The family of Stephen Smith, who died on a street close to the house of the disgraced Murdaugh family, needs to exhume his body to support within the investigation of the chilly case. Now, Buster Murdaugh, the son of convicted assassin Alex Murdaugh, is talking out concerning the Smith case.
“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 stated in a statement about Smith, one of his highschool classmates. “I love them so much and miss them terribly.”
Murdaugh testified on behalf of his father, Alex Murdaugh, who used to be convicted previous this month of killing his spouse, Maggie, and more youthful son, Paul, in 2021. Alex Murdaugh used to be sentenced to lifestyles in jail and is interesting his homicide conviction.
The homicide case won nationwide consideration and a Netflix documentary used to be launched at the side of the trial. Several different mysterious deaths within the small the town had been additionally mentioned within the documentary, together with that of Smith, who used to be discovered useless on a street close to the family’s house in 2015.
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Smith used to be discovered about 3 miles from his automotive, mendacity within the heart of the road with “blunt force trauma on his head,” “48 Hours” reported.
According to the Netflix documentary, rumors swirled within the small the town that Buster Murdaugh and his more youthful brother had been probably keen on Smith’s death, however no fees had been introduced in opposition to any individual within the family, and no suspects had been named.
Buster Murdaugh stated in his statement that prior to, all over and after his father’s trial, he has “been targeted and harassed by the media and followers of this story.”
“This has gone on far too long,” he stated. “These baseless rumors of my involvement with Stephen and his death are false. I unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the Smith family.”
The investigation into Smith’s death used to be reopened in 2021 whilst police had been investigating the deaths of Maggie and Paul. While state police at the beginning stated that Smith were given hit by way of a automotive whilst strolling to get lend a hand after having automotive hassle, his family believes he used to be murdered.
Smith’s family is in a position to request a allow to exhume his body so as to get an unbiased post-mortem. They began a GoFundMe previous this month to elevate cash for the method, which is able to price up to $7,000, in accordance to Smith’s mom, Sandy Smith, who began the fundraiser. They didn’t identify the Murdaughs within the description of their fundraiser.
“We need a new, unbiased look at his body and an accurate determination of his cause of death based on facts. There was no debris in the road, and his injuries were not consistent with a hit-and-run,” Sandy Smith wrote on the GoFundMe web page. The fundraiser has pulled in additional than $65,000 – some distance surpassing its purpose of $15,000.
Alex Murdaugh used to be a distinguished attorney in South Carolina and springs from a protracted line of legal professionals and district legal professionals – recognized as solicitors in that state. The deaths of Maggie, Paul and Smith aren’t the one incidents that experience tarnished the family’s recognition.
In 2018, the family’s longtime housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, died on their assets after allegedly falling down stairs. In 2019, a teenage lady, Mallory Beach, died in an coincidence with the family’s boat, which Paul used to be allegedly riding whilst under the influence of alcohol.
The housekeeper’s family claims they by no means noticed the death agreement Murdaugh promised them, and he’s being sued for insurance coverage fraud.
Three months after taking pictures Maggie and Paul, Alex Murdaugh used to be present in his automotive with a nonfatal gunshot wound to his head. He stated on the time that the murders of his family individuals, which he had but to be convicted of, “caused an incredibly difficult time” in his lifestyles and that he deliberate to renounce from his legislation company, in accordance to CBS affiliate WCSC-TV. He additionally entered rehab for drug abuse. He used to be disbarred in 2022.
