Stephen Smith Case: Death of Teen, Linked to Alex Murdaugh, Ruled Homicide After 8 Years

• After renewed attention to the case after Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of murder
• Stephen Smith's family declared that they would exhume his remains
• Smith was discovered dead in 2015, close to Alex Murdaugh's property

Sandy Smith, the mother of Stephen Smith, whose death was initially ruled to have been a hit-and-run, hired an attorney on Tuesday to inform her that the director of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) does not think the 19-year-old was killed in a car accident but rather by deliberate homicide.

Stephen Smith was Buster Murdaugh's classmate, and his car broke down mere miles from the Murdaugh family's hunting property in South Carolina.

Stephen Smith's Death Ruled a Homicide

Although Sandy Smith said her son would have "walked into the woods" on his way home if his car had broken down rather than strolling along the side of the road, South Carolina State Highway Police claimed the 19-year-old was killed in a hit-and-run.

She also said that contrary to what detectives discovered in 2015, her son would not have left his wallet in the broken-down car. According to Fox News, there were other skeptics besides Sandy Smith.

Eight years later, the boy's death is now seen as a homicide, according to Eric Bland, a lawyer with the Bland Richter Law Group who represents Sandy Smith. He made this announcement on Tuesday.

To the presenters of the Murdaugh Murders Podcast, Bland revealed the information, claiming Keel had told him he did not need to exhume Smith's remains to demonstrate to SLED that Smith had been killed and not killed in a car accident.

SLED did not immediately answer inquiries on Bland's remarks from Tuesday night. The conclusion that Smith's death resulted from a hit-and-run, which is nonetheless considered a homicide, has generated debate.

Todd Proctor, a former South Carolina State Trooper who oversaw the first investigation into Smith's death, told Fox News that there was no evidence suggesting that the death resulted from a hit-and-run or even that a car was involved.

In 2021, he remarked, "It seemed more contrived. "Like perhaps having the body put in the road."

At the crime scene, there weren't any tire prints on the pavement or shattered automobile pieces, and Smith didn't exhibit any evidence that he slid over the pavement after being struck. After a jury determined Alex Murdaugh was responsible for killing his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul, in 2021, questions about the death surfaced.

According to law enforcement, they were able to prove that Stephen Smith's death was a homicide without even having to exhume his body. Nonetheless, they said they would "attend and take part in any exhumation of Stephen's remains to acquire more evidence."

When the state proceeded with exhuming Smith's Corpse, Bland Richter co-founder Eric Bland stated that SLED is dedicated to pooling efforts and resources. Smith suffered blunt-force trauma to the head when he was discovered dead, as per Daily Mail.

Highway patrol officers later said they did not think the scene was compatible with a road traffic collision, even though the teen's death had initially been deemed a hit-and-run.

Alex Murdaugh's Son, Buster, Denies Involvement

As Stephen Smith's corpse purportedly had no injuries from the torso down and no automobile components were discovered at the location, his family has long held the belief that he was killed.

SLED renewed its investigation into Smith's death in 2021 in light of fresh information learned while looking into the killings of Buster Murdaugh's mother Maggie and his brother Paul. Yet, according to Bland, authorities said they delayed making this news until after Murdaugh's murder trial because they were concerned about witness evidence.

Attorney Ronnie Richter stated to TMZ Live on Tuesday that there are "many facts that point to murder," including the fact that "Stephen's body from the torso down had no injuries," "there were no car parts found at the scene," "his shoes were still on," and "he supposedly walked three miles in the dark without ever using his cell phone."

Sandy Smith stated that she wants to determine the "true cause" of her son's passing and has maintained her belief that if his car broke down, Smith would have "walked into the woods" rather than the road.

Although there was no additional investigation, patrol officers informed state law enforcement that they thought the adolescent had been killed. Since then, Buster Murdaugh and Smith have allegedly been engaging in a love connection, according to two documentaries on HBO and Netflix.

In a statement on Monday, the 26-year-old surviving son of double murderer Alex Murdaugh claimed that rumors had "gone on for far too long."

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