Scott Adams faces 'consequence culture' as U.S. newspapers drop Dilbert, Tom Cruise's 'ditching' of Suri showcased by Judd Apatow's 'co-parenting' joke, ex-Scientology exec says. If any one genre takes the cake for him, it is none other than good ol' fashioned horror. He had a sister. Based in Cleveland, Ohio. Stephen Smith, 19, was found dead in the middle of a country road 15 miles from the Murdaugh family's Islandton hunting lodge on July 8, 2015. Witnesses for the defense and prosecutors are expected to number in the hundreds so this could be a long trial. Mike DeWine said he was impressed with the magnitude of the cleanup efforts he witnessed and by the hard work people are doing. Her death, which occurred in 2018, was attributed initially to a trip-and-fall incident while working at the Murdaughs' home. Stephen Smiths father died three months after his son. Postal Service will buy more than 9,000 Ford electric delivery vehicles, one year after an initial plan to buy predominantly gas-powered vehicles sparked controversy. On the night of 24 February 2019, Paul was allegedly drunk driving the Murdaugh familys boat with several of his friends on board. That tip went nowhere. . Some cases are so explosive, however, that documentarians just cant wait to get their cameras on it. He has pleaded not guilty. July 8, 2015. Buster Murdaugh took the witness stand in his fathers murder trial on Tuesday morning. Ronnie Richter: She literally helped raise Alex Murdaugh's sons, Paul and Buster. The charges against him had varying effects on Paul as per varying accounts of his friends. 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The case of Stephen Smith a 19-year-old man from Hampton, S.C. who was found dead in the middle of Sandy Run Road on July 8, 2015. 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. Buster Murdaugh and Smith reportedly graduated in 2014 from the same high school. OF ALL THINGS, why why why would that be one of the very few scintilla of information to be released, other than the big one: ----> The Public was not in Danger. 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. You Might Also Like 12 Weekend Getaway Spas For . Rather soon after the double murder, Law Enforcement announced that they were RE-opening the Stephen Smith case. His son, wife, and housekeeper were all dead. SLED agents reopened the investigation into Smith following the brutal double homicide of Maggie and Paul at the family's private hunting ranch, Moselle, in June 2021. We hope she gets them. Alex is currently defending himself in court against charges that he murdered his wife, Maggie, and their youngest son, Paul. He is also the Editor at House Of Binge. Home > News & Politics > News. Included in this group was Alex Murdaughs youngest son Paul Murdaugh. 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. 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. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Shreejit is a freelance features writer at Collider. Life became particularly messy for Alex soon afterward as a row of financial crimes that he committed also came to the forefront. Murdaugh, a well-known lawyer, found. A blue tarp and a blue rainjacket was found in a search of the home, with the jacket covered in gunshot residue particles. Alex Murdaughs only surviving son Buster gave stoic testimony as his father looked on smiling in the South Carolina courtroom where he is on trial for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul. Buster Murdaugh Jr. had already made "an almost identical" improper jury argument in a rape case . 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. Alex Murdaugh with defence attorney Dick Harpootlian during his trial. She said since the case has been reopened, there have been offers of a book deal and a Netflix movie but all shes interested in is justice. 'Murdaugh Murders': Buster Murdaugh was accused of allegedly killing classmate and rumored boyfriend Stephen Smith in 2015 By Aayush Sharma Published on : 00:17 PST, Feb 22, 2023 Stephen Smith and Alex Murdaugh in stills from 'Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal' (Netflix) Murdaugh Murders filmmakers Jenner FurstandJulia Willoughby Nason (previously of Hulus Fyre Fraud) report that theyve uncovered new crimes committed by Alex Murdaugh and are hoping Netflix commissions a second season so they can reveal them. 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. At 2:20 the next morning, the boat driven by the allegedly intoxicated Murdaugh slammed into a piling in Archers Creek (5). Ultimately, Mallorys body was discovered on March 3 about five miles down river from the crash scene. 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. People said that Smith and Murdaugh were dating, which made the circumstances of his death even more controversial. All Rights Reserved. Often, Alex did not pass on the money that he won from financial settlements to the kin of the deceased after suing the insurance companies. The Murdaugh family is a prominent dynasty of lawyers from the Low Country in South Carolina, with Low Country referring to the distinct cultural and geographical region on the southeast coast of the state. Under brief cross-examination, the prosecutor brought up that Mr Murdaugh had suggested his son went hunting at Moselle after his mother and brother were gunned down there. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Doctors prescribe Ozempic 'off label': Is that OK? 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. Initially, Smith's death was ruled a hit-and-run by the coroner; however, the Smith family and Highway Patrol Investigators rejected the claim and noted that "no vehicle debris, skid marks, or injuries consistent with someone being struck by a vehicle" were found in the initial investigation. Distractify is a registered trademark. Like the probe of the 2019 boat crash, the 2015 investigation into Smith's death was chaotic from the beginning clouded by jurisdictional confusion and suspicions of investigative interference. The 26-year-old testified that his fathers demeanour was normal and no different from how he had been earlier in the day. 8. He was a very sharp kid; As a young gay man, he was cautious and so he wouldnt have been walking down the road. Many media entities have already tried their hand at explaining this shifty saga of murder, corruption, and cover-up from HBO Maxs Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty to IDs The Murdaugh Murders: Deadly Dynasty. 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. Where Is Buster Murdaugh, Did He Kill Stephen Smith? His car was three miles away. Stephen Smith's family reacts to Murdaugh indictment in killings of wife, son. In 2015, teenager Stephen Smith, an openly gay classmate of Buster's, was found dead from blunt force . But the more devastating reality behind this unfortunate incident is that another rescue attempt was going on at the same time. Would dismantling Interstate 980 repair damage to Black neighborhoods? The killer shot Maggie multiple times with a 300 Blackout rifle believed to be a replacement rifle that Mr Murdaugh later bought for Paul to replace the one he lost. 2. However, when authorities reopened the case in June 2021 and looked into Buster's potential involvement, police were "never able to formally tie Buster Murdaugh to the case nor track down the original source of the rumors.". All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Buster Murdaugh, 26, was a high school classmate of Smith, who was described as a loving jokester by friends and family. It is also believed that Buster was a close friend (and rumored boyfriend) of Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old who was killed under mysterious circumstances in 2019. While SLED (and documentaries the world over) delve into the circumstances of Smiths death, there is currently no public-facing evidence for the Murdaugh familys involvement in his murder. 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. Stephen Smith died in 2015 and, the docuseries alleges, may have had a relationship with Alex Murdaugh's other son Buster. 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. Here's what we know. July 8, 2015: Stephen Smith, 19, is found dead on Sandy Run Road in Hampton County. The case of 19-year-old Stephen Smith is often mentioned in the same sentence on . Consequentially, Alex was forced to resign from the law firm, which is now known as Parker Law Group. The go-to source for comic book and superhero movie fans. 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. It was clear that this case was not handled correctly. An August 2015 tip accused Buster and Smith of having a forbidden relationship that would have been damning for the prominent family's reputation. With the trial ongoing and many questions needing an answer, it is possible that Netflix may have to come up with a second season of its most recent true crime docuseries to give an updated picture of the vastness of Alex Murdaugh's crimes. Crime scene photos show shell casings on the floor of the dog feed house. His mother hired a private investigator to look into the matter. Around 1:15 a.m. the group re-boarded the boat with Paul still driving over the objections of his friends. However, this was proved false when a video found on Paul's mobile clearly suggested that Alex was with Maggie and Paul just moments before the time of their deaths. DAILY. He had been struck by a blunt object on his right temple, killing him. I cant tell you. A family attorney later elaborated that Murdaugh had pulled over with car trouble before he was shot, possibly by someone in a passing pickup truck. Alex Murdaugh called 911 around 10 p.m. to say he had arrived at the familys Islandton home and found his wife and 22-year-old son fatally shot in the driveway. 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. If Alex Murdaugh did indeed contribute to Gloria Satterfields death, it might not be the first time that a Murdaugh killed someone and got away with it. Police determined it was a hit and run. All three episodes of Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal are available to stream on Netflix now. Rumors have swirled about a possible relationship between Stephen Smith and Buster Murdaugh. The first was that of a high school student, Stephen Smith, back in 2015. He determined the placement of the body in the road and the injuries Smith suffered did not appear to be a hit-and-run. Recently, Smith's family friend, Susanne Andrews, revealed "progress" has been made since Paul and Maggie's 2021 murders. At the core of all the events was the name of Alex Murdaugh, who's currently on trial for the murder of his own wife and son, Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. He had almost single-handedly brought down his familys shining century-long dynasty. Throughout the trial, Busters own apparently bad behaviour has also been on display inside the courtroom. Alex Murdaugh was trying desperately to save his son's name. But the real break in Smiths case came after the double murder of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. Alex Murdaugh, 52, is a lawyer and the great-grandson of Randolph "Buster" Murdaugh, . Very upset about various sporting events. 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. On the evening of Feb. 23, the 19-year-old Beach was among six friends who boarded a 17-foot boat at the Murdaugh familys river house on Chechessee Creek (3) for a 25-mile run to an oyster roast on Paukie Island (4). 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