Coming as the defences first major witness, Buster played into their strategy to present Mr Murdaugh as a loving family man who could never have killed his wife and son in such a brutal fashion which saw Pauls brains shot outside of his skull. However, the so-called Murdaugh . Cpl. But Mallory Beach's death was a tragedy waiting to happen at the hands of Paul, who was known for his violent behavior under the influence of alcohol. Stephen Smith died in 2015 and, the docuseries alleges, may have had a relationship with Alex Murdaugh's other son Buster. Alex's trial began on January 23, 2023. Maybe it was simply incompetence. Additionally, the teenager had injuries to his left hand and arm. Distractify is a registered trademark. No coroner was notified of Satterfields death. It was clear that this case was not handled correctly. Durch Klicken auf Alle akzeptieren erklren Sie sich damit einverstanden, dass Yahoo und unsere Partner Ihre personenbezogenen Daten verarbeiten und Technologien wie Cookies nutzen, um personalisierte Anzeigen und Inhalte zu zeigen, zur Messung von Anzeigen und Inhalten, um mehr ber die Zielgruppe zu erfahren sowie fr die Entwicklung von Produkten. Life became particularly messy for Alex soon afterward as a row of financial crimes that he committed also came to the forefront. In 2015, 19-year-old Stephen Smith died after he was hit by his car and the driver didn't stop. Did Buster Murdaugh kill Stephen Smith, and his own brother Paul Murdaugh? New details in the Paul and Maggie Murdaugh double-murder has led the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to open the hit-and-run cold case death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith. He certainly knew the area. Reporter Will Folks with FitsNews told NewsNation Buster Murdaugh's name often came up in connection with the Stephen Smith case. You may recognize the name Paul Murdaugh from three second ago when we talked about him accidentally killing Mallory Beach. 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. 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. They graduated high school together. 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. Several sources are airing the trial live including Court TV and some regional news networks. Then he and his girlfriend Brooklynn grabbed some stuff and drove down to Moselle, reaching the property in the early hours of 8 June. On the call, Alex reported that he had arrived at his house and found the bodies of his wife and son. During calm, controlled testimony, he appeared to water down but not refute some key points in the prosecutions case, including his fathers behaviour on the day of the murders, the clothes he was wearing and the police interview where he appeared to unwittingly confess to killing his wife and son. The former lawyer Murdaugh currently faces a grand total of 106 grand jury criminal charges! Everyone knew that the Murdaughs were not to be messed with. What starts as a relatively straightforward case of Boating Under the Influence with a touch of manslaughter, quickly balloons into a sprawling catalogue of crimes including corruption, embezzlement, and outright murder. Questions have also been raised about this outfit as multiple law enforcement officials testified that Mr Murdaugh and his clothing were clean despite his claims he touched the bloody bodies of his wife and son to check for signs of life. Murdaugh, a well-known lawyer, found. Stephanie Whiteside, Paige Lobdell, Rich McHugh. For now at least. Alex Murdaugh, 52, is a lawyer and the great-grandson of Randolph "Buster" Murdaugh, . The death was never reported to the coroner, and no autopsy was conducted. Sandy then took it upon herself to look into what happened to her son. It also showed that he stayed just 21 minutes at his parents home that night less than half the 45 minutes to an hour he claimed to police. No autopsy was performed. RADAR and RADARONLINE are registered trademarks. Prosecutors claim that Mr Murdaugh wrapped the murder weapons in the jacket and intially hid them at his parents home. Worst of all, with at least one of those deceased clients, its suspected that Murdaugh may have assisted with their death. As bleak as this whole state of affairs was, it still might have faded away into history as an unfortunate case of hyper local corruption. The mystery surrounding the fatal shootings at the home of a prominent South Carolina family connects to the deaths of three people and a roadside shooting. The charges against him had varying effects on Paul as per varying accounts of his friends. He was also being sued by the family of Mallory Beach, who was killed in a 2019 boat crash. Sandy Smith holds a photo of her son Stephen Smith. Buster has experienced grief unlike anyone else; both his mother and brother were murdered. July 15th 2022, 11:14 AM PDT. In early August 2015, authorities received a tip about Smith and Buster Murdaugh possibly being in a relationship, per Live 5 News. 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. As part of the reopened investigation, there were plans to exhume Gloria's body to carry out a proper autopsy. His death was initially deemed a hit and run but the case remains unsolved. Possible tornadoes sweep across Oklahoma; one dead, Study: Back-to-back hurricanes likely to happen more often, California recovers after storm brings blizzard, heavy rain, Michigan power crews work, California recovers after storms, Turkey launches investigation into 612 people after quake, Los Angeles area still blanketed by snow in rare heavy storm, Not true: Restaurant denies report connecting Kohberger to victims, Retracing Brian Walshes movements after wife disappeared, Missouri pastor stops gunmen during church service, Norfolk Southern offered sick pay for fewer inspections: Union, This feature may be making your iPhone charge slower. Shreejit has written for various film and TV websites including Film Companion. Throughout the trial, Busters own apparently bad behaviour has also been on display inside the courtroom. Following the deaths of Mallory Beach, Paul Murdaugh, and Maggie Murdaugh, SLED elected to re-open Stephen Smith's case. 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. June 22: Authorities reopen probe into 2015 death of Stephen Smith. Copyright 2023 Radar Media Group LLC. Did Buster Murdaugh kill Stephen Smith, . The five county area that serves as the 14th district was the Murdaughs political dominion for nearly a century. "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. 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. The damage to his body was limited to Smith's right side, "from his right eye socket to the back of his head and his right shoulder was dislocated," she said. The oldest Murdaugh son, Buster, was the same age as Stephen Smith and his twin sister. I don't hate you. Video from the 10 June 2021 interview Mr Murdaughs second interview after the murders was previously played in court, with the sobbing legal scion speaking about the killings. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Alex Murdaugh is currently standing trial for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul, and is pleading not guilty with the support of his surviving son Buster. Throughout the weeks-long trial, Buster and several other family members have put on a united front, supporting Mr Murdaugh in court every day. Meanwhile, the prosecution has assembled its witnesses and pieces of evidence, including bodycam footage from the night of the murders, to prove Alex's alleged crimes. Daten ber Ihr Gert und Ihre Internetverbindung, wie Ihre IP-Adresse, Browsing- und Suchaktivitten bei der Nutzung von Yahoo Websites und -Apps. Personally, I think there was some type of pressure or just lack of investigation upon other agencies to do anything, he told NewsNation. The U.S. The Murdaugh family law firm, The Parker Law Group, previously Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth & Detrick (PMPED), specializes in personal injury litigation. 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. Maybe it was purposeful. No member of the Murdaugh family. 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. "There has to be something to it, whether indirectly or directly there has to be some kind of tie to that.". The defense called Buster Murdaugh on February 21 to shed light on his father's loving treatment of his family. Alex Murdaugh called 911 around 1:30 p.m. to report he had been shot at the side of Salkehatchie Road. That's the day that his father, Alex Murdaugh said he came home and found his wife, Maggie, 52, and their son, Paul, 22, gunned down on . But certainly, like Buster and Stephen had played ball together when they were younger, so you cant say theres no connection. Playing Vandy is always fun because it gives the truest depiction of what it's like to play in the ACC every week He determined the placement of the body in the road and the injuries Smith suffered did not appear to be a hit-and-run. . Ultimately the 88 indictments for financial fraud amounted to around $9 million. As previously stated: though this story begins in 2019, Alex Murdaugh has been breaking the law for far longer. An August 2015 tip accused Buster and Smith of having a forbidden relationship that would have been damning for the prominent family's reputation. 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 . In court, Alex admitted to lying about his alibi on the night of the murder but denied any involvement in the deaths. The documentary series comes from directors Julia Willoughby Nason and Jenner Furst and explores the rise and fall of . 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. 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. His death was ruled a. Three miles away, Stephen Smiths body was found, in the middle of the road with no skid marks or other physical evidence that a car had hit him. The oldest Murdaugh son, Buster, was the same age as Stephen Smith and his twin sister. People said that Smith and Murdaugh were dating, which made the circumstances of his death even more controversial. The same month, Alex is disbarred by the South Carolina Supreme Court. He even had his shoes on. The three men would often go hunting together on the 1,700-acre estate, he said. Meanwhile, Mr Murdaugh appeared to smile at his son at several points. Offers may be subject to change without notice. "SLED has . Buster the eldest and now only surviving son of Maggie and Mr Murdaugh has stood by his father throughout the growing number of allegations against him. But the real break in Smiths case came after the double murder of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. 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