On the call, Alex reported that he had arrived at his house and found the bodies of his wife and son. One of the cases now being re-examined is the death of Stephen Smith, 19, whose body was found on a rural road in 2015. Did Buster Murdaugh kill Stephen Smith, and his own brother Paul Murdaugh? Smith was found dead with deep gashes to his head in the middle of a dark Hampton County road on July 8, 2015. They had friends in common and they didnt move in the same circles. Buster said that Mr Murdaugh called him that night and asked him if he was sitting down. Rather soon after the double murder, Law Enforcement announced that they were RE-opening the Stephen Smith case. On April 18, Paul Murdaugh was indicted and charged with three felony counts including boating under the influence, causing the death of Beach, and injuring his friends. The group was returning from an oyster roast that Paul had planned. Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! Though Alex Murdaugh and other Murdaugh family members began committing crimes in 2014 or earlier, the inciting incident for their ultimate downfall begins in 2019. Alex Murdaugh with defence attorney Dick Harpootlian during his trial. 3-6. On Feb. 23, 2019, a group of South Carolina teenagers decided to spend the Saturday night drinking. In 2015, 19-year-old Stephen Smith was found in the middle of a rural road. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, During calm testimony, Buster appeared to water down but not refute some key points in the prosecutions case, including the police interview where his father appeared to unwittingly confess to the murders, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. All free. All Rights Reserved. Sandy Smith, Stephen's mother, released a statement Thursday after a Colleton County Grand Jury indicted Alex Murdaugh on two counts of murder and two gun charges in connection with the shooting deaths of his wife and son. Buster, Maggie, Paul and Alex, all members of the prominent Murdaugh family Credit: Facebook One theory posits that Stephen ran out of gas and decided to walk home when he was clipped by a semi truck, but Stephen's mother Sandy Smith discounted that hypothesis in the 20/20 documentary. Evidence was not gathered and testimonies were not recorded properly. It was last brought back to the KFC menu in April 2014. Occurring roughly one year before the death of Mallory Beach, Gloria Satterfields case presents the perfect example of how the powerful Murdaugh family often received the benefit of the doubt, whether warranted or not. Murdaugh sounds like Murr-dock, while Alex sounds like Aleck. I hope we can all agree that this is an egregious case of Alec stolen valor. The latest Netflix docuseries focuses on the series of events that led to the fall of the Murdaugh family legacy, starting from the death of Mallory Beach. South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) certainly did. Additionally, the teenager had injuries to his left hand and arm. The 26-year-old told the court how he lived with his family Maggie, Paul and Mr Murdaugh in Beaufort before they moved to Hampton County in 2000. Harriette Cole: I don't want the neighbor's kids at my house, Dear Abby: My wife said she doesn't like it, but it's part of my life, Ask Amy: I feel guilty for not speaking up about my co-worker's activities, Ask Amy: I'm your cabin housekeeper, and you apparently have no idea what I do. July 15th 2022, 11:14 AM PDT. However, the deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh in June 2021 shocked the nation after the mother and son were fatally shot. 2. "He called his sister one night [when] he ran out of gas, and he hid in the woods, and would not come out until he was sure it was her. Paul is the platonic ideal of the spoiled rich boy archetype and the police arriving on the scene of the accident certainly treated him as such. Nobody knows. But I do believe that the truth is going to come out. 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. On Sept. 4, 2021, Murdaugh called 911 to report that he had been shot in the head while he was changing a tire on the side of the road. Prosecutors claim that Mr Murdaugh shot dead Maggie and Paul by the dog kennels of the familys sprawling estate in Islandton, in order to distract from his string of alleged scandals and financial crimes. There was clearly a Murdaugh tie into the death of Stephen Smith, because if you read the investigatory reports from his death back in 2015, the Murdaugh name is mentioned dozens of times. Three members of the family had served as district attorneys since 1920. Buster Murdaugh, 26, was a high school classmate of Smith, who was described as a loving jokester by friends and family. By October of that year, SLED had indicated that none other than Alex Murdaugh was a person of interest in the case. Buster's name has also cropped up in connection with the mysterious death of Stephen Smith - a 19-year-old gay teenager who was found dead at the side of a road in Hampton County in 2015. After regaining their balance and senses the six occupants of the boat regrouped to discover that one of their own, Mallory Beach was missing. Family members of a slain Hampton County teen have released a . Ultimately it was discovered that Murdaugh had embezzled funds from the firm, leading to his dismissal in September 2021. 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 . Throughout the trial, Busters own apparently bad behaviour has also been on display inside the courtroom. Smith was a high school classmate of Murdaughs son Buster (not the currently deceased one) and was found dead from blunt force trauma on the side of the road in 2015. "SLED has . On July 14, 2022, Alex Murdaugh is indicted on two counts of murder. The slayings of Maggie and Paul opened up another unsolved death from 2015that of Stephen Smith, a gay teenager whose body was found dead on a remote road in Hampton County. At the time of his death more than two years later, Paul Murdaugh was out on bail and awaiting trial on felony charges of boating under the influence. So thats about it! Advertisement. Alex is currently defending himself in court against charges that he murdered his wife, Maggie, and their youngest son, Paul. However, his law firm has since disputed that, putting out a statement denying it ever happened. During the states case, Mr Murdaughs attorneys have hinted at a range of theories they plan to present including that there was two killers and that the murders were tied to a local drugs gang. Stephen Smith, 19, was found dead in the middle of a country road 15 miles from the Murdaugh family's Islandton hunting lodge on July 8, 2015. Picking up from the accidental death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach, Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal traces the series of events that made the suspicious history of the powerful Murdaugh family of South Carolina national news. The family believes he was murdered. Buster Murdaugh took the witness stand in his fathers murder trial on Tuesday morning. Celebrity news. The families of 19-year-old Stephen Smith who was rumored to be in a secret relationship with Alex's oldest son, Buster, and Murdaugh family housekeeper Gloria Satterfield are still waiting . On June 22, roughly two weeks after the killings of Margaret and Paul Murdaugh, SLED reopened an investigation into the unsolved death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith. Copyright 2023 Distractify. The map above shows locations of key events in the saga of the Murdaugh family. The documentary also includes mention of the hit-and-run death of Stephen Smith, a former friend and classmate of Buster's, which remains unsolved. Days later, Alex confessed to scheming his own suicide with the help of an associate, and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) arrested Alex's associate, Curtis Edward Smith, for his attempt to assist in a suicide schemed by Alex himself to help his son, Buster, claim $10 million from the insurance company. He had a sister. Jurors have so heard four weeks of dramatic testimony from 61 prosecution witnesses covering a trove of circumstantial evidence, including cellphone and car data, a damning video allegedly placing Mr Murdaugh at the crime scene and apparent holes in his alibi for the time for the murders. Busters name has also cropped up in connection with the mysterious death of Stephen Smith a 19-year-old gay teenager who was found dead at the side of a road in Hampton County in 2015. There was also a belief among the high school teachers that Buster used to regularly get his schoolwork done by Stephen. The coroner declared the death a hit-and-run collision. A blue tarp and a blue rainjacket was found in a search of the home, with the jacket covered in gunshot residue particles. Such are the circumstances with the story of South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh. Entertainment; News & Politics; Sports; Health & Lifestyle; Often, Alex did not pass on the money that he won from financial settlements to the kin of the deceased after suing the insurance companies. A man was arrested after an explosive was found in a bag checked onto a Florida-bound flight at a Pennsylvania airport, authorities said. Very upset about various sporting events. In April 2019, Paul was charged with three felonies over Beachs death including boating under the influence and was facing up to 25 years in prison. But despite the many attempts, Paul ended up being charged with the death of Mallory Beach. We would normally make phone calls while we were riding in the car it was very normal for him to call, Buster said. The case of Stephen Smith a 19-year-old man from Hampton, S.C. who was found dead in the middle of Sandy Run Road on July 8, 2015. Paul was driving the boat under the influence of alcohol and had just slapped his ex-girlfriend Morgan moments before the accident. The family also operates the law firm Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth & Detrick, now known as The Parker Law Group. He said they did them so bad, he said. Alex's trial began on January 23, 2023. The three men would often go hunting together on the 1,700-acre estate, he said. Murdoch testimony could be sharp dagger for Fox News: Expert, East Palestine residents report unusual symptoms, John Oliver on new AI tech: Stupid in ways we cant predict, Why TikTok is being banned on govt phones in US and beyond, COVID-19 origins drawing further scrutiny in Washington, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Postal Service will buy more than 9,000 Ford electric delivery vehicles, one year after an initial plan to buy predominantly gas-powered vehicles sparked controversy. 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