Stephen Smith Death – The body of Stephen Smith was discovered on a South Carolina road near the Murdaugh homestead on July 8, 2015. Initial investigations concluded that he was a hit-and-run victim on a rural road in Hampton County, South Carolina.
Recently, Fox News reported that Patrick Wilson and Shawn Connelly are the suspects responsible for Stephen’s death. Although there were speculations of Buster Murdaugh’s involvement in the case, authorities have not found any evidence linking him to the crime.
After discovering the link between teenagers Patrick Wilson and Shawn Connelly to Smith’s death, investigators shifted their focus to them. Five months after Smith’s death, Shawn Connelly was identified as the driver of the vehicle that struck and killed him, thanks to a tip from Patrick Wilson’s stepfather, Darell Williams.
In 2021, Paul and Maggie Murdaugh were killed on their hunting estate, and evidence of foul play was discovered, prompting authorities to reopen the case. The Murdaugh family’s involvement in multiple mysterious deaths in the community, including the housekeeper Gloria Satterfield, who died in 2018, has caused suspicion that Buster Murdaugh may have been connected to the case.
Although the new Netflix documentary, “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal,” suggested that Buster Murdaugh was suspected of involvement in the murder, on March 20, 2023, Buster publicly denied any connection to the killing. Meanwhile, SLED agents are continuing their investigation without releasing any new details about the suspects.
#SLED Provides Details in Stephen Smith Homicide Investigation: pic.twitter.com/sZ9Lw8121J
— Bland Richter (@BlandRichterSC) March 22, 2023
How did Buster Murdaugh know Stephen Smith?
According to James Griffin, an attorney for the Murdaugh family, Stephen Smith and Buster Murdaugh were high school classmates. In addition, Sam Crews, a high school science instructor who appeared in the Netflix documentary “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal,” said there was talk that Smith and Murdaugh were buddies and that Smith was tutoring him. The documentary also revealed that Smith was openly gay and concerned for his safety because of the area’s strict culture.
Furthermore, Morgan Doughty, a friend of Smith’s, mentioned in the documentary that there were rumors of an intimate relationship between Buster and Stephen and that being gay in the Murdaugh family would not be accepted. However, no member of the Murdaugh family has been accused of murder so far.
In his first public statement about Smith’s death, Buster Murdaugh denied any involvement in his classmate’s death, calling the rumors “vicious allegations.” He expressed his condolences to the Smith family and stated that he had been targeted and hounded by the media and people interested in his family’s saga. He explained that he has been silent on the issue because he prefers to mourn the loss of his mother and brother and deal with his father’s imprisonment.
Buster Murdaugh emphasized that rumours about him having something to do with Smith’s death are untrue. He expressed his deepest sympathy to the Smith family and insisted that he had nothing to do with Smith’s untimely demise.
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