SC - Stephen Smith, 19, homicide, Hampton Co, 9 Jul 2015 *new death investigation 2023*

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sds71 said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1638625484375203844

South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is releasing new details behind the Stephen Smith death investigation.
Click to expand...

"Progress has been made" is hopeful.

"To that end, SLED Chief Mark Keel has assigned additional SLED Low Country Regional Agents to work this case in the hopes that those who may know what happened to Mr. Smith are more willing to speak freely now than they may have been in 2015 or 2021."

But that sounds like they're at a dead end unless somebody talks.

I don't know what they're trying to say with "more willing to speak freely now than they may have been in 2015 or 2021," but can they be saying that Alex's conviction may have diminished people's concerns about the Murdaugh family influence?
 
Smelly Squirrel said:
"Progress has been made" is hopeful.

"To that end, SLED Chief Mark Keel has assigned additional SLED Low Country Regional Agents to work this case in the hopes that those who may know what happened to Mr. Smith are more willing to speak freely now than they may have been in 2015 or 2021."

But that sounds like they're at a dead end unless somebody talks.

I don't know what they're trying to say with "more willing to speak freely now than they may have been in 2015 or 2021," but can they be saying that Alex's conviction may have diminished people's concerns about the Murdaugh family influence?
Click to expand...
Bbm.
Or, threats from them ?
Imo.
 
Luna20 said:
Yes. Id like to know why they can emphatically say it’s homicide without exhumation? In that case why didn’t they say this early on?

Did AM pay someone off to rule his death a car accident?
Click to expand...
It has always been homicide. A hit and run can be a homicide, a generalized term, encompassing any death caused by another. It becomes murder, when an individual causes the death with intent.

Hit and run is an official homicide. SLED stated it has been a homicide, from day one.
.

homicide​

Primary tabs​

Homicide is a manner of death, when one person causes the death of another. Not all homicide is murder, as some deaths caused by another person are manslaughter, and some are lawful; such as when justified by an affirmative defense, like insanity or self-defense.
www.law.cornell.edu

homicide

www.law.cornell.edu www.law.cornell.edu
 
These guys (Murdaugh) watched too many murder mysteries. Some of these staging are...like playing, like it was just some kind of big, ugly, joke.

R.st.J
 
Simply Southern said:
It has always been homicide. A hit and run can be a homicide, a generalized term, encompassing any death caused by another. It becomes murder, when an individual causes the death with intent.

Hit and run is an official homicide. SLED stated it has been a homicide, from day one.
.

homicide​

Primary tabs​

Homicide is a manner of death, when one person causes the death of another. Not all homicide is murder, as some deaths caused by another person are manslaughter, and some are lawful; such as when justified by an affirmative defense, like insanity or self-defense.
www.law.cornell.edu

homicide

www.law.cornell.edu www.law.cornell.edu
Click to expand...

Here is one ‘now deemed homicide’. There are others.

lawandcrime.com

Teen found along road now deemed homicide after Murdaugh case reignites interest: Family atty

Stephen Smith's death, which was being re-investigated after public interest was renewed during the Alex Murdaugh case, has now been deemed a homicide, the family attorney says.
lawandcrime.com lawandcrime.com
 
Missing Susan said:
The victim's mom says the victim's brother (presumably also her son) was told by an eyewitness: who murdered the victim and in what manner. Why isn't this eyewitness identified by now and the story made public?
Click to expand...
The letter to the FBI, from his mother, posted above speaks of individuals who "told" of knowing, but list no names other then BM. I thought that odd.
Moo...
 
"In the 2016 letter, Sandy told the FBI that the Murdaughs were involved in her son's death and a subsequent coverup.
"The first call my family received after the murder was from authorities notifying us of Stephen's death," she wrote. "The second came very quickly the same morning from Solicitor Randolph Murdaugh."
The retired solicitor, who had served as the region's top prosecutor before retiring in 2005, is the late father of Alex Murdaugh.
He allegedly told her he was willing to work pro bono as a liaison between the family and investigators but soon stopped returning their calls, the letter says.
Sandy Smith then pointed fingers at one of the younger Murdaughs."

Stephen Smith's mother sent letter to FBI implicating Murdaughs in 2016
 
Text of the letter:

Sandra Smith

September 28, 2016

FBI - Headquarters
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20535-0001

Re: Stephen Smith Murder Investigation

Dear Sir or Madam: My family is in desperate need of your help. My 19-year-old son, Stephen Nicholas Smith, was murdered on July 8, 2015, in Hampton County, South Carolina. It has been apparent from the first week of this investigation that authorities are covering up critical evidence, and we no longer know who to trust.

Stephen’s father (my ex-husband, who is now deceased) and I were first told that our son was shot to death after running out of gas in the early hours of the morning and exiting his vehicle. Later that day, we were told it was a hit and run. Finally, investigators determined he was beaten to death. He was attacked so violently that the entire side of his face was rebuilt with putty for his funeral. Hampton investigators asked us at that time to continue to publicly say it was a hit-and-run. They claimed they didn’t want the killer to know they were looking for him. There have been no named suspects.

The first call my family received after the murder was from authorities notifying us of Stephen’s death. The second came very quickly the same morning from Solicitor Randolph Murdaugh. In fact, he called my ex-husband’s cell phone as we waited in the police station for a positive identification. He said he heard of the case and was interested in working pro bono as a liaison between the family and investigators. Stephen’s father accepted the offer, although we were unsure why Mr. Murdaugh wanted to help us. We also weren’t sure how he found out so quickly even before it was confirmed to be our son. Surprisingly, after just a few interactions, Mr. Murdaugh stopped returning our calls.

Within days of our son’s death, Stephen’s twin sister, Stephanie, was approached multiple times by peers telling her that Solicitor Murdaugh’s nephews were responsible. As a family, it was suspicious to us since he had taken such an immediate interest in the case and then became unreachable so quickly. These suspicions reached new heights weeks later when Stephen’s older brother, Chris, was approached at work by a young man he did not know. This person told Chris he was present when Stephen was murdered and witnessed everything firsthand. He said that Solicitor Murdaugh’s nephew, Buster Murdaugh (who graduated with Stephen), beat Stephen to death with a baseball bat. He claimed it was because Stephen was gay. (Stephen was in fact gay.) The witness said they were out smashing mailboxes when they came upon Stephen, and Buster seized the opportunity. The young man told Chris that Buster threatened to kill him if he ever spoke up. This information was given to investigators but nothing has come of it.

In reviewing a copy of the 911 dispatch log which I have enclosed (Tab A, Page 2), I found that the first responding officer, Michael Bridges, arrived on the scene within a minute of 911 ’ s dispatch, even though in the Hampton County Sheriff’s Office Incident Report (Tab B) he claimed to have driven around for a while trying to find my son’s body. The second officer, Jason Eubanks, arrived within two minutes. This is suspicious to me because the area where my son was placed is extremely rural. Cops do not patrol that area frequently, and it’s not likely an officer, much less two, would coincidentally be patrolling there prior to 5 a.m. They had to be in that area at that time for a reason. I suspect they were there because they already knew Stephen was there, and I suspect the Murdaughs were the ones who told them.

The Murdaughs are probably the most prominent family in Hampton County. Stephen had on more than one occasion mentioned to friends and his twin sister that he was involved romantically with someone from a prominent family in the county who was hiding his sexuality. He said that it would shock people to know this person was gay. We suspect this could be the young man Stephen was referring to, though he never named him.

At the beginning of the investigation, officers told us they would not have access to Stephen’s text messages for approximately a year. They claimed they would have to send the phone to Apple to override the security features. We found out months later the phone had never been sent to Apple. Often investigators claimed it was uncertain which department had the phone. They have since produced the phone, which they still have not sent to Apple, but still claim they cannot access it. We feared then, and still fear now, that they have and will continue to delete critical information from the phone. It has already been over a year and we have no knowledge of who Stephen interacted with by phone call or text prior to his murder.

Since the murder, Buster has gotten rid of his old vehicle, which is critical because according to the witness who approached Chris, they were traveling in Buster’s old vehicle that night. It’s also critical because Stephen was found 3 miles from his vehicle on the morning of his murder. There was no blood splatter on the crime scene despite his brutal beating, which makes it clear he was transported to that site. We believe there is DNA in Buster’s old vehicle. I think it’s important to note that Stephen’s wallet was found in his own vehicle and his gas cap was open, further suggesting he did not leave willingly (Tab C). Stephen was very skittish and would never have walked down the road in the dark, and it’s not likely he would have opened his car door to accept assistance from someone he did not know - especially alone on a dark country road. He was even known to walk through the woods during the day to stay out of sight. His autopsy shows his toxicology reports were negative for drugs and alcohol, so I have no reason to believe he would have done something so completely out of character.

Since Stephen was placed on the highway, it became a Highway Patrol investigation. We thought this was beneficial to Stephen, since local authorities obviously have their own agenda. However, this did not help our case at all. This case was mysteriously bounced from investigator to investigator without reasons or notification. It would repeatedly get to a certain point, then the assigned investigators would bow out, perhaps not wanting to take on Solicitor Murdaugh.

I was approached in September 2015 by a gentleman claiming to know about a criminal case decades ago that was swept under a rug to protect a different member of the Murdaugh family. This came as no surprise to me. I see history repeating itself with my son - no one here is trying to solve our case. Therefore, I contacted Governor Nikki Haley that same month with a plea for help.

I wrote her a letter telling her basically word for word the story I have just explained to you. She responded promptly and assigned the case to new investigators. While it appeared to be the answer to our prayers, very little progress has been made and they say they have exhausted their leads. I cannot fathom how that is possible. Our concerns regarding Solicitor Murdaugh and his family have not been investigated despite witness accounts which include an alleged conversation between a schoolmate of Buster’s little brother, Paul, and school officials. I was told he claimed to have knowledge of the murder and implicated Buster as the murderer. Those school officials were said to have discussed the statement with the student’s family, not police. We have heard no further follow-up to this situation. Interestingly, according to my source, Paul was transferred from that school to a private school after the alleged statement.

We believe Solicitor Murdaugh’s influence extends to the pathologist, Dr. Erin Presnell of MUSC, who performed Stephen’s autopsy (Tab D). Though Deputy Coroner Kelly Greene and SLED Agent Brittany Burke, who were both present for the autopsy, have gone on the record to state that neither made any mention of a car striking Stephen, Dr. Presnell ruled his death a hitand-run. She was combative with the highway department investigator, Todd Proctor, regarding her findings when he pointed out that the only trauma was to Stephen’s head. He asked how she came to that conclusion, and she said it was because he was found in the road. That alone was her reason. She insisted hit-and-run despite the fact that neither his injuries nor the crime scene support that finding.

The coroner disagrees with her determination, and it is documented multiple times in the case file that there were no skid marks or vehicle debris consistent with a hit-and-run at the crime scene (Tabs E, F, G). Dr. Presnell herself confirmed to Investigator Proctor that she found no glass or other fragments on the body to suggest a hit-and-run. It is simply not possible that a vehicle struck solely his head. Coroner Ernie Washington informed Investigator Proctor that Dr. Presnell told him she would “change her report to read however he wanted it”. Copies of Investigator Proctor’s summary notes which document his discussions with Dr. Presnell and Coroner Washington are enclosed (Tabs F and G).

We desperately need your help. This investigation is being deliberately derailed. We need someone to hold the investigators accountable and access Stephen’s phone. Solicitor Murdaugh is widely known, and it appears this is playing to his advantage. We need someone who doesn’t care about his family name to take this case seriously. In July 2016, I wrote to Attorney General Loretta Lynch in the hopes that she could and would help us, but there has been no response.

I have enclosed the key documents I mentioned above, but I can provide copies of all the case documents I have at your request. We also have new information which we discovered in the past few weeks that we feel is critical to this case; however, I no longer trust the investigators here. I am holding it as I await your response. I can be reached at _____. I thank you immensely for your time and help.

Sincerely,

Sandra Smith

Enclosures
A: 911 Dispatch Call Log
B: Hampton County Sheriff’s Office Incident Report
C: SLED Crime Scene Notes
D: MUSC Autopsy Final Report
E: SCDPS Incident Report
F: Case File Notes - Investigator Proctor
G: S.C. Hwy Dept. MAIT Case Notes - Investigator Proctor
 
Smelly Squirrel said:
Text of the letter:

Sandra Smith

September 28, 2016

FBI - Headquarters
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20535-0001

Re: Stephen Smith Murder Investigation

Dear Sir or Madam: My family is in desperate need of your help. My 19-year-old son, Stephen Nicholas Smith, was murdered on July 8, 2015, in Hampton County, South Carolina. It has been apparent from the first week of this investigation that authorities are covering up critical evidence, and we no longer know who to trust.

Stephen’s father (my ex-husband, who is now deceased) and I were first told that our son was shot to death after running out of gas in the early hours of the morning and exiting his vehicle. Later that day, we were told it was a hit and run. Finally, investigators determined he was beaten to death. He was attacked so violently that the entire side of his face was rebuilt with putty for his funeral. Hampton investigators asked us at that time to continue to publicly say it was a hit-and-run. They claimed they didn’t want the killer to know they were looking for him. There have been no named suspects.

The first call my family received after the murder was from authorities notifying us of Stephen’s death. The second came very quickly the same morning from Solicitor Randolph Murdaugh. In fact, he called my ex-husband’s cell phone as we waited in the police station for a positive identification. He said he heard of the case and was interested in working pro bono as a liaison between the family and investigators. Stephen’s father accepted the offer, although we were unsure why Mr. Murdaugh wanted to help us. We also weren’t sure how he found out so quickly even before it was confirmed to be our son. Surprisingly, after just a few interactions, Mr. Murdaugh stopped returning our calls.

Within days of our son’s death, Stephen’s twin sister, Stephanie, was approached multiple times by peers telling her that Solicitor Murdaugh’s nephews were responsible. As a family, it was suspicious to us since he had taken such an immediate interest in the case and then became unreachable so quickly. These suspicions reached new heights weeks later when Stephen’s older brother, Chris, was approached at work by a young man he did not know. This person told Chris he was present when Stephen was murdered and witnessed everything firsthand. He said that Solicitor Murdaugh’s nephew, Buster Murdaugh (who graduated with Stephen), beat Stephen to death with a baseball bat. He claimed it was because Stephen was gay. (Stephen was in fact gay.) The witness said they were out smashing mailboxes when they came upon Stephen, and Buster seized the opportunity. The young man told Chris that Buster threatened to kill him if he ever spoke up. This information was given to investigators but nothing has come of it.

In reviewing a copy of the 911 dispatch log which I have enclosed (Tab A, Page 2), I found that the first responding officer, Michael Bridges, arrived on the scene within a minute of 911 ’ s dispatch, even though in the Hampton County Sheriff’s Office Incident Report (Tab B) he claimed to have driven around for a while trying to find my son’s body. The second officer, Jason Eubanks, arrived within two minutes. This is suspicious to me because the area where my son was placed is extremely rural. Cops do not patrol that area frequently, and it’s not likely an officer, much less two, would coincidentally be patrolling there prior to 5 a.m. They had to be in that area at that time for a reason. I suspect they were there because they already knew Stephen was there, and I suspect the Murdaughs were the ones who told them.

The Murdaughs are probably the most prominent family in Hampton County. Stephen had on more than one occasion mentioned to friends and his twin sister that he was involved romantically with someone from a prominent family in the county who was hiding his sexuality. He said that it would shock people to know this person was gay. We suspect this could be the young man Stephen was referring to, though he never named him.

At the beginning of the investigation, officers told us they would not have access to Stephen’s text messages for approximately a year. They claimed they would have to send the phone to Apple to override the security features. We found out months later the phone had never been sent to Apple. Often investigators claimed it was uncertain which department had the phone. They have since produced the phone, which they still have not sent to Apple, but still claim they cannot access it. We feared then, and still fear now, that they have and will continue to delete critical information from the phone. It has already been over a year and we have no knowledge of who Stephen interacted with by phone call or text prior to his murder.

Since the murder, Buster has gotten rid of his old vehicle, which is critical because according to the witness who approached Chris, they were traveling in Buster’s old vehicle that night. It’s also critical because Stephen was found 3 miles from his vehicle on the morning of his murder. There was no blood splatter on the crime scene despite his brutal beating, which makes it clear he was transported to that site. We believe there is DNA in Buster’s old vehicle. I think it’s important to note that Stephen’s wallet was found in his own vehicle and his gas cap was open, further suggesting he did not leave willingly (Tab C). Stephen was very skittish and would never have walked down the road in the dark, and it’s not likely he would have opened his car door to accept assistance from someone he did not know - especially alone on a dark country road. He was even known to walk through the woods during the day to stay out of sight. His autopsy shows his toxicology reports were negative for drugs and alcohol, so I have no reason to believe he would have done something so completely out of character.

Since Stephen was placed on the highway, it became a Highway Patrol investigation. We thought this was beneficial to Stephen, since local authorities obviously have their own agenda. However, this did not help our case at all. This case was mysteriously bounced from investigator to investigator without reasons or notification. It would repeatedly get to a certain point, then the assigned investigators would bow out, perhaps not wanting to take on Solicitor Murdaugh.

I was approached in September 2015 by a gentleman claiming to know about a criminal case decades ago that was swept under a rug to protect a different member of the Murdaugh family. This came as no surprise to me. I see history repeating itself with my son - no one here is trying to solve our case. Therefore, I contacted Governor Nikki Haley that same month with a plea for help.

I wrote her a letter telling her basically word for word the story I have just explained to you. She responded promptly and assigned the case to new investigators. While it appeared to be the answer to our prayers, very little progress has been made and they say they have exhausted their leads. I cannot fathom how that is possible. Our concerns regarding Solicitor Murdaugh and his family have not been investigated despite witness accounts which include an alleged conversation between a schoolmate of Buster’s little brother, Paul, and school officials. I was told he claimed to have knowledge of the murder and implicated Buster as the murderer. Those school officials were said to have discussed the statement with the student’s family, not police. We have heard no further follow-up to this situation. Interestingly, according to my source, Paul was transferred from that school to a private school after the alleged statement.

We believe Solicitor Murdaugh’s influence extends to the pathologist, Dr. Erin Presnell of MUSC, who performed Stephen’s autopsy (Tab D). Though Deputy Coroner Kelly Greene and SLED Agent Brittany Burke, who were both present for the autopsy, have gone on the record to state that neither made any mention of a car striking Stephen, Dr. Presnell ruled his death a hitand-run. She was combative with the highway department investigator, Todd Proctor, regarding her findings when he pointed out that the only trauma was to Stephen’s head. He asked how she came to that conclusion, and she said it was because he was found in the road. That alone was her reason. She insisted hit-and-run despite the fact that neither his injuries nor the crime scene support that finding.

The coroner disagrees with her determination, and it is documented multiple times in the case file that there were no skid marks or vehicle debris consistent with a hit-and-run at the crime scene (Tabs E, F, G). Dr. Presnell herself confirmed to Investigator Proctor that she found no glass or other fragments on the body to suggest a hit-and-run. It is simply not possible that a vehicle struck solely his head. Coroner Ernie Washington informed Investigator Proctor that Dr. Presnell told him she would “change her report to read however he wanted it”. Copies of Investigator Proctor’s summary notes which document his discussions with Dr. Presnell and Coroner Washington are enclosed (Tabs F and G).

We desperately need your help. This investigation is being deliberately derailed. We need someone to hold the investigators accountable and access Stephen’s phone. Solicitor Murdaugh is widely known, and it appears this is playing to his advantage. We need someone who doesn’t care about his family name to take this case seriously. In July 2016, I wrote to Attorney General Loretta Lynch in the hopes that she could and would help us, but there has been no response.

I have enclosed the key documents I mentioned above, but I can provide copies of all the case documents I have at your request. We also have new information which we discovered in the past few weeks that we feel is critical to this case; however, I no longer trust the investigators here. I am holding it as I await your response. I can be reached at _____. I thank you immensely for your time and help.

Sincerely,

Sandra Smith

Enclosures
A: 911 Dispatch Call Log
B: Hampton County Sheriff’s Office Incident Report
C: SLED Crime Scene Notes
D: MUSC Autopsy Final Report
E: SCDPS Incident Report
F: Case File Notes - Investigator Proctor
G: S.C. Hwy Dept. MAIT Case Notes - Investigator Proctor
Click to expand...
Holy crap.
I hope justice will finally be done.
 
Smelly Squirrel said:
"Progress has been made" is hopeful.

"To that end, SLED Chief Mark Keel has assigned additional SLED Low Country Regional Agents to work this case in the hopes that those who may know what happened to Mr. Smith are more willing to speak freely now than they may have been in 2015 or 2021."

But that sounds like they're at a dead end unless somebody talks.

I don't know what they're trying to say with "more willing to speak freely now than they may have been in 2015 or 2021," but can they be saying that Alex's conviction may have diminished people's concerns about the Murdaugh family influence?
Click to expand...
I'm a little behind cause I've been out of town, but the BBM is exactly how I took it.
 
A good 90 min read but clearly, a trove of information. SLED did an extensive investigation based on interviews with the family and friends, They followed up with everyone several times.

Over 118 pages of extensive official document, time stamps from dispatcher calls.
It's in a Scribe file and I can't figure out how copy.
For some reason I thought this was at night. The initial call was around 8:30 am
The initial call was for "a person lying in the road", he did not stop but gave his name and number for follow up. They did contact later.

The dispatch report is in the report,
It was 11 mins from the dispatcher contacting and officer before he arrive.
1 min after officer notified dispatcher have Medvac Chopper on standby, while in route.
Officer requested back up, 14 mins to arrive,
Quickly called SLED to assist with crime scene.

Many more were interviewed by SLED, than just the previous notes from Proctor.
Interview with mother and sister several times. She states SS had become secretive the last 2 weeks, and skipping classes.
SLED obtain his class schedule, last class was 3pm.

Lots of individuals interviewed, questioned about the rumor. Some denied hearing.
What was strange, SS boyfriend initially spoke to agents several times, later was difficult to reach

Mentions, hang out at Hilton head, names the person.
Notes from discussion with the pathologist. Officers witnessed autopsy. Did not see a rape kit but they did do GSR, for gun residue, negative.

Photos taken of body at funeral home.
They spoke with the mother, sister and brother numerous times.
Contacted and interviewed everyone they could name.

All MOO, and understanding/interpretation of what I read. I did take notes along the way.

www.fitsnews.com

Stephen Smith Case Files: The Report That Launched The Murder Investigation - FITSNews

An old case file ... and new leads.
www.fitsnews.com www.fitsnews.com
 
Smelly Squirrel said:
In reviewing a copy of the 911 dispatch log which I have enclosed (Tab A, Page 2), I found that the first responding officer, Michael Bridges, arrived on the scene within a minute of 911 ’ s dispatch, even though in the Hampton County Sheriff’s Office Incident Report (Tab B) he claimed to have driven around for a while trying to find my son’s body.
Click to expand...
The actual dispatch report show officer notify. He radio back within one min. to have a Medvac on standby. Dispatcher automatically notified EMTs. It was 11 mins. Before he arrived.

14 mins before the second officer arrived Per dispatch logs.
The Medvac was cancelled.
Moo...

www.fitsnews.com

Stephen Smith Case Files: The Report That Launched The Murder Investigation - FITSNews

An old case file ... and new leads.
www.fitsnews.com www.fitsnews.com
 
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