After raising nearly $90,000 in the wake of Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial, a mother whose son was discovered dead in the middle of a South Carolina road eight years ago has launched a private inquiry into his passing.
According to the mother’s attorneys, there is currently no proof connecting the Murdaugh family to Stephen Smith’s passing. Regarding taking over the case around the same time, police claim Murdaugh killed his wife and son, and state investigators, who are also probing into Smith’s death, have remained mum. For those murders, he is currently receiving a life sentence.
The absence of proof, though, hasn’t stopped speculating. And as a result, Sandy Smith could use Go Fund Me to generate more than $87,000 in less than two weeks. She set a target of $15,000, which would cover the cost of exhuming her son’s body and hiring a private autopsy.
Sandy Smith told reporters on Monday as her attorneys revealed the private probe, “It’s essential to me because I love my kid, and since I couldn’t protect him, I’m going to fight for him.
On July 8, 2015, Stephen Smith’s body was discovered in the middle of a two-lane road in Hampton County. A short distance away, his car with the gas cap off and his wallet still inside was discovered.
The responding trooper didn’t believe it was a hit-and-run, but the doctor who conducted the autopsy hypothesized that a passing truck’s side mirror struck Smith in the head.
The Smith family’s lawyer, Eric Bland, disputes the police’s assertion that Smith appeared to have run out of petrol and was walking for assistance, noting that Smith made no mobile calls and that his loosely tied shoes were still on his feet. The impact of an automobile accident frequently leaves victims without shoes.
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Smith’s family believes that his wounds, which included head trauma and a dislocated arm
Smith’s family believes that his wounds, which included head trauma and a dislocated arm bent behind him, are evidence that he was murdered before being dumped on the highway. According to Ronnie Richter, another attorney for the Smiths, there were no skid tracks on the road and no nearby debris, such as shattered glass or mirror pieces, was discovered.
State agents took over the investigation in 2021, though they have never explained why they made that choice or whether it was influenced by details learned during the probe into Alex Murdaugh’s wife and son’s deaths. In South Carolina, troopers normally look into road fatalities while state agents look into other offenses.
According to agency spokeswoman Renée Wunderlich, State Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel contacted Smith’s new attorneys to inquire whether they would disclose any fresh material discovered after the autopsy or any other investigation.
On Tuesday night, Keel told The State newspaper, “We believe it was a murder.” “We don’t think it was a hit-and-run,” was said.
According to the Smith family attorney Bland, investigators believe that now that the murder trial is over, more people would be open to speaking.
Buster Murdaugh, mourning “the brutal murders of my mother and brother,”
The private investigation’s first move will be to request a judge’s approval to exhume Stephen Smith’s body. The support of governmental agents would help that request.
To piece together who Smith was hanging out with and what he was doing not just before his body was discovered but also in the weeks leading up to his murder, Bland also hopes that the private investigators may collect and examine cellphone data from Smith and the persons he was interacting with.
“Stephen had to lead a covert existence. It was difficult to be a young gay man in the Lowcountry, according to Bland.
Buster Murdaugh, the surviving son of Smith and Alex Murdaugh, attended the same high school, which sparked rumors that the Murdaughs were somehow connected to his passing. This week, Richter stated that there is no proof Buster Murdaugh had any dealings with Smith.
Buster Murdaugh, mourning “the brutal murders of my mother and brother,” said on Monday that he could no longer ignore the “vicious rumors” due to the volume of the discourse. I miss them badly, and I love them so much.
He claimed that he was the target of harassment and libelous remarks.
Buster Murdaugh said, “These unfounded rumors of my participation with Stephen and his murder are false. “My heart goes out to the Smith family, and I categorically deny any involvement in his death,” said the speaker.
SOURCE – (AP)
