South-Carolina
Buster Murdaugh Denies Involvement Stephen Smith’s 2015 Killing— Here’s What To Know About The Case
Topline
Buster Murdaugh, son of convicted double-murderer and ex-South Carolina legal professional Alex Murdaugh, “unequivocally” denied any involvement within the loss of life of his purported former classmate Stephen Smith Monday after months of unsubstantiated hypothesis that he was concerned in Smith’s 2015 loss of life.
Buster Murdaugh, the son of Alex Murdaugh, listens as Alex Murdaugh’s verdict is learn on the … [+]
Key Details
In an announcement released by his attorneys Monday, Murdaugh, 26, denied any involvement within the loss of life of Smith and stated the “baseless rumors” arguing in any other case are false.
Smith was discovered lifeless in the midst of the highway in Hampton County, South Carolina, in 2015, 15 miles from Murdaugh and some miles from the place Smith’s automobile purportedly ran out of fuel.
Murdaugh said he tried to disregard the “vicious rumors” about his involvement in Smith’s “tragic loss of life,” however couldn’t given the intensive media protection of the case.
Murdaugh additionally asked the media to cease publishing “defamatory feedback and rumors” about him as he grieves the deaths of his mom and brother and the incarceration of his father.
Sandy Smith, Smith’s mom, instructed NBC Information Friday she’s going to exhume Smith’s physique to conduct an impartial medical examination, as she doesn’t consider her son was killed in a hit-and-run.
Essential Quote
“As we sit right here as we speak, Buster is a sufferer,” Eric Bland, a lawyer representing Smith’s mother, told the New York Occasions. “He misplaced a mom, brother, now his father’s in jail… we have now no information in any respect of Buster or the Murdaughs having something to do with this proper now.”
Tangent
Buster Murdaugh’s father, Alex Murdaugh, was convicted of murdering his spouse and son earlier this month in a South Carolina court docket. He was sentenced to life in jail with out parole.
Key Background
In July 2015, police stated Smith, a 19-year previous nursing pupil who reportedly attended the identical highschool as Murdaugh, was struck by a automobile whereas ready outdoors his automobile after it had run out of fuel, based on reporting by WCBD in Charleston, South Carolina. After his loss of life, a number of folks concerned with the investigation made contradictory remarks about how Smith was killed. A pathologist cited in a South Carolina Legislation Enforcement Division (SLED) report stated Smith suffered blunt power trauma to the top and appeared to have been hit by a automobile, CNN reported. However a responding officer from South Carolina’s Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Group stated there was “no automobile particles, skid marks, or accidents per somebody being struck by a automobile,” CNN reported. A number of weeks after Murdaugh’s father killed his mom and brother in 2021, SLED introduced it was reopening the investigation into Smith’s loss of life resulting from data obtained in the course of the Murdaugh investigation, the Augusta Chronicle reported. SLED has not launched any proof linking Buster Murdaugh to Smith’s loss of life. That is a part of the Murdaugh household story on-line followers and the media have clung to for the reason that Murdaugh double-murder case garnered nationwide consideration. Final week, by way of a GoFundMe web page, Smith’s mother raised greater than $60,000 to exhume his physique and get readability on his reason for loss of life, saying: “We want a brand new, unbiased take a look at his physique and an correct willpower of reason for loss of life primarily based on information.”
Additional Studying
How Alex Murdaugh Opened The Door For Convictions On Monetary And Tax Crime Expenses (Forbes)
Alex Murdaugh Discovered Responsible Of Murdering Spouse And Son (Forbes)
Murdaugh Will get Consecutive Life Sentences For Murdering Spouse And Son (Forbes)
Alex Murdaugh Was Discovered Responsible Of Murdering His Spouse And Son—Right here’s What Authorized Specialists Say Led To His Conviction (Forbes)