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. The family also operates the law firm Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth & Detrick, now known as The Parker Law Group. Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. He hid a mystery blue item upstairs in the home and then left again, she said. Map in Murdaugh murder case: 5 deaths and a, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Map in Murdaugh murder case: 5 deaths and a mysterious shooting. The following week, state police said Murdaugh had confessed to hiring someone to kill him so his surviving son could collect life insurance. Alex is currently defending himself in court against charges that he murdered his wife, Maggie, and their youngest son, Paul. 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. All Rights Reserved. I know they were all talking to each other too.. We know for a fact it was not a hit-and-run. Here is everything you need to know about the true story. With the trial ongoing and many questions needing an answer, it is possible that Netflix may have to come up with a second season of its most recent true crime docuseries to give an updated picture of the vastness of Alex Murdaugh's crimes. Stephen Smith died in 2015 and, the docuseries alleges, may have had a relationship with Alex Murdaugh's other son Buster. Buster Murdaugh's Girlfriend Could Be the Key to Understanding the Murdaugh Family, Buster Murdaugh Defends His Father Amid High-Profile Double Murder Trial, What Is Buster Murdaugh's Occupation? I am still in EB because when you get here we have to talk. He had blunt force trauma. A cellphone video captured by Paul minutes before the murders also appears to place Mr Murdaugh at the murder scene. On the night of 24 February 2019, Paul was allegedly drunk driving the Murdaugh familys boat with several of his friends on board. Over time, the Moselle property became the familys main home though they would spend much of the summer at the beach home in Edisto Beach. Sandy Smith holds a photo of her son Stephen Smith. 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. While Mallory's boyfriend Anthony stayed back at the scene of the incident to wait for his girlfriend to be found, the others in the group witnessed Alex's manipulation at work as he tried to pin the blame on Paul's friend, Connor. Nobody knows. Witnesses for the defense and prosecutors are expected to number in the hundreds so this could be a long trial. On a remote country road sometime around 3:00 a.m. Stephen was killed. Death of Stephen Smith, July 8, 2015. For now at least. One of the challenging things about fully understanding the scope of the Murdaugh story is comprehending its timeline. In one dramatic moment, Buster insisted that his father said they and not I during a police interview video which prompted speculation that the disgraced legal dynasty heir may have unwittingly slipped up and confessed to the murders. A man was arrested after an explosive was found in a bag checked onto a Florida-bound flight at a Pennsylvania airport, authorities said. Why? Advertisement. The case was reopened when a coroner found that the medical report stated the reason behind Gloria's death to be a natural one, eliminating the need for an autopsy at the time. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy. He sounded odd and then he told me that my mom and brother were shot, he recalled. Buster Murdaugh Jr. had already made "an almost identical" improper jury argument in a rape case . So thats about it! Thanks to what came next, however, the death of Mallory Beach was merely the opening salvo of a larger story. As the multiple Murdaugh cases have played out in the small community, rumors have spread. Buster testified that Paul later told him that his gun was apparently lost, stolen, taken and after that his brother would always use his. Trump was once a supporter of DeSantis, but he has criticized the Florida governor as he has become his chief rival for the nomination. The young teenager was openly gay and was rumored to be involved in a romantic relationship with Paul Murdaugh's elder brother, Buster. The Murdaugh family were undoubtedly the biggest names in small Hampton County where everyone knew everyone a point reiterated quite a few times throughout the Netflix docuseries in a possible attempt to justify the numerous perspectives that were available on the central events being discussed. Buster Murdaugh took the witness stand in his fathers murder trial on Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, Mr Murdaugh appeared to smile at his son at several points. Buster Murdaugh recalls finding out about the murders of his brother and mother, Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, Alex Murdaugh trial - live: Surviving son to testify today as defence fights back against crime scene evidence, Alex Murdaugh judge compares defence attorney to Kyrie Irving after he shared sloppy investigation post, Murders, million-dollar fraud and mystery deaths: The story of Alex Murdaughs spectacular fall from grace, Alex Murdaughs surviving son gives stoic testimony in murder trial, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off & extra perks with Booking.com Genius Membership, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 15% off orders over 15 with this eBay discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK February 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this February, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. In court on the week of 6 February, Buster appeared to flip the bird at attorney Mark Tinsley as he took the witness stand about the boat crash lawsuit that he brought against Mr Murdaugh. Stephen Smith was openly gay. People said that Smith and Murdaugh were dating, which made the circumstances of his death even more controversial. Smith was a high school classmate of Murdaugh's son Buster . Stephen's body was found in the middle of the road and the . However, this was proved false when a video found on Paul's mobile clearly suggested that Alex was with Maggie and Paul just moments before the time of their deaths. 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. Alex Murdaugh Ordered To Deal With Civil Lawsuit Accusing Him Of Ripping $4 Million Off His Late Housekeeper Gloria's Estate After Murder Trial Wraps Up, Alex Murdaugh Accused Of Cheating On Late Wife Maggie Before Gruesome Murders But Jury Won't Hear About Alleged Affairs, Sources Claim, Alex Murdaugh Murder Trial Update: Jurors Will Visit Moselle Ranch Crime Scene Where His Wife & Son Were Shot To Death. But Mallory Beach's death was a tragedy waiting to happen at the hands of Paul, who was known for his violent behavior under the influence of alcohol. Family members of a slain Hampton County teen have released a . Police determined it was a hit and run. After that, Buster Murdaugh's name kept coming up. While Mallory's friends Miley, Morgan, Anthony, Connor, and Paul all survived, Mallory never made it out of the water. But the more devastating reality behind this unfortunate incident is that another rescue attempt was going on at the same time. Smith was found laying in the middle of the road by a bystander around 4:20 . Throughout the trial, Busters own apparently bad behaviour has also been on display inside the courtroom. Gov. He said that there were no instances he could think of when his father disappeared for periods of time appearing to cast doubts on the states suggestion that he disposed of evidence in the aftermath of the murders. Following Stephen's death, his father made claims that Buster and Stephen had been seeing each other romantically, although Buster . While police were still searching for Mallory Beach, Alex arrived at the hospital and went room to room to speak with the survivors. Addressing the missing clothing, Buster testified that his father had clothes a lot of places including the familys various homes adding that they never stayed at Moselle after that day. Mom found several bags of pills in your computer bag, Pauls message to his father on 6 May 2021 read. Alex Murdaugh is indicted on two counts of murder. The 26-year-old testified that his fathers demeanour was normal and no different from how he had been earlier in the day. His body was found about 15 miles from the Murdaugh's Moselle estate. 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. Due to the familys outsized political influence and power, there is a perception (and a correct one) that its members were able to easily escape any kind of trouble or scrutiny for decades. Paul is the platonic ideal of the spoiled rich boy archetype and the police arriving on the scene of the accident certainly treated him as such. Sandy Smith, Stephanie Smith and myself, we have said all along, we would like to have justice for Stephen, the law firm said. A special accident investigation team looked at the case and determined it was a homicide, but a pathologist disagreed, saying he likely died from being hit in the face by the mirror of a passing car. Alex Murdaughs only surviving son Buster gave stoic testimony as his father looked on smiling in the South Carolina courtroom where he is on trial for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul. 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. Cpl. However, the so-called Murdaugh . Several of these clients were deceased victims of vehicular accidents who Murdaugh sued on behalf of and then never delivered the winnings to their next of kin. 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. While this was a tragic enough story to begin with, what elevated it in the public eye was the influential players involved. Maybe it was simply incompetence. Additionally, the teenager had injuries to his left hand and arm. He had a large gash on his head, a police report read, and a wound over his eyebrow. Accident investigators agreed. Another ominous death was that of Gloria Satterfield, who worked for more than 20 years for the Murdaughs. 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 . The go-to source for comic book and superhero movie fans. 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. Jurors previously heard from Mr Murdaughs mothers carer Muschelle Shelly Smith, who testified that the disgraced attorney showed up at his parents home at around 6.30am one morning days after the murders. Satterfields death was accepted as an accidental trip and fall despite several suspicious circumstances. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? An investigator for the South Carolina Highway Patrol says that he thinks Stephen Smith's body was staged the night of his death in July 2015. Buster Murdaugh, center, receives a hug in the rain during the funeral service for his brother, Paul, and mother, Maggie, . In court, Alex admitted to lying about his alibi on the night of the murder but denied any involvement in the deaths. Maybe it was purposeful. Personally, I think there was some type of pressure or just lack of investigation upon other agencies to do anything, he told NewsNation. Former lawyer Alex Murdaugh, Buster's father, is facing charges with the murders of his wife, Maggie, and his . The former lawyer Murdaugh currently faces a grand total of 106 grand jury criminal charges! 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. On Feb. 23, 2019, a group of South Carolina teenagers decided to spend the Saturday night drinking. During the investigation into their deaths, new information came to light. 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. His car was three miles away. A member of the Ukrainian Parliament says Russias invasion of Ukraine began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea. Duncan said the Murdaugh family name came up in the initial accident investigation but didnt go anywhere. Dies geschieht in Ihren Datenschutzeinstellungen. At 2:20 the next morning, the boat driven by the allegedly intoxicated Murdaugh slammed into a piling in Archers Creek (5). Buster Murdaugh, 26, was a high school classmate of Smith, who was described as a loving jokester by friends and family. Smith was found dead just before 4:00 a.m. on July 8, 2015 in the middle of Sandy Run Road in Hampton County, South Carolina. 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. Mallory Beach's death brought enough bad PR to the Murdaughs to bring them under scrutiny, but a greater tragedy was waiting to strike them. The family believes he was murdered. The boat was driven by Paul Murdaugh, then 19. Buster told the court that he had heard his father repeatedly say those five words on the night of the murders. South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) certainly did. By July 2022, Alex Murdaugh was indicted with several charged including two counts of murder. Justin Bieber has canceled the remaining dates of his Justice world tour after postponing many shows last year for health reasons. On Sept. 4, 2021, Murdaugh called 911 to report that he had been shot in the head while he was changing a tire on the side of the road. The Murdaughs also ran a big law firm in the area. Death of Mallory Beach, Feb. 24, 2019. His car was discovered three miles away with the gas cap off. Paul Murdaugh could not make it to the first day of trial in relation to Mallory's death as he was brutally murdered, along with his mother Maggie, on June 7, 2021. 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. On June 25, Alex and his surviving son, "Buster," offered a $100,000 reward for the killer or killers. However, not a penny showed up at the doors of Gloria's family. The two were shot and killed in June 2021. Alex Murdaugh called 911 around 10 p.m. to say he had arrived at the familys Islandton home and found his wife and 22-year-old son fatally shot in the driveway. No member of the Murdaugh family. 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. 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