On June 7, 2021, Buster Murdaugh's life changed forever. That tip went nowhere. This is when most folks outside of South Carolina became aware of the Murdaugh name and its wisely where Murdaugh Murders elects to begin its story. According to Sandy Smith, Randy Murdaugh called the family following Stephen Smiths death, offering to help however he could. He died of blunt force trauma to the head, but there were no signs to. Ultimately the 88 indictments for financial fraud amounted to around $9 million. Miss Manners: I shouldn't call because the phone scares people? 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. Shreejit has written for various film and TV websites including Film Companion. Alex Murdaugh reportedly told emergency responders that she had fallen down the stairs. Buster Murdaugh Jr. had already made "an almost identical" improper jury argument in a rape case . 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. Smith's injuries suggested a more nefarious cause of death. The group was returning from an oyster roast that Paul had planned. Where Is Buster Murdaugh, Did He Kill Stephen Smith? Ron DeSantis explained his feud with Disney in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, saying the corporation helps advance the lefts woke agenda.. One of the cases now being re-examined is the death of Stephen Smith, 19, whose body was found on a rural road in 2015. Two days later, he announced he had quit his law firm and was entering a rehabilitation program for treatment of opioid addiction. SLED opening Stephen Smith death investigation based on information gathered in Murdaugh double-homicide case The initial South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP) reports released on the. A coroner ultimately ruled Smith's death as accidental, involving a car that hit him. Distractify is a registered trademark. 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 coroner said each was shot multiple times with a different weapon; time of death is thought to have been between 9 and 9:30 p.m. RadarOnline.com has learned that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has "made progress" in the "active and ongoing" case of Smith, who died in 2015. 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 . Despite being visibly hammered and underage, Paul was not given a field sobriety test, taken to jail for booking, or even handcuffed. Dear Abby: Why do they imply my husband is a freak? Ultimately, Mallorys body was discovered on March 3 about five miles down river from the crash scene. The documentary also includes mention of the hit-and-run death of Stephen Smith, a former friend and classmate of Buster's, which remains unsolved. Smith's body was found in . Rather soon after the double murder, Law Enforcement announced that they were RE-opening the Stephen Smith case. BREAKING. (NewsNation) As Alex Murdaugh heads to trial for the murder of his wife and son, there is another mysterious case that has led investigators back to the Murdaugh family. His younger brother, Paul, was killed alongside his mother in 2021. Now Paul, just 22 years old and facing three felony counts, was dead. Reporter Will Folks with FitsNews told NewsNation Buster Murdaughs name often came up in connection with the Stephen Smith case. 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. Alex Murdaugh, the patriarch of a powerful and wealthy South Carolina legal family whose wife and son were mysteriously murdered in June, has now been shot. What started out as an unfortunate accident at the hands of the scion of the powerful Murdaugh family, turned out to be just an isolated dot in a line of deaths and financial frauds. Smith was a high school classmate of Murdaugh's son Buster . Here is everything you need to know about the true story. By October of that year, SLED had indicated that none other than Alex Murdaugh was a person of interest in the case. What follows is our best attempt at capturing all of it. The families of 19-year-old Stephen Smith who was rumored to be in a secret relationship with Alex's oldest son, Buster, and Murdaugh family housekeeper Gloria Satterfield are still waiting . I walked from where his car was, all the way to where his body was and found nothing at all," Sandy shared. Satterfields next of kin was supposed to receive a substantial insurance settlement due to accidental death. Bombshell testimony from his mothers carer Muschelle Shelly Smith previously disputed Mr Murdaughs alibi, saying that he showed up at his sick mothers house for only 20 minutes that night before telling her to tell authorities he was there double the length of time. The first to appear at the scene was Alex, who called 911 to report the shocking homicide. Former lawyer Alex Murdaugh is on trial for the double murder of his wife, Margret "Maggie" Murdaugh, and son Paul Murdaugh, who died on June 7, 2021. He has pleaded not guilty. I don't hate you. Murdaugh isn't the only one in the family who has been involved in a mysterious death. For now at least. Buster Murdaugh and Smith reportedly graduated in 2014 from the same high school. Throughout the trial, Busters own apparently bad behaviour has also been on display inside the courtroom. Some cases are so explosive, however, that documentarians just cant wait to get their cameras on it. In early August 2015, authorities received a tip about Smith and Buster Murdaugh possibly being in a relationship, per Live 5 News. Smith was found laying in the middle of the road by a bystander around 4:20 . Moselle crime scene: What will Murdaugh jury see? But despite the many attempts, Paul ended up being charged with the death of Mallory Beach. 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. 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. The Murdaughs were members of a prominent South Carolina legal family that first made regional headlines in February 2019.. Police found Smith dead on the side of the road in 2015, The New York Times reports. Her death, which occurred in 2018, was attributed initially to a trip-and-fall incident while working at the Murdaughs' home. The 19-year-old nursing student who had been a classmate of Buster Murdaugh at Wade Hampton High School was found dead with a head wound on Sandy. His car was found down a dark rural road in Hampton County, South Carolina with the gas cap off. His twin. He Was Called to Testify in Alex Murdaugh's Trial. However, the so-called Murdaugh . Death of Mallory Beach, Feb. 24, 2019. The two were shot and killed in June 2021. Personally, I think there was some type of pressure or just lack of investigation upon other agencies to do anything, he told NewsNation. Ultimately the wound was just a graze and Murdaugh was released from the hospital that day. According to Live 5 News, the Murdaugh family is mentioned several times in the investigative files of Stephen Smith, who died by hit-and-run in July 2015. On July 8, 2015 he was on his way home from school when he ran out of gas. 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. On June 7, 2021 at 10:06 p.m., Alex Murdaugh called 911 and reported he had discovered the dead bodies of his son Paul and his wife Maggie near the dog kennels at their hunting lodge. Murdaugh admitted that the events had been an assisted suicide scheme so that his son Buster would still receive $10 million upon his death. His car was three miles away. 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 . Buster said Mr Murdaugh told him he was going to visit his mother Busters grandmother at his parents home in Almeda, something he said was quite typical for him to do. 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. DAILY. The Mallory Beach incident led to Murdaughs legal career coming under scrutiny by SLED, other lawyers representing Murdaughs victims, and Murdaughs own law firm. We know for a fact it was not a hit-and-run. 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. Celebrity news. Police believe Smith ran out of gas while on his way home from college, though his family questions this. 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. Later, Connor's father was also contacted by Alex in an act of intimidation. 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. The nights that followed witnessed the search for Mallory. The final state witness SLED Agent Peter Rudofski laid out a detailed timeline of both the final movements of the two victims and the movements of their accused killer. Smith was one of the few openly gay individuals in his school. Several claim that he tried to get them all on the same page and assert that Paul wasnt driving the boat. Buster testified that Paul later told him that his gun was apparently lost, stolen, taken and after that his brother would always use his. The Murdaugh family has many skeletons in their closet, some of which have emerged during Alex Murdaugh's murder trial. 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. You Might Also Like 12 Weekend Getaway Spas For . And thats just me. Another ominous death was that of Gloria Satterfield, who worked for more than 20 years for the Murdaughs. Jurors have so heard four weeks of dramatic testimony from 61 prosecution witnesses covering a trove of circumstantial evidence, including cellphone and car data, a damning video allegedly placing Mr Murdaugh at the crime scene and apparent holes in his alibi for the time for the murders. Police determined it was a hit and run. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! But the real break in Smiths case came after the double murder of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. Smith was a high school classmate of Murdaughs son Buster (not the currently deceased one) and was found dead from blunt force trauma on the side of the road in 2015. The recalled Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Cups may contain pecans. On April 18, Paul Murdaugh was indicted and charged with three felony counts including boating under the influence, causing the death of Beach, and injuring his friends. This is in line with Alex Murdaugh's history of financial crimes. The latest Netflix docuseries focuses on the series of events that led to the fall of the Murdaugh family legacy, starting from the death of Mallory Beach. 2. As viewers of Murdaugh Murders quickly discover, however, uncovering new crimes committed by Alex Murdaugh does not appear to be a difficult task. As per Alex's testimony, he was not present at the scene when the crime happened. They have not made any statement about it since. 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. In the video, sent at 7.56pm on 7 June 2021, Mr Murdaugh is seen in trousers, loafers and a blue button-down shirt on the grounds of the estate. He said he was not aware Paul ever got a replacement gun and did not see him using a Blackout that wasnt his. "I hope they enjoy their day because we're going to enjoy ours. 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. But from day one, his mother said otherwise, believing her son was murdered. She asked the FBI, the governor and others to keep investigating but the case went nowhere until Mallory Beach was killed on the Murdaugh boat four years later. Following the deaths of Mallory Beach, Paul Murdaugh, and Maggie Murdaugh, SLED elected to re-open Stephen Smith's case. Copyright 2023 Distractify. . But Murdaugh conspired with two fellow attorneys to have the insurance payout diverted to Murdaughs account. This marks the first time the 26-year-old has ever spoken publicly about the murders of his mother and brother or about his fathers string of alleged crimes. Richard Alex "Buster" Murdaugh Jr., 26, is the oldest son of Alex and Maggie Murdaugh. With the increased scrutiny on Alex Murdaugh following the murder of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh, Satterfields murder is now the subject of a fresh criminal investigation. Cpl. Everyone survived apart from Mallory Beach, 19, whose body washed up on shore around a week later. His father had gone to a detox facility around Christmas 2018 and Buster thought that handled it but they found pills a couple more times after that. Busters testimony also called into question the significance of the multiple outfits Mr Murdaugh was seen wearing on the day of the murders with no bloodied clothing ever found. The judge has warned that he and other family members could be removed from court altogether if there are any further wrong moves. "No car parts. The teenager was found with blunt force trauma to his head, which appeared to first responders as a possible gunshot wound. The defense called Buster Murdaugh on February 21 to shed light on his father's loving treatment of his family. The 26-year-old testified that his fathers demeanour was normal and no different from how he had been earlier in the day. Meanwhile an attorney named Justin Bamberg began investigating Murdaughs finances on behalf of eight people who claim Murdaugh victimized them. Around 1:15 a.m. the group re-boarded the boat with Paul still driving over the objections of his friends. However, his law firm has since disputed that, putting out a statement denying it ever happened. A man was arrested after an explosive was found in a bag checked onto a Florida-bound flight at a Pennsylvania airport, authorities said. I just want to say I forgive you. Worst of all, with at least one of those deceased clients, its suspected that Murdaugh may have assisted with their death. Names and stories of the Murdaugh family surfaced six years ago regarding the death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith, a young gay man found dead in the middle of a lonely rural road with several deep gashes in his head, but investigators said they were never able to directly connect anyone in the family to the incident. As previously stated: though this story begins in 2019, Alex Murdaugh has been breaking the law for far longer. Buster's name has also cropped up in connection with the mysterious death of Stephen Smith - a 19-year-old gay teenager who was found dead at the side of a road in Hampton County in 2015. Stephen Smith was studying to be a nurse at the Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College, hoping to eventually become a doctor. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy. Buster has experienced grief unlike anyone else; both his mother and brother were murdered. Long-lost ship found in Lake Huron, confirming tragic story, Search for Zachary Bernhardt continues after22 years, Explosive found in bag at Pennsylvania airport; man arrested, Chocolate peanut butter cups recalled nationwide, DeSantis ends Disney's self-governing status, World turned 'blind eye' to Crimea: Ukrainian Parliament member, KFC bringing back 'buzzworthy' item after 9 years, Polls show Trump leading DeSantis as 2024 GOP nominee, Justin Bieber cancels remaining dates of Justice world tour, Ohio governor visits derailment site for cleanup update, USPS to buy 9K electric vehicles, 14K charging stations, Lori Vallow knew right from wrong, victims family says, Murdaugh trial: What to expect from jurys crime scene visit. Of death 8, 2015 he was not present at the Murdaughs whose body washed up on around... Down the stairs who has been breaking the law for far longer film Companion and! Up on shore around a week later a trip-and-fall incident while working the. 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