Morgan, Anthony, Connor, and Paul all survived, Mallory never made it out of the water. Years before Maggie and Paul. It was clear that this case was not handled correctly. Simply put: the Alex Murdaugh story is a lot like a lot. There was also a belief among the high school teachers that Buster used to regularly get his schoolwork done by Stephen. The same month, Alex is disbarred by the South Carolina Supreme Court. During the investigation into their deaths, new information came to light. Buster said that Mr Murdaugh called him that night and asked him if he was sitting down. . He was a known associate and occasional friend of Buster and several interviews in Murdaugh Murders mention cite rumors that the pair had a romantic relationship. Thats the question that the prosecution must answer in the State of South Carolina v. Richard Alexander Murdaugh trial that is currently underway. The case of 19-year-old Stephen Smith is often mentioned in the same sentence on . On Feb. 2, 2018 she supposedly fell down the front steps of the Murdaughs estate, and received traumatic head injuries (including a stroke) that she later succumbed to on Feb. 26, 2018. The coroner said each was shot multiple times with a different weapon; time of death is thought to have been between 9 and 9:30 p.m. Mike DeWine said he was impressed with the magnitude of the cleanup efforts he witnessed and by the hard work people are doing. TV Editor at Den of Geek and Television Critics Association member. On the night of 24 February 2019, Paul was allegedly drunk driving the Murdaugh familys boat with several of his friends on board. "SLED has . Her death, which occurred in 2018, was attributed initially to a trip-and-fall incident while working at the Murdaughs' home. Later, Gloria's sons also filed a lawsuit against Murdaugh after discovering that Murdaugh had claimed nearly half a million dollars for Gloria's death. From left to right, the Murdaugh family: Buster, Maggie, Paul, and Alex Credit: Facebook Maggie Murdaugh Who is the Murdaugh family? He told the court it was normal for his father to shower a lot as it gets very hot at Moselle in the summer and Mr Murdaugh was a lot bigger weighing around 250 or 260 pounds at the time of the murders. What is known is that Alex Murdaugh and his brother Randy came to the scene of Stephen Smiths death, going through the crime tape. July 8, 2015. According to Live 5 News, the Murdaugh family is mentioned several times in the investigative files of Stephen Smith, who died by hit-and-run in July 2015. The U.S. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Like the probe of the 2019 boat crash, the 2015 investigation into Smith's death was chaotic from the beginning clouded by jurisdictional confusion and suspicions of investigative interference. Recently, Smith's family friend, Susanne Andrews, revealed "progress" has been made since Paul and Maggie's 2021 murders. Under brief cross-examination, the prosecutor brought up that Mr Murdaugh had suggested his son went hunting at Moselle after his mother and brother were gunned down there. He determined the placement of the body in the road and the injuries Smith suffered did not appear to be a hit-and-run. The case was reopened when a coroner found that the medical report stated the reason behind Gloria's death to be a natural one, eliminating the need for an autopsy at the time. Days after the death of Paul and Maggie, the investigation into the death of Stephen was reopened. The first one was that of Stephen Smith, who was found dead on the side of a road in 2015. In the new Netflix documentary about the Murdaugh murders, locals who knew the family and Smith said there was speculation that Buster and Smith had a secret relationship. They have not made any statement about it since. Thats right: Alex Murdaugh (ALLEGEDLY) murdered his estranged wife and youngest son. So thats about it! But why though? People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. A cellphone video captured by Paul minutes before the murders also appears to place Mr Murdaugh at the murder scene. Perhaps thats why Murdaugh apparently attempted suicide in a roundabout way. His car was three miles away. South Carolina investigators say they are picking up steam in the reopened investigation into the death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith who reportedly was close with Alex Murdaugh's oldest son, RadarOnline.com has learned. Jurors have previously seen a Snapchat video Paul sent to a friend less than one hour before the murders where he is wearing an entirely different outfit to the bodycam footage after the murders. Everyone survived apart from Mallory Beach, 19, whose body washed up on shore around a week later. That tip went nowhere. It turns out that Alex Murdaugh had a nasty habit of winning financial settlements on behalf of his clients and then just keeping the money. As previously stated: though this story begins in 2019, Alex Murdaugh has been breaking the law for far longer. Doctors prescribe Ozempic 'off label': Is that OK? However, not a penny showed up at the doors of Gloria's family. Buster refuted this testimony, saying that his father said they did him so bad after listening to the footage in court. I just want answers." I have faith in that, Im optimistic in that. His family claims local law enforcement did little to investigate. He suffered what police described as a superficial gunshot wound to the head.. On July 8, 2015 the body of 19-year-old Smith was found on Sandy Run Road in Hampton County, S.C. Later, coroner Ernie Washington declared Smith had died from "blunt force trauma to the head," likely from the mirror on a passing vehicle, via Live 5 News. The case remains unsolved. There was been much speculation around whether Mr Murdaugh said they or I in the audio, which is difficult to distinguish. Dies geschieht in Ihren Datenschutzeinstellungen. Smith's body was found in . In 2019, that all finally started to change thanks to the actions of one dipshit Murdaugh: Alex. Unlike several other witnesses and his father at the defence table Buster did not become emotional at any point during his testimony. (NewsNation) As Alex Murdaugh heads to trial for the murder of his wife and son, there is another mysterious case that has led investigators back to the Murdaugh family. Following Stephen's death, his father made claims that Buster and Stephen had been seeing each other romantically, although Buster . His mother referenced an earlier instance to Live 5 News where Smith ran out of gas and immediately contacted his sister for help. The Den of Geek quarterly magazine is packed with exclusive features, interviews, previews and deep dives into geek culture. Reporter Will Folks with FitsNews told NewsNation Buster Murdaugh's name often came up in connection with the Stephen Smith case. Family members of a slain Hampton County teen have released a . His car was found down a dark rural road in Hampton County, South Carolina with the gas cap off. In court on the week of 6 February, Buster appeared to flip the bird at attorney Mark Tinsley as he took the witness stand about the boat crash lawsuit that he brought against Mr Murdaugh. Although many in Hampton County claim the existence of a deeper connection between Stephen's death and the Murdaughs, there is not much evidence to back it up. Did Buster Murdaugh kill Stephen Smith, and his own brother Paul Murdaugh? The Murdaughs also ran a big law firm in the area. Questions have also been raised about this outfit as multiple law enforcement officials testified that Mr Murdaugh and his clothing were clean despite his claims he touched the bloody bodies of his wife and son to check for signs of life. What started out as an unfortunate accident at the hands of the scion of the powerful Murdaugh family, turned out to be just an isolated dot in a line of deaths and financial frauds. I don't hate you. In a small town, the went to school together and would have known one another. No tire marks or no debris from a vehicle found on scene after several . Before the beginning of the murder trial on January 23, 2023, a lot more charges were brought against Alex Murdaugh as a result of the financial fraud he had continuously committed over the years. In an eerie fashion, the docuseries also explores the other deaths scattered over the years that were connected with the Murdaughs. Several of these clients were deceased victims of vehicular accidents who Murdaugh sued on behalf of and then never delivered the winnings to their next of kin. Smith was one of the few openly gay individuals in his school. Eight days after the accident, Mallory Beach's body was finally found. Several friends and partners at Mr Murdaughs law firm PMPED were also there and they stayed for several hours before Buster, his father, girlfriend and uncle John Marvin went to Mr Murdaughs parents home in Almeda. Gunther's Millions: The True Story Behind Netflix's Rich Dog Docuseries, Shazam! Buster Murdaugh's Girlfriend Could Be the Key to Understanding the Murdaugh Family, Buster Murdaugh Defends His Father Amid High-Profile Double Murder Trial, What Is Buster Murdaugh's Occupation? But Mallory Beach's death was a tragedy waiting to happen at the hands of Paul, who was known for his violent behavior under the influence of alcohol. Paul Murdaugh could not make it to the first day of trial in relation to Mallory's death as he was brutally murdered, along with his mother Maggie, on June 7, 2021. In 2015, teenager Stephen Smith, an openly gay classmate of Buster's, was found dead from blunt force . Curtis "Eddie" Smith, who allegedly received about $2m from Murdaugh in the apparent fake-suicide scheme, was charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature for his . After regaining their balance and senses the six occupants of the boat regrouped to discover that one of their own, Mallory Beach was missing. By October of that year, SLED had indicated that none other than Alex Murdaugh was a person of interest in the case. The Murdaugh family law firm, The Parker Law Group, previously Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth & Detrick (PMPED), specializes in personal injury litigation. Mom found several bags of pills in your computer bag, Pauls message to his father on 6 May 2021 read. The teenager was found with blunt force trauma to his head, which appeared to first responders as a possible gunshot wound. As if this immense trail of bodies and financial crimes werent enough to capture the publics attention, this story has one final wait, what moment to really drive things home. As per the testimony and interviews of Paul's friends, who became surviving victims of the accident that took Mallory Beach's life, Paul drove the boat that they were riding on into the Archers Creek bridge. People said that Smith and Murdaugh were dating, which made the circumstances of his death even more controversial. In the bodycam footage, the disgraced attorney is wearing a white short-sleeved t-shirt and shorts. I do believe that were going to get answers. Dear Abby: Why do they imply my husband is a freak? Stephen Smith was openly gay. Amidst this ruckus, on September 4, 2021, Alex called 911, claiming that he was shot in the head while changing a tire on the side of the road. In July 2015, Stephen Smith's death on Sandy Run Road in Hampton County was ruled a homicide and then a hit-and-run before finally being closed as an "accidental death." There were no tire or skid marks at the scene or blood on Smith's clothes. Buster said that his father had called him at 9.10pm on 7 June 2021 just 20 minutes after he allegedly shot and killed Maggie and Paul at the dog kennels of the familys estate in Islandton. The family believes he was murdered. And thats just me. It definitely was not a hit and run. With the increased scrutiny on Alex Murdaugh following the murder of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh, Satterfields murder is now the subject of a fresh criminal investigation. She also went to the scene of the crime to take a look around. Witnesses interviewed as part of the original investigation into Smith's death repeatedly implicated Alex Murdaugh's surviving son, Buster, as having been involved in a relationship with. The firm built its success in the early 2000s due to a state law that made it easier for plaintiffs to forum shop. Busters testimony also called into question the significance of the multiple outfits Mr Murdaugh was seen wearing on the day of the murders with no bloodied clothing ever found. Ultimately the wound was just a graze and Murdaugh was released from the hospital that day. theyve uncovered new crimes committed by Alex Murdaugh, SLED elected to re-open Stephen Smiths case, Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 1 Review The Apostate, Unforgotten Series 5 Review: Bleak, Angry, But the Old Magic is Still There, Recently, Buster Murdaugh took the witness stand, Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence Is a Harrowing Watch. Currently, Murdaugh is on trial for murder for the deaths of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and their son, Paul Murdaugh. 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