There’s a new twist in the Murdaugh family tale. It seems that the family’s prior transgressions are finally being exposed.
Stephen Smith, 19, was discovered dead in the summer of 2015. Authorities declared at the time that his cause of death was “Highway vehicular manslaughter.” Eric Bland of the Bland Richter Law Group, who is now representing Smith’s family, said during a news conference on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, that his death had been classed as a murder.
They have an opportunity to rectify eight years of wrongs, and they plan to do so, Bland said. Smith’s case is being examined as a result of new evidence discovered during Alex Murdaugh’s trial. Murdaugh was convicted of killing his son Paul and wife Maggie in March of this year and sentenced to life in prison.
Smith’s family never thought he died as a result of a hit-and-run acording to state police, Stephen Smith had automobile issues, was walking for assistance, and was struck by a car. Smith’s family feels he was killed and wants an impartial examination of his corpse as well as an accurate finding of his cause of death based on facts, according to the legal company.
Sandy Smith, Smith’s mother, established a GoFundMe campaign to seek funds for an independent autopsy to verify her son’s alleged murder. This is not required, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), yet they will be there and participate in any exhumation of Stephen’s remains to acquire further evidence.
SLED intended to wait until after Alex’s trial to publicly reveal the revised categorization of Smith’s death because of worry that witnesses might not be as cooperative within the Murdaugh sphere of influence. Now that Murdaugh is in custody, more efforts may be directed into determining what transpired to Smith.
