Smith was a high school classmate of Murdaugh's son Buster . Copyright 2023 Radar Media Group LLC. 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. He was found guilty of duping people of millions of dollars, and was accused of misappropriating funds to the tune of $9 million by his former partners at his law firm. He had been struck by a blunt object on his right temple, killing him. I have faith in that, Im optimistic in that. Murdaugh Murders does an excellent job of telling this massive tale but it still might be helpful to run through the real life story of Alex Murdaugh, the Murdaugh family, and the many people they hurt. The oldest Murdaugh son, Buster, was the same age as Stephen Smith and his twin sister. Really? Meanwhile an attorney named Justin Bamberg began investigating Murdaughs finances on behalf of eight people who claim Murdaugh victimized them. 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. While Mallory's boyfriend Anthony stayed back at the scene of the incident to wait for his girlfriend to be found, the others in the group witnessed Alex's manipulation at work as he tried to pin the blame on Paul's friend, Connor. A blue tarp and a blue rainjacket was found in a search of the home, with the jacket covered in gunshot residue particles. In this episode, we take a trip to Hampton South Carolina, home to the Murdaugh family, and explore the mysterious death of a young man named Stephen Smith. Playing Vandy is always fun because it gives the truest depiction of what it's like to play in the ACC every week People said that Smith and Murdaugh were dating, which made the circumstances of his death even more controversial. The charges were dropped after his murder. I am still in EB because when you get here we have to talk. Currently, Murdaugh is on trial for murder for the deaths of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and their son, Paul Murdaugh. by Matt Dillane. The first one was that of Stephen Smith, . . 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. Satterfields death was accepted as an accidental trip and fall despite several suspicious circumstances. Here's what we know. Now, the case is being reexamined, including why some Murdaugh family members were among those first on scene. 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 . Fr nhere Informationen zur Nutzung Ihrer Daten lesen Sie bitte unsere Datenschutzerklrung und Cookie-Richtlinie. Deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, June 7, 2021. He said he was not aware Paul ever got a replacement gun and did not see him using a Blackout that wasnt his. Mr Murdaugh, 54, is facing life in prison for the murders of his wife and son. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division re-opened the case in June 2021, shortly after the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh based on information discovered during that initial investigation. 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. Breaking. Generally speaking, its a good idea to wait until a case is all wrapped up before giving it the true crime docuseries treatment. 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. Buster who has attended the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, every day since the start of the high-profile trial in a show of support for his father was the first witness called to the stand by the defence on Tuesday morning. In one dramatic moment, Buster insisted that his father said they and not I during a police interview video which prompted speculation that the disgraced legal dynasty heir may have unwittingly slipped up and confessed to the murders. Alex Murdaugh is indicted on two counts of murder. Buster's name was also linked to one of the other deaths examined in Murdaugh Murders: that of 19-year-old Stephen Smith in 2015. A coroner ultimately ruled Smith's death as accidental, involving a car that hit him. What's more, in 2015, he lost a close friend, Stephen Smith, in a . His mother hired a private investigator to look into the matter. Buster Murdaugh recalls finding out about the murders of his brother and mother, Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, Alex Murdaugh trial - live: Surviving son to testify today as defence fights back against crime scene evidence, Alex Murdaugh judge compares defence attorney to Kyrie Irving after he shared sloppy investigation post, Murders, million-dollar fraud and mystery deaths: The story of Alex Murdaughs spectacular fall from grace, Alex Murdaughs surviving son gives stoic testimony in murder trial, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off & extra perks with Booking.com Genius Membership, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 15% off orders over 15 with this eBay discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK February 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this February, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. June 22: Authorities reopen probe into 2015 death of Stephen Smith. BREAKING. All rights reserved. Police found Smith dead on the side of the road in 2015, The New York Times reports. There was been much speculation around whether Mr Murdaugh said they or I in the audio, which is difficult to distinguish. Police believe Smith ran out of gas while on his way home from college, though his family questions this. Then he and his girlfriend Brooklynn grabbed some stuff and drove down to Moselle, reaching the property in the early hours of 8 June. Buster Murdaugh Jr. had already made "an almost identical" improper jury argument in a rape case . Smith was found laying in the middle of the road by a bystander around 4:20 . Meanwhile, he said his father did not appear overly anxious about the case and the family was supportive of Paul as they believed he wasnt driving the boat that weekend. The series was released without a lot of promotion on Sunday even as the double-murder trial of Richard "Alex" Murdaugh continues in Walterboro, South Carolina. His death was initially deemed a hit and run but the case remains unsolved. All free. He had almost single-handedly brought down his familys shining century-long dynasty. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Denver just got a direct flight to this Caribbean island known for music history and vegetarian cooking, NYC Mayor Adams dismisses need to separate church and state, declares himself a servant of God, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Eight days after the accident, Mallory Beach's body was finally found. The fall from grace began for the respected and somewhat feared Murdaughs when on a fateful February night in 2019, the actions of Paul Murdaugh, the younger son of Alex Murdaugh, leads to the death of Mallory Beach. Revelations that have come out since Murdaughs arrest, however, suggest that Alex may have been attempting to create a distraction to forestall the collapse of the house of cards that was his life. 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. A member of the Ukrainian Parliament says Russias invasion of Ukraine began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services. Shreejit is a freelance features writer at Collider. 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. Several people came forward with rumors of a "fling" between Smith and Buster Murdaugh. Maybe it was purposeful. He suffered what police described as a superficial gunshot wound to the head.. 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. Long before any of the Murdaugh family's criminal activities came to light, a good friend of Buster's, Stephen Smith, passed away. And thats just me. Eric Bland, an attorney involved in several cases connected to Alex Murdaugh, said the scene didnt fit with what Smiths family knew about him. The firm built its success in the early 2000s due to a state law that made it easier for plaintiffs to forum shop. Sandy Smith said her ex-husband died of a broken heart. He, Paul, Maggie and his father would call each other and speak on the phone pretty much every day. A passerby in a car called in a 911 report, and by dawn the local highway patrol was conducting an investigation, collecting evidence, trying to piece together what might have happened. After that, Buster Murdaugh's name kept coming up. One of the challenging things about fully understanding the scope of the Murdaugh story is comprehending its timeline. Buster Murdaugh, 26, was a high school classmate of Smith, who was described as a loving jokester by friends and family. Investigators with the S.C. Highway Patrol ( SCHP) received. Mom found several bags of pills in your computer bag, Pauls message to his father on 6 May 2021 read. The U.S. [12] Worst of all, with at least one of those deceased clients, its suspected that Murdaugh may have assisted with their death. Alex Murdaugh Ordered To Deal With Civil Lawsuit Accusing Him Of Ripping $4 Million Off His Late Housekeeper Gloria's Estate After Murder Trial Wraps Up, Alex Murdaugh Accused Of Cheating On Late Wife Maggie Before Gruesome Murders But Jury Won't Hear About Alleged Affairs, Sources Claim, Alex Murdaugh Murder Trial Update: Jurors Will Visit Moselle Ranch Crime Scene Where His Wife & Son Were Shot To Death. After Smith's body was discovered, authorities fielded tips from the community. Smith was found dead with deep gashes to his head in the middle of a dark Hampton County road on July 8, 2015. Mike DeWine said he was impressed with the magnitude of the cleanup efforts he witnessed and by the hard work people are doing. 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. Additionally, the teenager had injuries to his left hand and arm. Shooting of Alex Murdaugh, Sept. 4, 2021. Daily. Gloria Satterfield was the Murdaugh familys longtime housekeeper. Alex Murdaugh, the patriarch of a powerful and wealthy South Carolina legal family whose wife and son were mysteriously murdered in June, has now been shot. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? 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. A classmate of Alex's elder son Buster, Stephen was rumored to have been in a gay relationship with Buster, a pill that was, allegedly, too bitter for the Murdaughs to digest. He even had his shoes on. They returned hours later and all showered at the Moselle home, he said casting doubts on testimony from the Murdaugh housekeeper Blanca Simpson that she noticed unusual things in the home on 8 June including a light puddle of water, a towel, a pair of khaki pants and a t-shirt on the ground. Police later determined that both had been shot multiple times with multiple guns. Recently, Buster Murdaugh took the witness stand for the defense and testified that his father was destroyed by the deaths of Paul and Maggie. Copyright 2023 Distractify. He was also being sued by the family of Mallory Beach, who was killed in a 2019 boat crash. Stephen Smith died in 2015 and, the docuseries alleges, may have had a relationship with Alex Murdaugh's other son Buster. 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. Days later on 3 June 2021 four days before he allegedly killed his wife and son Mr Murdaugh sent a voicemail to then-Palmetto State Bank CEO Russell Laffitte asking him for $600,000. He also insisted on heading to a waterfront bar in downtown Beaufort where he ordered two rounds of shots while his annoyed friends waited outside. Alex Murdaugh called 911 around 1:30 p.m. to report he had been shot at the side of Salkehatchie Road. Smith was one of the few openly gay individuals in his school. An August 2015 tip accused Buster and Smith of having a forbidden relationship that would have been damning for the prominent family's reputation. What is known is that Alex Murdaugh and his brother Randy came to the scene of Stephen Smiths death, going through the crime tape. In 2015, Stephen Smith was killed in a hit-and-run accident, in which Buster Murdaugh was reportedly involved. The following week, state police said Murdaugh had confessed to hiring someone to kill him so his surviving son could collect life insurance. Sandy Smith holds a photo of her son Stephen Smith. Mr Murdaugh was also sued by the Beach family, with prosecutors saying that the lawsuit was picking up pace in the days before the murders, and that the disgraced attorneys finances were about to be exposed because of it. As part of the reopened investigation, there were plans to exhume Gloria's body to carry out a proper autopsy. He was a very sharp kid; As a young gay man, he was cautious and so he wouldnt have been walking down the road. An investigator for the South Carolina Highway Patrol says that he thinks Stephen Smith's body was staged the night of his death in July 2015. But from day one, his mother said otherwise, believing her son was murdered. 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. Paul was driving the boat under the influence of alcohol and had just slapped his ex-girlfriend Morgan moments before the accident. The defense called Buster Murdaugh on February 21 to shed light on his father's loving treatment of his family. In all honesty, the events that unfold tend to prove the point. As previously mentioned, Alex Murdaughs murder trial is ongoing. Personally, I think there was some type of pressure or just lack of investigation upon other agencies to do anything, he told NewsNation. 8. His car was found down a dark rural road in Hampton County, South Carolina with the gas cap off. Several claim that he tried to get them all on the same page and assert that Paul wasnt driving the boat. Why? We know for a fact it was not a hit-and-run. His death was ruled a. In early August 2015, authorities received a tip about Smith and Buster Murdaugh possibly being in a relationship, per Live 5 News. In early June, a son and mother, both members of a. 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