48 Hours - Post Mortem | Stephen Smith: A Death In Murdaugh Country

Episode Date: March 19, 2024

With rumors circulating about another death possibly linked to the Murdaugh family, the 48 Hours team discuss their reporting on the reignited investigation of Stephen Smith’s murder. CBS News national correspondent Nikki Battiste and Gayane Keshishyan Mendez discuss the new evidence, the findings of independent forensics experts, and what it all could mean for Stephen Smith’s case.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free 30-day Audible trial, and your first audiobook is free. Visit audible.ca. It was 1989 in Titusville, Florida. Kim Halleck said she and her ex-boyfriend Chip Flynn were kidnapped and attacked at gunpoint. Kim fled the scene, but Chip didn't make it out alive. Did you kill Chip Flynn? No, ma'am. Crosley Green has lived more than half his life behind bars for a crime he says he didn't commit. I'm Erin Moriarty of 48 Hours, and of all the cases I've covered, this is the one that troubles me most, involving an eyewitness account that doesn't quite make sense. A sister testifying against a brother.

They always say lies. You can't remember lies. A lack of physical evidence and questions about whether Crosley Green was accused, arrested and convicted because he's black. Just because a white female says a black man has committed a crime, we take that as gospel. Listen to Murder in the Orange Grove, the troubled case against Crosley Green, wherever you get your podcasts. This is Postmortem. I'm your host, Anne-Marie Green.

If you're a fan of 48 Hours, you have definitely heard about the Murdaugh's, the prominent wealthy family from Hampton County, South Carolina. In 2023, Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of murdering his wife, Maggie, and his younger son, Paul. But attention to those murders also ignited a new investigation into the 2015 mysterious death of Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old whose death was rumored to be connected to the Murdochs. So I am joined today by CBS News national correspondent Nikki Batiste

and producer Gayan Keshishian-Mendez to discuss their episode, Stephen Smith, A Death in Murdoch Country, which originally aired November 25th, 2023. Thank you so much for joining us. So good to be here, Anne-Marie. Thanks for having us, Anne-Marie. Let's listen to a recap of the episode. When Stephen Smith was found dead on a country road on July 8th, 2015,

his mother, Sandy, was convinced it was no accident. Do you believe Stephen was murdered? I do. The medical examiner ruled it a hit and run, but retired South Carolina Highway Patrol Lieutenant Thomas Moore says the scene told a different story. Did you see any signs of a hit and run? No, ma'am. None. Any type of debris, any kind of glass, car parts. Stephen's car was three miles away. I thought it was staged like his body was staged in the roadway. It looked like somebody had hit him in the head with some kind of object. Early on, rumors began to swirl that the Murdals were somehow involved.

The Murdal name comes up dozens of times in the case file. By late 2016, the case went cold. All I want is peace and no one. What happened to my son? In June of 2021, the murders of Paul and Maggie Murdahl reignited interest in Stephen Smith's case. Somehow, some way in the Murdahl murder investigation, a new thread was opened up into Stephen Smith. Attorneys Ronnie Richter and Eric Bland are now helping Sandy Smith find answers. We are aware of no evidence today that would suggest that any Murdahl played any role in Stephen Smith's death.

Our primary function right now is to have that body exhumed, have a true independent set of eyes look at it and tell us once and for all what really happened to Stephen Smith. They brought on forensic pathologist Dr. Michelle Dupree, who says Stephen died from a single blow to his forehead. I literally split his skull and split his skull. And oddly, there were no injuries to his body to indicate he'd been hit head-on by a vehicle. Forensic crime scene expert Dr. Kenny Kinsey was also hired. Stephen was somewhat right here. Both experts believe Stephen died on the spot.

Neither thinks the scene was staged. There was a significant amount of blood at the scene. Too much for him to have been killed someplace else and then transported there. After examining all the evidence, they reached a surprising conclusion. How confident are you that you know what happened to Stephen Smith that night? I'm as close to a degree of scientific certainty as I've ever felt. What happened to Stephen Smith is still under investigation. So we do want to preface that during this postmortem, we're going to be discussing the theories that investigators, lawyers, family members have about what could have happened to Stephen.

that investigators, lawyers, family members have about what could have happened to Stephen. Nikki, Guy-Anne, what is known about Stephen Smith's relationship to the Murdoch family, or is it all simply rumors and hearsay? Emory, that's a really good question. There are very few facts that we know, but I can tell you in many conversations with Sandy Smith, Stephen Smith's mother, she has told us that Stephen and Buster were classmates in school.

Sandy also told us that Alec Murdahl actually coached a baseball team Stephen was on when he was a little bit younger. But really, for the most part, this case, as has the Murdahl case, has really been driven by rumors circulating, connecting Buster and Stephen. Yeah, Diane? Stephen and his sister were actually trainers for the high school football team of which Buster was a member. And Stephen also tutored Buster, reportedly, in some of his school subjects. Stephen was a really good student. So, you know, those were all sort of connections that they had. You also spoke to a podcaster, Liz Farrell.

I think she's been on the Murdoch case almost from the beginning. I mean, Nikki, you've been on from the beginning, but she has really sort of delved deep into it before I think it even became kind of a national story. That's a really good point because Liz Farrell was actually on the Stephen Smith case before the Murdoch case became the Murdoch case that we know about the double murder. So I want to play a little bit of her sound from the episode. The original rumor was that Stephen was planning to go away with Buster Murdoch and his family,

that they were together romantically. Liz Farrell is the writer and co-host of the Murdahl Murders podcast. There's no evidence of that, that we know of. And 48 Hours found no evidence to support the rumors. Buster Murdahl released a statement through his father's attorney saying, quote, these baseless rumors of my involvement with Stephen and his death are false. I unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the Smith family. Those words are now in cement.

I take them in his word that he had nothing at all to do with Stephen's death. Now, your team made numerous requests for an interview with Buster Murdoch, but he declined. Yes. Buster Murdoch eventually did do a television interview on Fox Nation. Buster Murdoch eventually did do a television interview on Fox Nation. In it, he said, quote, I never had anything to do with his murder and I never had anything to do with him on a physical level of any regard. And he is, of course, there speaking about Stephen Smith Emery. In your reporting, though, for the broadcast, what did the people that you spoke to think about Stephen's possible connection to the Murdaws. This is interesting. I've worked on many cases, many criminal cases, as has Guyann and you. And I can tell you, I cannot remember a single case where it was so difficult to get anyone to talk to us on camera about any of the Murdaws. And because Stephen's name was connected to them, at least by the rumor mill, they wouldn't talk about Stephen Smith either. There definitely was a lot

of curiosity around the case. When we were filming on the road where Stephen's body was found, you know, a couple driving by stopped and wanted to know what we were doing. Wherever we were, people, stopped and wanted to know what we were doing. Wherever we were, people, whether or not it was grounded in fact, had a lot of opinions about what had happened. And they spoke very authoritatively about it, but they didn't necessarily want to share those things. And they weren't really things that we could substantiate or report. What's interesting is people had a lot to say off camera. I remember being in a restaurant and two women were talking about what they thought about Stephen and Buster and what the connection might be. So people had a lot to say, but no one wanted to talk about it on camera. So much so that I had never experienced anything like it before.

What were they afraid of? Did they talk about that? Some outright said they were afraid of the Myrdals and the power that they had. And if they said anything that might upset the Myrdal in any way that somehow they'd be retaliated against. Even if they didn't know the Myrdal, I mean, the sort of power that the Myrdal family had over this part of low country in South Carolina is hard to explain, almost pretty difficult to comprehend. I think Guyana and I have gotten a sense of it, but they had a lot of money. They had a lot of power and they had a lot of influence, not just recently, but for a century. And I want to add, to give context, Anne-Marie, and I think this really puts in perspective the power that they

had. A Murdahl has been solicitor in the area for nearly 100 years. That's essentially like the lead prosecutor for nearly a century. In the courtroom where Alec Murdahl stood trial hung a picture of his great-grandfather, who was once the solicitor, which the judge ordered be removed before his trial began to try not to sway the jury. So that is the kind of power and influence historically that we're talking about. The evidence that actually reignited this case hasn't actually been made public by SLED. SLED is the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Nikki Guyen, what do we know then? What we know is for years following Stephen's death,

his mother, Sandy Smith, she really wanted a second opinion. His death was initially ruled a hit and run, and she just never bought that. And since the trial and conviction of Alec Murdoch for the murders of his wife and son, Paul and Maggie, questions began circulating around the death of Stephen Smith. While investigating those murders of Paul and Maggie, SLED announced they found a new lead into Stephen's

death. They have never said yet what that evidence was. And I will add that, you know, Sandy really didn't believe her son's death was accidental. But it's important to point out that even early on, you know, the cause of death was listed as blunt force trauma, you know, caused by a hit and run. But the manner of death, which is whether or not it was an accident or a murder, that was left undetermined. And, you know, Sandy Sandy believed that there was foul play. She believed her son was murdered. And whoever did this should be held responsible.

I got to say, thank goodness for mothers. They push for further investigation. They basically become, you know, investigators themselves until they get to the bottom of these cases. And this is a perfect example of that. I was just going to add, Sandy Smith really is remarkable because she is a single mom. She doesn't have a lot of means. She'll be the first to tell you that. And she fought powerful people for a really long time. And I don't think her son's case would have had a second look, I'm sure, if it hadn't been for her. And I think people on the beyond there were, why would anyone want to

hurt Stephen Smith? And if you ask Sandy Smith that question, which I did, you know, she thought perhaps maybe it was because her son was gay. And we're talking about South Carolina Lowcountry, which most people tell you there is probably relatively conservative. And there was also Stephen's cell phone, which is now also a sled. We don't know what evidence was found, but Sandy told us that about a week before Stephen died, Stephen was getting a lot of texts and that Stephen had told her about going away with someone to Key West for a deep-sea fishing trip. Mm-hmm. In fact, let's listen to an interview that he did with Sandy Smith. Let's play some sound. Do you know if anyone actually was able to read Stephen's text messages

or see where he might have been based on cell phone evidence? What I heard from the FBI agent, there was a lot of interesting information in the phone that needed to be looked at. But she says that didn't prompt local or state authorities to pursue the case further. There's something in that phone that nobody wants out here. We should note that we most likely will not know what the new evidence SLED has. Even if an arrest is made, likely we'll learn what this evidence is if and when we do, if the case is ever brought to trial.

Why is that? You know, in this case, we got access to the original case file from 2015, but that's really the only place where we even see how this investigation was conducted. You know, it seemed like, at least according to what was in the report, potential interviews that were not followed up on or people that they never got a hold of. And so I think SLED has really tried to keep everything

very, very close to the vest. There's been so much public conversation and opinion and rumor around this case that they're really trying to, you know, keep it really tightly sealed. This must be so incredibly frustrating for Sandy, though. So frustrating for her. But I think as we sit here and discuss this, you know, she has perhaps more hope than she's ever had that she might just might get some answers. That's all

she wants is answers and justice though justice is a tricky word when you've lost a child yeah you know but she at least wants someone to be held responsible you spoke to dr michelle dupree the pathologist who oversaw the latest autopsy on steven's remains in april of 2023 would their new findings confirm sandy's suspicions of what really happened to her son we'll talk about the new report, the crime scene, and what's next in the investigation into Stephen Smith's death when we get back. In 2014, Laura Heavlin was in her home in Tennessee when she received a call from California. Her daughter, Erin Corwin, was missing. The young wife of a

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Welcome back. Stephen's cause of death was actually initially thought to be from a gunshot wound at the scene of the crime, but then that was changed to a hit and run by the medical examiner. So here's a clip from retired South Carolina Highway Patrol Lieutenant Thomas Moore about his observations from the crime scene. I was told that the medical examiner made that ruling. When I reached out to her, it became a little bit heated. Give me an answer medically that would lead you to believe he was hit by a car. There was no medical reason. Did you see any signs of a hit and run? No, ma'am. None. Any type of debris, any kind of glass, car parts,

piece of plastic, anything that looks like it may be related to a vehicle. It is such a confounding case. Something does not add up. Stephen Smith's shoes were loosely tied. When his body was found, they were still on his feet. One thing that has struck several experts I've talked to in covering Stephen's case, you just wouldn't see that in a true hit and run because it just takes such little force, such little speed to knock someone's shoes off. Lieutenant Moore said you would expect to find the clothes shredded, you know, you would

expect to find, you know, and he's not a pathologist, obviously, but injuries in the legs where you would be hit by a car. And so, you know, and he really felt that it looked staged because Stephen's body was also found three miles from where his car was found with the gas cap hanging open. So in his experience covering car crashes and hit and runs, that was something he had not seen. So the whole thing looked suspicious to him. It looked staged. Because this was being investigated as a hit and run,

it was under the highway patrol's jurisdiction, not the Hampton County Sheriff's Office or SLED. What kind of impact did that have on the case? Lieutenant Moore with the Highway Patrol said he really felt like this case was pawned off on them. He believes the Murdahl name was a deterrent in delving into the case and getting help from local authorities.

Tommy Moore said usually you would work together with the sheriff's department because it is a small community and so they would typically get help. And in this case, he said, you would work together with the sheriff's department because it is a small community. And so they would typically get help. And in this case, he said, we physically tried to give them that case file and they wouldn't take it from us. And to add to that on how the investigation was handled, since Stephen's death was ruled a hit and run initially, unfortunately, according to the Highway Patrol unit, a lot of the evidence initially collected has been lost because of how Stephen's death was ruled initially, which now obviously would be critical.

So we talked about this already, but there's an important person in the community who's sort of a through line through this broadcast. And of course, it's Stephen Smith's mother. These mothers are just absolute heroes. We heard from so many viewers and listeners who were really moved by Sandy. Can you talk to me about just what it was like to interview her? She is in pain, but she is steadfast in her goal to get justice for her son. We sat down and talked on camera for a couple hours, probably, collectively, and Guyon and I spent many hours talking to her on the phone. And I know I said this to Sandy, that I was just so struck by her strength.

You know, the three of us, we're moms, she's a mom, and you know, there is nothing worse than losing a child, I can't imagine. And yet she, for at least eight years, has fought for justice. She didn't have the means to hire a big, powerful lawyer, and she decided to create a GoFundMe page to gather donations. And it was with the help of those donations. And I think at one point it got up to, Guyana, remind me, at least over $80,000. $130,000. Wow. So that money allowed her to do

this new investigation and exhume her son's body and see once and for all what may have happened to him, you know. And not just that. I mean, Sandy had written a letter to the FBI trying to get the cell phone looked at. She just was vocal for years trying to get anyone to look at her son's death. What has that done to her, making that pain your purpose in life? Did she talk about that at all? pain, your purpose in life. Did she talk about that at all? When Nikki asked Sandy about her resilience, Sandy kind of said, you know, she didn't know until she was put in this position

how much of a fighter she is. She feels like she has been the, and she has in essence been the lead investigator in her son's case. But, you know, as far as being a grieving mother, she said, there's time for that. I can grieve later. First, I have to see this through. And so she's amazing. I mean, she is no shrinking violet. I mean, she's tough and she says it like it is, and she's really not afraid of what anyone thinks. So she's really an incredible force. Yeah. I'm getting the chills, Gaianne, just hearing you recount some of what she said. And then I remembered as you were talking.

So, Anne-Marie, when we do our 48 hours, we go on CBS Mornings the Friday before it airs to talk about the hour. And I had texted Sandy the night before I went on to talk about this case airing. And I said, is there anything you'd like me to say? She said, I just want to thank everyone who supported me and fight for my son. And I think that was her saying, you know, while she may have a small support system at home, she has a massive support system. And all of the people that have reached out about Stephen's case donated to the GoFundMe and just taken an interest so that it gets the attention it deserves. Yeah. And it's in fact, because of Sandy's diligence,

determination, eventually it led to Stephen being exhumed, which is not an easy thing for loved ones to have to witness. This happens nearly eight years after Stephen Smith's death. A new autopsy was performed and revealed that he died from a single blow to his forehead, severely fracturing his skull. I want to play a clip of what Dr. Dupree says they didn't find during the autopsy. We didn't find fractures of any part of the body except for the head. There was a little road rash, which you would expect. Any signs of a struggle?

No. Any signs of a beating? No. Any injuries below his head other than the road rash? None whatsoever. She says that eliminates the possibility Stephen was hit by a car head on. Dupree says the findings also refute early theories that Stephen's body might have been staged. Were you able to determine whether Stephen was struck and fell,

or he might have been struck and then placed there? We don't believe that he was placed there. We believe that whatever happened, it happened right there. Dr. Dupree rules out some of the initial theories that suggested Stephen's death wasn't an accident. Nikki Guyon, do you know how Sandy Smith reacted to these findings? She was very careful in discussing the investigation.

I think she's also very cognizant of the fact that she doesn't want to hurt the progress that SLED is making, but they've shared their findings with SLED. However, Sandy did say, you know, that she would be accepting. I mean, Nikki asked her various different scenarios of, you know, what if they come back and say it was an accident? What if, you know, this particular individual did it? And she says she would accept it as long as she felt like it was a thorough investigation. But in her heart, she feels her son was murdered. Yeah. Well, I think, you know, for many people, you look at the crime scene and you go, something just doesn't make sense here. It doesn't make sense. Crime scene expert Dr. Kenny Kinsey reexamined Stephen's case with Dr. Dupree, and he was also a star witness for the prosecution in the Alex Murdoch trial. What did the crime scene reveal? Photos from the crime scene. He actually got on the ground on the very spot where Stephen was found on the road to explain to us what he thought. Dr. Kinsey said Stephen was most likely killed in the spot his body was found because of the massive amount of blood found next to Stephen's body. You see a pool of blood in the photos.

Dr. Kinsey's exact words to me were that he believes that this was an atypical hit and run, meaning he doesn't believe that a car struck Stephen. He believes that a car was driving and something was sticking out and that that object struck Stephen. And that's what killed him. That was the fatal blow. And Dr. Kinsey's theory, he says, would explain why there aren't other marks on his body, why there weren't broken bones. The big mystery at the center of this case, though, is whether or not this was an accident or whether it was intentional. Do you know, will we ever find out the answer to that question, accident or deliberate? Will we ever find out the answer to that question, accident or deliberate? I think that's sort of the million dollar question. And, you know, Dr. Dupree and Dr. Kinsey, who shared their findings with us, have answered the question of how Stephen died.

But they can't really answer the why or the who. Apparently, they do have some names. According to Sandy's attorney, they had a handful of people that they were looking at. Subpoenas and warrants were being issued to gather more information by the investigative grand jury that was impaneled. But it's been so many years, and because of the fact that, you know, maybe critical evidence wasn't gathered at the time, maybe certain things weren't followed up on that should have been. They are counting on someone to come forward and to finally, you know, admit what they know, whether they were involved or if they have firsthand knowledge of someone who was involved. or if they have firsthand knowledge of someone who was involved. So then does that mean, at least for now, this case is at a standstill? Or can we expect anything more in the investigation in the coming months?

We were told by multiple people on the record, including Sandy's lawyers, that a grand jury had been impaneled over this summer. So Sandy's hope and the hope of family of Stephen Smith and the new lawyers working with Sandy is that there might be an arrest soon. And I think that Sandy believes there will be an arrest, but we just don't know what will happen next or if and when. What an excruciating wait for her and everyone else who loved Stephen. Whatever happens, I know you guys will be following this case. I will be following this case. We're going to keep our eyes, our ears open for what comes next. Nikki, Guy-Anne, thank you so much for joining us.

Thanks, Anne-Marie. Thank you so much. It was a pleasure. Be sure to join us next Tuesday for another Postmortem and watch 48 Hours, Saturdays, 10, 9 central on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. And if you are liking the show, please rate and review 48 Hours on Apple Podcasts and follow 48 Hours wherever you get your podcasts. You can also listen ad-free on the Amazon Music and Wondery app or with with a 48-hours-plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. If you like this podcast, you can listen ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app.

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