The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is now considering the 2015 death of a South Carolina teen found miles from the Murdaugh family property a homicide, his family’s lawyers announced on Tuesday.
Attorneys Eric Bland and Ronnie Richter said that the “extraordinary disclosure” was made during a Tuesday phone call about the investigation into Stephen Smith’s July 2015 death. Smith, 19, was found dead on a backcountry road in Hampton, South Carolina, just miles from the Murdaugh family home. A medical examiner ultimately concluded that Smith died from a hit-and-run—despite several red flags. Now, the Smith family lawyers said, authorities now believe he was murdered.
“We have a chance to right eight years of wrongs, and we intend to do just that,” Bland said in a Tuesday press release.
In a News Nation interview on Tuesday evening, Sandy Smith said she was “elated” to hear the latest development into her son’s death—noting that she has been fighting for more answers since 2015.
“This is what I’ve been waiting for,” she said, before later adding that she knew in her “heart” that the initial findings into Smith’s death were not accurate.
The stunning development comes just one day after the only surviving son of convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh released a statement slamming “vicious rumors” and denied any involvement in his high school classmate’s death. Buster Murdaugh’s statement also came just moments before Smith’s mother and her legal team announced a “new investigation” into the aspiring nurse’s death, which will include an exhumation and an independent autopsy.
“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. I love them so much and I miss them terribly,” Murdaugh said. “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.”
Earlier this month, Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his son, Paul, and his wife, Maggie, at their family’s South Carolina hunting estate in June 2021. Shortly after, SLED announced they would open an investigation into Smith’s death “based upon information gathered during the course of the double-murder investigation of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh.”
“SLED officials have revealed that they did not need to exhume Stephen Smith’s body to convince them that his death was a homicide,” Bland and Richter said Tuesday. “However, they will be present and participate in any exhumation of Stephen’s body to gather more evidence. We are committed to finding out what really happened, and getting the peace and justice the Smith family deserves.”
The lawyers added that SLED noted in the phone call that they were waiting until Murdaugh’s murder trial was finished before making an announcement about the update in Smith’s case “out of concern that witnesses would not be as forthcoming under the Murdaugh sphere of influence.”
“Since the conclusion of the Murdaugh trial, more resources have been devoted and will be devoted to Stephen Smith’s case,” the lawyers added.
On Monday, the lawyers also noted their intention to begin their own investigation into the teenager after his mother, Sandy Smith, launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for an independent autopsy. As of Tuesday, the Smith family has raised over $80,000 to ensure an “unbiased look at his body and an accurate determination of his cause of death based on facts.”
“SLED is publicly supporting us, Sandy Smith, and her efforts to find out what really happened to her son,” Richter added. “They have expressed their condolences to the Smith family and will continue to work diligently to bring those responsible for Stephen’s death to justice.”
SLED did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but confirmed the call to Law&Crime. The spokesperson also noted that SLED has always investigated Smith’s death as a homicide.
