The mysterious death of a classmate tied to Buster Murdaugh, whose father was convicted of killing his mother and brother, is now considered a homicide.
The news came from attorneys representing the mother of 19-year-old Stephen Smith, whose body was found in 2015 along a rural South Carolina road about 15 miles from the Murdaugh's hunting estate.
"The death of Stephen Smith is now considered a homicide," the Bland Richter Law Firm said in a statement, citing a phone call with South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel. "We have a chance to right eight years of wrongs, and we intend to do just that."
The initial investigation claimed Smith was hit by a car, but rumors circulated claiming that the prominent Murdaugh family was somehow connected to the death. Sandy Smith told NPR she believes her son, who was openly gay, was killed after his car ran out of gas.
"His death was initially classified as hit-and-run despite no evidence to support it," Smith's mother wrote on a GoFundMe page that raised more than $80,000 to fund an exhumation of his body and independent autopsy. "There was no debris in the road, and his injuries were not consistent with a hit-and-run."
Police reopened Smith's case in 2021 after new evidence was discovered during the double murder investigation of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. Earlier this month, Alex Murdaugh was convicted in the murders and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
"[Law enforcement] officials have revealed that they did not need to exhume Stephen Smith's body to convince them that his death was a homicide. However, they will be present and participate in any exhumation of Stephen's body to gather more evidence," attorneys Eric Bland and Ronnie Richter said in a joint statement. "We are committed to finding out what really happened, and getting the peace and justice the Smith family deserves."
The attorneys said investigators were waiting until the Alex Murdaugh trial was over before making an announcement about Smith's death "out of concern that witnesses would not be as forthcoming under the Murdaugh sphere of influence."
No suspects have ever been named in Smith's death, though reports indicate Buster Murdaugh may possibly be connected to the case. Both he and Smith reportedly graduated in 2014 from the same high school in Hampton County, per NBC News.
In a statement, Buster Murdaugh denied having anything to do with Smith's death.
"These baseless rumors of my involvement with Stephen and his death are false," the statement said. "I unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the Smith family."
Buster Murdaugh went on to say he has been "targeted and harassed by the media" and followers of his father's trial.
"This has gone on far too long," he said. "I have tried my best to ignore the vicious rumors about my involvement in Stephen Smith's tragic death that continue to be published in the media as I grieve over the brutal murders of my mother and brother. I haven't spoken up until now because I want to live in private while I cope with their deaths and my father's incarceration."
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