EXCLUSIVE: Buster Murdaugh made his first public statement on the death of his high school classmate Stephen Smith. https://t.co/uYBfMwlzpN
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) March 20, 2023
One of the saddest stories in the Murdaugh documentary on HBO was about Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old gay man who was found dead on the road in 2015. Smith’s death was initially ruled a hit and run, which forensic experts said was not consistent with the condition of his body. Smith’s friends and family spoke about the situation in which he was allegedly hit on the road, and it wasn’t like him to be out like that or have car trouble without calling them. Many people told investigators that the Murdaugh family was involved in Smith’s death and that Smith was seeing the older and now only surviving Murdaugh son, Buster. This case was reopened in June, 2021. After widespread public attention and tireless efforts from his family, investigators have ruled Smith’s death a homicide. Buster was kicked out of South Carolina Law School in 2019 for plagiarism and is currently living in a condo in Hilton Head, South Carolina with his girlfriend, lawyer Brooklynn White, and their golden retriever. He has issued a statement denying a past relationship with Stephen Smith and denying any involvement in the teen’s death. Here are two reports, from People and from NBC News, with the details about this case and Buster’s statement.
Authorities in South Carolina have determined that Stephen Smith — whose body was found near the Murdaugh home in the summer of 2015 — has died of a homicide.
Police had initially said Smith died of “highway vehicular manslaughter,” the Bland Richter Law Firm, who is representing Smith’s mother as of this week, said in a press release on Tuesday. Lawyers said the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s (SLED) Chief Mark Keel disclosed the information during a phone call.
“We have a chance to right eight years of wrongs, and we intend to do just that,” said attorney Eric Bland.
Smith was found dead on a South Carolina road in 2015, according to the release, “and questions were raised about his death during the investigation into the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh in 2021.”
Smith, a 19-year-old nursing student from Hampton, South Carolina, was found dead in the early morning hours of July 8, 2015. He was discovered lying in the middle of a dark country road — 3 miles away from where his car had run out of gas — with deep gashes on his forehead, several local news outlets reported. Authorities initially thought Smith had been shot, but his death has later ruled a hit-and-run — a claim that his mother has disputed all along.
“Stephen never would have been walking in the middle of the roadway,” the family told investigators, saying he was “skittish,” per CNN.
Sandy later reiterated the same point to the Hampton County Guardian. “I just don’t believe my son would have been walking in the middle of the road like that,” she said.
Smith’s case was initially investigated by the South Carolina Highway Patrol before going cold in 2016, according to FITSNews. In that investigation, the Murdaugh name — a powerful local family known for their longstanding law firm — was mentioned dozens of times as possibly being connected to Smith’s death, FITSnews reported. However, no member of the Murdaugh family was ever questioned in his death and no charges were ever filed.
Buster Murdaugh made his first public statement on the death of his high school classmate Stephen Smith, telling NBC News in an exclusive statement he denies having any involvement in Smith’s death in 2015.“I have tried my best to ignore the vicious rumors about my involvement in Stephen Smith’s tragic death that continue to be published in the media as I grieve over the brutal murders of my mother and brother,” Murdaugh said. “I love them so much and miss them terribly.”
“I haven’t spoken up until now because I want to live in private while I cope with their deaths and my father’s incarceration,” he continued.
Murdaugh’s father, Alex Murdaugh, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife Maggie Murdaugh and youngest son Paul Murdaugh, putting a spotlight on the powerful family in South Carolina’s Lowcountry.
Murdaugh said he has been “targeted and harassed” by the media and followers of his family’s story, both before and since his father’s trial.
“This has gone on far too long. These baseless rumors of my involvement with Stephen and his death are false,” he said. “I unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the Smith family.”
Murdaugh also asked for the media to “immediately stop publishing these defamatory comments and rumors.”
I’m glad for Smith’s family that his death has been ruled a homicide. It’s so like a Murdaugh to make themselves out to be the victim when someone else was murdered. I don’t believe him and I hope Smith’s family gets answers about what happened to their son. I also hope Buster doesn’t see a dime of the money his father stole and that all of his family’s remaining assets go toward paying restitution.
BREAKING | Buster Murdaugh, the surviving son of murderer Alex Murdaugh, issued a statement slamming rumors that he had any involvement in the death of Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old whose body was found near the family estate in 2015.https://t.co/1H6QCoc7xf
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) March 20, 2023
In a statement, Buster Murdaugh said he had no involvement with the death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith, who died on a country road roughly 15 miles from the Murdaugh's home. #Datelinehttps://t.co/G3V6GSQZnW
— Dateline NBC (@DatelineNBC) March 20, 2023
#BREAKING: #BusterMurdaugh issued a statement to #CourtTV denying 'any involvement' in #StephenSmith's death.
The statement comes after news of Smith's case being reopened and his body exhumed.#CourtTV What do YOU think? 👇⚖️ pic.twitter.com/QXYPFeFiWC
— Court TV (@CourtTV) March 20, 2023
Why do I not know who any of these people are?!? Is this like a niche new crime thing or am I under a rock?
There is a Netflix documentary on the Mardaugh (highly recommend) His father was just sentenced a few weeks ago. It is a crazy family with even crazier story. Google Mardaugh – the rabbit hole is endless! 😆
They’re not crazy—that family is a criminal organization—if the authorities finally kick over the rock of that law firm they will probably find an absolute rat’s nest of corruption and criminality.
Right?!? The rabbet hole has multiple rabbit holes. That family is insane
Same. I see this name all over TV and internet. I have no idea who they are except the older man was recently found guilty of murder
There are five deaths surrounding this family in a relatively short time. Alex Murdaugh’s 6-week trial was watched live on youtube by millions (including me) and I think that, along with multiple documentaries, is the reason the mainstream media picked up the story. Cable news aired Alex testimony live, again I think due to the vast numbers of people watching it live on youtube.
I recommend listening to the Murdaugh murder podcast with Mandy Matney. Her podcast is partly responsible for keeping this case alive. The HBO max doc is good too.
Also her podcast “Cup of Justice” which also has Smith’s new lawyer contribute to the podcast, it is excellent!
Second, third and fourth this! So glad other folks listen too!
I don’t know if Buster killed Stephen, or had a relationship with him, but I’m betting he knows what happened to him. At the beginning of the podcast, after the family murders but before all the wilder shit, they did some incredibly in depth episodes about Stephen’s case. Someone who was a client of the Murdaugh’s came up with a story that a kid had confessed to killing Stephen, but none of the story made sense, and the supposed murderer was also involved with Murdaugh cases. It’s wild.
Came here to say all of the above-Mandy Matney has done impressive investigative journalism for years as it pertains to the Murdaughs.
Excellent podcasts, and it’s worth going back to listen to all of the episodes.
just coming here to say this! There’s weirdness around this whole case where the oldest Murdaugh uncle, Alex’s older brother, offered his legal services free to Sandy Smith ( Stephen’s mom). Lots of evidence disappeared or was mishandled – too many mistakes at too many levels of too many agencies to be mere incompetence or coincidence.
Yes! She’s fantastic & has been following the family & its crimes ever since the younger one killed people in a DWI boat accident, uncovering SO many sus stories. At one point the SC state legis was complaining on the floor about her coverage, which is code for they only complain like that when you’re on the right track. Old guy killed his son (the boat murderer) & was from a legal dynasty and had many GOB in his network incl legislators, both state & federal (as any state school trained lawyer does, in SC or anywhere).
Do they cover why this “Buster” person looks like this? Is he for real or is it like a Trump thing?
His family is famously red headed lawyers. His dad murders his mom and brother and has the faded red hair, his grandpa went by Big Red in the family. And most of these pictures are from when his dad was sentenced to two lifetimes in jail.
The Murdaugh trial is as the New Yorker puts it “something between Gone with the Wind ‘ and William Faulkner. It’s better then most Streaming content. HBO and Netflix both have series you can watch .
This family has generations of criminals. The grandfather’s wife died under mysterious “mysterious” circumstances too! They were basically the mob ruling over that part of SC for generations. It is crazy! My southern relatives were convinced that the jury would be too terrified to convict the father for killing his wife and other child. The entire story of this family will be generating lifetime movies and crime specials for years. I feel truly awful for the families (multiple families) of the people the sons and father are suspected of murdering.
Because they had a lot of money and power, along with connections in the judicial system, that covered up their crimes for decades. When one of them was finally convicted, it was a very big deal. A lot of what’s been unearthed is owed to the work of Mandy Matney, who is the journalist who pursued most of the information that’s come out in recent years about their utilization of law enforcement contacts to cover up criminal behavior.
Oh yeah! Mandy Matney is a complete bada$$. She has to have nerves of steel taking on this family/town.
Befoe Netflix it was a Dateline episode that came out last year. This is how I was introduced to the case. Being so close to SC, I saw news alerts about the Murdaugh case in real time but ignored it. It wasn’t until the Dateline episode that I really paid attention. Recently watched the Netflix documentary and it does go into more detail but I’m glad I watched Dateline first.
I recently got sucked into both the HBO doc and the Netflix doc on this horrible family. They were/are literally like a southern Mafia family, and every one of them believe(d) they are above the law. I wouldn’t be shocked in the slightest if Buster had something to do with Stephen’s death. The story surrounding his death and the obvious coverup was heartbreaking. I hope Stephen’s family get the answers they need.
Same! I’m not a true crime person, but I got sucked into this just because I couldn’t believe how horrible these people are/were. I have little doubt Buster wad involved in this somehow and I hope Stephan’s family gets some justice.
I couldn’t believe the scope of their crimes! I think the dad is facing 200 financial crimes after his murder issues are resolved. The sons have at least one murder each attached to them. The poor housekeepers death is suspected to be the Alex wanting her insurance. And these are the “known” deaths. Imagine if they start digging even more?
Mandy Matney did a number of episodes on Stephen’s case. The HBO doc was an abridged version of the incredible cover up.
I’m glad Eric Bland is representing his mom. Eric was essential in getting Murdaugh arrested for his financial crimes.
Those documentaries were so good. What a vile family. They also need to reopen the housekeeper’s suspicious death as well…she knew where all the skeletons were buried.
That one floored me! It was so obvious Alex Murdaugh killed her in order to scam the money from her insurance. So sick and twisted.
The Murdaughs have been literally getting away with murder for years because they have had total control of local law enforcement. That control is beginning to erode slowly but surely. The conviction of Alex Murdaugh was key.
Which doc is better, or do I need to watch both? I was interested in this story from the very beginning, and have read a good deal about it.
I personally preferred the Netflix one over the HBO one, but both were good. And as mentioned in some other comments here, there is a podcast called Murdaugh Murders that comes highly recommended.
I’m sure this doesn’t bring much comfort to Mallory Beach’s family, but at least her death was not in vain. The story of the boat accident was what first shed a spotlight on this disgusting family, and it all unraveled from there.
Ok he has the face of a guy that would commit murder. I know that means nothing, but talk about CREEPY
He absolutely had that young man killed based on nothing more than having major Murder Face.
I mean, if having Murder Face was the basis of our justice system he would have been convicted years ago
Danbury don’t sell yourself short. You gut instincts are telling you that guy looks like a stone cold sociopath which is another word for “murder face!” I am relieved when sociopaths are easy to see, some are much better at pretending to be normal but..not this family.
The whole family (especially the men and in particular, Alex Murdaugh and his sons) look inbred.
Literally every one of his family members was/is a liar and murderer. It’s in his DNA. What makes him so special?
Instead of the Netflix documentary, I strongly recommend any work Mandy Matney has done on her podcasts “Murdaugh Murders” and “Cup of Justice.” Mandy is a local journalist & and the first reporter to shine a light on all the misdeeds of Alex Murdaugh. She brings a lot more accuracy and nuance to her reporting than national reporters who swept in once her reporting took off and got popular. She also has a close relationship to Sandy Smith, Stephen’s mother, and has advocated on behalf of Gloria Satterfield and Mallory Beach’s families.
I will definitely check that podcast out.
Thank you!
Thank you for the advice!! It’s about time someone pull the curtain back and expose all of the criminality of the entire Murdaugh family!!
How was this case not always a homicide? How is a hit and run manslaughter instead of murder?
Anyway, I definitely think Buster was involved.
The case was intentionally screwed up. Law enforcement weren’t sure how he died, initially, because his head was so bashed in.
The coroner who did the autopsy said, there’s paint chips in the injury (didn’t check what kind of paint), and he was found in the road, therefore, hit by a car! The agency that handles car crashes started investigating, and said this doesn’t look like a hit and run at all, nothing about how he was found suggests he was actually hit by a car. They couldn’t give it to the correct investigators because it was officially ruled death by a car. So it got looked into some, but by people who don’t investigate murders, and they eventually gave up.
My understanding is that Alex Murdaugh (the father) interfered with the original investigation. There were rumours his sons, Paul and Buster, were involved, so he wanted the investigation steered in another direction. These rumours may have been merely gossip or based in fact, but the end result was that Stephen Smith did not get justice.
Clothes intact and shoes still on his feet – everyone said not a hit and run. Sure seems like someone stepped in fixed it.
So now, he’s living with his gf and his dog. He could be bi or gay, but this doesn’t matter to me as much as the murder of his best friend.
I watched the Netflix documentary and was floored that Buster wasn’t caught red handed in anything besides the plagiarism that got him kicked out of university. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he’d been responsible for Stephen’s murder in some way.
And I’d just like to point out, at the time, in light of his mother and brother’s murders, as well as his father’s incarceration, Buster was found in Vegas spending dear old dad’s money. You can tell he’s real broken up about the family tragedies we know of so far.
I sincerely hope this opens up discussions around family dynasties in law (and politics and medicine and just about every other industry) because you know they wouldn’t have gotten away with it for so long if they didn’t have such a chokehold on the community.
@ Anna, I too feel like Buster is just as much a criminal and one who feels that he is protected by the local LE. The entire Murdaugh dynasty has has had generations of criminals happily continue carrying out illegal activities and has had the full support and protection of the local yahoo’s.
Buster has spent his entire life living off of the privilege of his family’s ability to escape justice. The mere fact that @ Mimsy pointed out that the uncle offered his services free to the family of Stephen Smith family tells me the entire family is rooted in criminality. He had every bit of evidence at his disposal and he certainly played a hand at disposing of critical evidence. I also don’t buy that Stephen Smith was struck by a car given that he still had his shoes on and the amount of brutality that was inflicted to his head speaks murder to me.
Given the comments about Mandy Matney, I am going to have to listen to her podcasts as she is certainly creating uncomfortable feelings if the state is trying to discredit her. Seems Ms. Matney is on to the truth!!
If I remember correctly from Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell’s podcast “Murdaugh Murders”, Stephen Smith was a highly academic kid who always wanted to be a doctor. His bedroom walls were lined with books. He came from a working class family, and I think he would have been the first in his family to get an advanced degree. His mom was amazed by him. Since they did not have the money for medical school, his plan was to be a nurse and save up money. He thought at least he would also be benefiting from the additional medical knowledge. Stephen was one of the few out teens in his small southern town. I admire the person he was.
Please feel free to correct or add to any info I listed. He deserves an accurate history.
One thing I picked up on from the documentaries is that Stephen sounded like a really, really cool kid. Very sure of himself, very confident, and just one of those people who is naturally likeable. It’s obvious that, in addition to his family’s loss, the world is now missing out on what sounded like a really awesome human being with a lot to offer, and who was going to grow up to be absolutely amazing.
Stephen also wanted to travel to impoverished countries to provide care. I hope justice will be given to his family.
Apparently evidence related to Stephen’s death turned up on Paul & Maggie’s phones during the double homicide investigation. And now Sandy Smith is going to have his body exhumed with SLED being present, after which there will be an independent autopsy.
For the first time in years it feels like there might be justice for Stephen & Sandy.
I have been dying to know why they reopened the case while investigating Maggie and Paul’s deaths! That makes total sense!
and Stephen’s twin sister
Geez. This family. Holy cow. It’s like a 1850’s tale of evil for generations.
No guilt from any of them, they have acted as if they are above the law for generations.
Money, drugs, murder, lying, scheming, pay off the cops, judges, cheating, cover ups, on and on.
When the old folks in my family say ” Evil walks among us” they mean this family and more like them.
It’s like a V.C. Andrews book series but in real life!
The “evidence” against Buster in this case as presented in the Netflix doc was pretty weak. No idea what happened to Smith and I feel terribly for him and his family, but if Buster IS innocent imagine what he’s been through in his life? Mom and only sibling murdered by his dad. I’ll have some compassion for him until something is proven otherwise.
Right, I’m not positive he actually did anything to Stephen. I do think he knows what happened to him, or at least has an idea.
I also think he was raised by a narcissist dad who had a drug problem, in super weird family dynamics, and up until now has been happy to go along with everything because of the privileges he enjoyed. I would hope he’s rethinking everything in his life now, and processing it.
I dunno, I guess I hope he realizes he’s free from his dad and that he can figure out a way to live that’s different than what he’s been taught. I’d also hope that part of that process was spoiling whatever else he knows about any of this to police.
I’ve watched the Dateline episode that came out a year ago and the Netflix documentary, and I’m of two minds. 1) Buster Murdaugh probably knew Stephen because he used him to pass tough assignments in school. That association started the whispers and rumors (this makes me uncomfortable because I don’t like assuming someone’s sexuality based purely on who they hung out with in school.) 2) Stephen sounds like he was a wonderful young man. Something happened to him on that road that night that was suspicious. Does that mean it involves Buster? In my opinion, no. Not necessarily in the way, people think. Does it mean that Buster saw him that night and possibly thought it was fun to show out for his friends and do something physically malicious but not deadly or homicidal? Possibly.
I’m just glad Stephen’s family will finally get some closure, and justice will be done in his case.
It should be reopened. That kid’s a nightmare thanks to his upbringing.
The girlfriend better sleep with one eye open, one eye closed. Guess she is standing by her man.
Notice he didn’t deny that they were in a relationship, just “involvement” in his death. I hope they can finally get justice for Stephen, and for the housekeeper.
He denied involvement with Stephen AND his death in his statement.
I always suspected that he was involved with him or flirting around and dear old dad wasn’t going to have any ‘f$&#’ stuff around his storied family. And so he took care of it.
I’m glad it’s being reopened and hope Stephen’s family gets answers.
I fully believe Buster was responsible for this murder. At the time, the police got anonymous phone calls saying Buster was involved/seen. Not read the comments above, but I’ve done research on this crime and Stephen Smith’s rape kit went “missing” after it was collected. In my view, this was a rape/murder and Buster Murdaugh, of the infamous Murdaugh crime family, is directly responsible (possibly with other accomplices). I am boiling mad that this beautiful young man’s life was taken in this horrific way and his poor mother has had to live with it for years with no justice in sight.
This is the first I’ve heard about a rape kit and connection to a Sexual Assault with his death. That adds an interesting layer. I just want to say that small insular towns are horrible towards people who live their lives out as gay. Sadly, I can see anyone doing that to Stephen since he was known for his sexuality. I feel for his family and hope justice is served.
Mandy Matney’s podcast has an in-depth look at the facts around this case. jgerber is right about Stephen Smith’s rape kit going missing. If I remember right, the chain of custody paperwork around the rape kit was almost all filled out by someone with the same handwriting. And the last person in charge of the rape kit before it disappeared left their LE job and got another LE job one county over. (Something like that — it’s been a while since I listened to the podcast.)