Buster Murdaugh, the eldest son of Alex Murdaugh, is speaking out against what he calls “baseless rumors” surrounding the death of his high school classmate, Stephen Smith, in 2015. Smith was 19 years old when he was killed in what initially appeared to be a hit-and-run just miles from the Murdaugh family’s hunting property in Islandton, South Carolina, called Moselle.
As Buster grieves the loss of his mother and brother, who were fatally shot by his father on June 7, 2021, he says he has tried his best to “ignore the vicious rumors” about his involvement in Smith’s death. In a statement shared by his family’s attorney, Jim Griffin, on Twitter, Buster says he has been “targeted and harassed” by members of the media and the public.
“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,” Buster wrote. “I unequivocally deny any involvement in [Stephen’s] death and my heart goes out to the Smith family.”
Smith’s mother has recently raised enough money to exhume her son’s body, prompting the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to reopen an investigation into his death. Attorney Eric Bland, who represents the children of the Murdaughs’ late housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, is now representing the Smith family.
Bland told Fox News that Smith’s body was found in the middle of a country road with intact clothes and shoes, and a clear head trauma injury that looked like it was done by a source other than a car. The circumstances of Smith’s death have raised suspicions, particularly after Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of the 2021 murders of his wife and son at Moselle.
Prosecutors have alleged that Alex killed his wife and son in an attempt to divert attention from his alleged financial crimes. The fallout from his trial has cast a spotlight on other mysterious deaths that have occurred in the Murdaugh family’s orbit, including that of Smith.
While the investigation into Smith’s death is ongoing, Buster Murdaugh is adamant that he had nothing to do with it. He has called for privacy as he continues to grieve the loss of his mother and brother. As the trial of Alex Murdaugh has shown, the truth in this case may take time to emerge.