Murdaugh Murders Podcast - MMP #2 - Who Killed Stephen Smith? Part One

Starting point is 00:00:01 I don't know who killed Stephen Smith, but I do know that his family has been waiting 2,180 days to get justice. And I am determined that someday they will get answers. My name is Mandy Matney. I have been investigating the Murdoch family for more than two years now. And this is the Murdoch Martyrs podcast. So to start off this podcast, I just want to say thank you to everyone they tuned in and listened and to everyone who gave us a five-star review. My fiancé, who's also my producer, and I were just shocked and overwhelmed by all of the support, so thank you. Also, this week, I learned what vocal fry was for the first time.

Starting point is 00:00:55 I hear it. Thank you commenters. I am a journalist, not a podcaster. For the last three weeks, I have been on the phone all day, every day, chasing down leads in this case. Unlike the YouTubers and the other podcasters out there, literally all of the other podcasters working on this case, I'm actually doing real reporting here. It's exhausting. My voice will not be perfect, but the information will be accurate. I can promise you that. Also, it's just plain mean to say that somebody's voice sucks. I'm sorry, but that's like saying somebody's face is ugly. Like, I can't change it,

Starting point is 00:01:33 so I don't know what you want me to do with that information. To all of you that emailed me to the girl that said, I sound like Kim Kardashian, so change your voice. I can't change my voice. This is it. Take it or leave it. In our first episode called South Carolina's Chapiquitic, I gave a 30,000 foot view of the saga. All of that information is crucial if you want to fully understand this case. This story is extremely complicated and deserves so much more time and attention before jumping to conclusions. On June 22nd, huge news broke in this case. I would was the first to report that the South Carolina law enforcement division, also known as SLED, the same agency investigating the Murdoch murders, opened an investigation into the Stephen Smith death.

Starting point is 00:02:20 SLED told me that this was based on information gathered during the course of the double homicide investigation of Paul and Maggie Murdoch. We don't know what information led them to that decision, but it's important to look back on the 2015 case and see what went wrong. So what happened to Stephen Smith. Like the probe of the 2019 boat crash that killed Mallory Beach, the 2015 investigation and dismissed death was chaotic from the beginning, derailed by jurisdictional perplexity and suspicions of investigative interference. Smith was found dead just before 4 a.m. on July 8, 2015, he was found in the middle of Sandy Run Road in Hampton County, South Carolina. Campney County now, where's your emergency?

Starting point is 00:03:12 Hello, I just going down around Crockerville Road. I see somebody laying out. You're in the road with it. Oh, you're in the rules? Yeah. Uh-uh. Somebody's going to hit him. It's thought.

Starting point is 00:03:28 Uh-huh. Somebody going to hit him. All right. We'll get an also headed out that way. Okay. All right, sir. All right. All right.

Starting point is 00:03:35 At 407 AM, a man named Michael Bridges of the Hampton County Sheriff's Office arrived on scene just seconds after he was dispatched. I'll be clear here. It's hard to understand from all of the reports when exactly the Hampton County Sheriff's Office arrived on scene. Whatever time DVDs arrived, what they found was horrific. I know this because I've seen crime scene photos. Stephen's face was covered in blood. The bright young nursing student was dead. He was lying in the middle of a remote country road. Stephen had a seven-inch gash on the right side of his forehead. His head was warped by blunt force. Considering he had no other major injuries, investigators on scene were completely stumped. At first, they thought it was a hit and run and called

Starting point is 00:04:20 Highway Patrol to the scene around 5.37 a.m. By 6 a.m., the South Carolina law enforcement division, also known as Sled, was called to the scene. The coroner ruled a death of shooting homicide, forcing investigators to search the area for ballistics evidence. Investigators from the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the Hampton County Sheriff's Office, and the state police found virtually no evidence. No bullets, no gunshot residue, no tire marks, no debris from a vehicle, nothing. Here is corporal Michael Duncan, who was one of the initial investigators for the South Carolina Highway Patrol on scene. It is a two-lane roadway, level, site distance, not an issue. however, this collusion occurred approximately at night, approximately 1 o'clock in the morning to 4 o'clock.

Starting point is 00:05:12 So visibility will be used with headlights only. There's no other ambient lighting in the area. As far as evidence here, there is only evidence of where the body was found. There's no car parts, no any type of parts to a car. or truck or any other vehicles. Photographs and video were taken of the scene by Sergeant Booker. Also visited the mortuary. He took pictures of the body at the mortuary.

Starting point is 00:05:49 There is no body trauma other than to the head area. There is some scrapes and scratches on his left and right arm on his knuckles, some across his face. does not appear to be, in my opinion, struck by a vehicle. In fact, after coming through over 100 pages of documents, it's hard to find any officials who believe that Stephen's death was a hit and run. Hours later, Dr. Aaron Presnell, a pathologist at the Medical University of South Carolina, also known as MUSC, ruled that Stephen was killed in a hit and run incident.

Starting point is 00:06:30 While the coroner believes that the death was a homicide in South Carolina, a pathologist who was a medical doctor, doctor must perform an autopsy on the victim to decide the cause and manner of death. Here is what the autopsy report said. The cause of death was blunt force head trauma due to a motor vehicle crash. There was a 7.25 inch laceration on the right side of Stephen's forehead, along with bruises on both sides of his forehead. The right side of Stephen's skull had multiple fractures, bruising, and contusions. His right eyebrow was cut.

Starting point is 00:07:03 His right shoulder was dislocated. He had cuts and bruises on his right hand. There were cuts on his right arm. There were cuts on his right fingers. Blood was in his airways. The autopsy report mentions historical information that led the pathologist to believe that Stephen was killed by a vehicle. But there is no mention of any specific historical information that would lead them to this

Starting point is 00:07:26 conclusion. Highway Patrol investigators were baffled by this ruling because they were told by SLED and the sheriff's office that they were not needed at the autopsy. They didn't think they were needed because they didn't think that this was a hit and run. The South Carolina Highway Patrol typically does not investigate murders. Highway Patrol investigators went to the scene multiple times to search for evidence. Time after time, they found nothing. The body was found right on the YL.

Starting point is 00:07:59 The head was on one side of the YL and his feet were on the other. There's no marks from a vehicle. No, skid marks in the roadway, nothing in the grass. Again, the evidence did not suggest that this was a hit and run. His loosely tied shoes were still on his feet. That is a big deal. I have been a journalist for a long time, and I have many sources to turn to in cases like this.

Starting point is 00:08:26 And they all say that this is basic science. When a car hits a person, the shoes come off due to force and friction. Stephen's shoes stayed on. Hours after the accident, investigators found Smith's car about three miles away on the side of Bamberg Highway. His wallet was inside his car. Investigators noted that the car's gas cap wasn't screwed and hanging outside of the gas cap door. Law enforcement officials believed that Stephen ran out of gas and started walking home before he was killed. The toxicology report showed that Stephen was completely sober.

Starting point is 00:09:02 Investigators theorized that Stephen was killed by a truck mirror that struck only his face. which is why he didn't have any other serious injuries. From the reports, it appears like Highway Patrol officials were completely thrown off by the decision to give them the case. After the autopsy, Sergeant Moore was calling around to find Stephen's body. He then found out that Stephen's body was at the funeral home and his clothes were left in a paper bag completely unattended. This means that the chain of custody was broken. Sergeant Moore of the Highway Patrol does not understand why Stephen's death was ruled a hit and run. He then calls Dr. Aaron Presnell to get more information.

Starting point is 00:09:40 Presnell's explanation to Moore was simple. She said because she didn't find a gunshot wound or any bullets or any fragments, and because Stephen was found in the road, the only thing that she could theorize was that he had to have been hit by a motor vehicle that caused his death. Moore asked Presnell if there were any other injuries on Stephen and she said only a dislocated right shoulder. More than asked Presnell if she found any glass fragments or any other evidence from a motor vehicle and she said no according to his notes.

Starting point is 00:10:12 More than asked Presnell why she made the ruling that it was a motor vehicle accident and what she thought caused Stephen's head injury. It looks like Presnell snapped back at Moore at this point. Moore wrote in his report, quote, she told me it was not her job to figure that out. It was mine. I have read thousands of police reports in my lifetime and I have no. seen anything like this. For a public official to describe a confrontation with another official in a report, that is very weird. Okay, so let's rewind here. First, Sled and a Hampton County

Starting point is 00:10:46 Sheriff's Office told the highway patrol that they shouldn't be at the autopsy because it was not a motor vehicle accident, since there was no evidence of it being a motor vehicle accident. And remember, Slead combed the scene searching for evidence of a shooting. Also, I want to be clear that SLED was never in at this investigation. They were called to the scene for assistance. This investigation was not theirs until they opened it in 2021. At no point does anyone in any of these reports mention the possibility that he was beaten to death or struck by an object like a baseball bat and then they would search for evidence for such things. Also, in all of these reports, I never saw them talking to any neighbors nearby to see if they saw anything or heard anything. And if you know anything,

Starting point is 00:11:33 about investigations, you know that canvassing the area in the immediate hours after something happens is so essential. People do not remember days later or weeks later or now years later if they heard something weird on a Wednesday night in July. So now we are left with a situation that is askew from the get-go. We're left with an agency that specializes an accident reconstruction investigating a man's death where there is no evidence of a vehicle accident. After pouring through hundreds of documents in these case files and listening to hours and hours of audio, it is hard in this case to determine if it's incompetence or corruption or both that failed Stephen. But either way, we failed Stephen.

Starting point is 00:12:20 The justice system failed Stephen and his family. Stephen's family immediately rejected the idea that Stephen was killed by a vehicle. Stephen was smart, he was hyper aware, and he was very careful. They all told me there was just no way he would let a vehicle hit him at night. How would a smart, sober kid get hit head on in the face by a truck mirror on a rural, lightly traveled road in the middle of the night? It just does not make any sense. On July 11, 2015, Stephen's family held awake.

Starting point is 00:12:55 The family kept the casket open so that people could see what was done to him. On July 14, 2015, the first of three death certificates for Stephen Smith was issued by Coroner Ernie Washington to Stevens family. According to the death certificate, the time of injury was 3 a.m. Stevens' actual or presumed time of death was also 3 a.m. Stevens' cause of death was blunt force trauma, and it says probably pedestrian in motor vehicle accident possibly struck by sidemere. So at this point in the investigation, on July 14, 2015, Highway Patrol detectives start interviewing people.

Starting point is 00:13:42 This is weird because if you are investigating for a random hit and run, according to the death certificate, why would you interview people close to Stephen as if it was an intentional homicide? One of the first people interviewed by Highway Patrol was a man who identified himself as Stephen's boyfriend. However, the family very much disputed this title as boyfriend. He was older, he was apparently paying for Steven's phone. There was some kind of fling happening between them of some sort, but from what the family says, he was not Steven's boyfriend. He claims to be one of the last people who spoke to Stephen before his death.

Starting point is 00:14:23 Because he already told me he was running out of gas, one of the calls before, and then the cold dropped. I'll be clear here. It's hard to follow this man's interview. He talks about a lot of things that he's not asked about. He has said that he has memory problems and that he's done a lot of drugs and also has brain injuries. It's very hard to follow. The frustration sets in as far as you can remember this, but you can't remember that.

Starting point is 00:14:50 Because you're pulling, you've got to understand, I got a lot of brain injury. Okay. I got, and you're trying to hit me with things. Just to get a timeline, I mean, I had to think, because I'm thinking in my head that these calls are coming in. Thursday morning. However, he does say some things that seem like they could be relevant. And he's been harassed in this town. They've been messing with his lugs on the car.

Starting point is 00:15:15 They've been screwing with his battery. And when you say they, who are you talking about? I don't know. The only one that he told me that he made it very clear to me, the guy with the tattoo. When they later press this man about specifics, he said Stephen was harassed on the night he was killed at Snyder's Crossing. Is that where he said he felt like he was being followed that? Yes, he said that he was being harassed at that store. By who?

Starting point is 00:15:41 He didn't say, he said it was a couple of guys in the pickup truck. If I called correctly, he said they were rednecks. On July 17, 2015, Corporal Duncan of the Highway Patrol interviews one of Stevens' family members. During the interview, it's the first time that the Marduk name is brought up in the investigation. We're going to alter the voice of the person that speaks here due to the same. sensitive nature of this topic. How about the rumors that you've been hearing on the street that you told me earlier today possibly were involved?

Starting point is 00:16:18 A bunch of people, like, I just left the house the first official time yesterday, and I went into the store, and a bunch of people kept coming up me and they're like, as you know, the Murdoch boys are behind it, you know, saying, Buster Murdoch, the one who went to school with it, and some of his friends, and I'm just thinking, like, why? You know, it makes no sense. he's never said anything bad about Stephen. He's never been around Stephen. Duncan doesn't ask Stephen's relative

Starting point is 00:16:43 a lot of follow-up questions to the statement. They just ask her where she got the information. She mentions a few people and they move on. And then the Marnock name comes up again. No lawyers have contacted you about anything else. Well, the day that Stephen passed away, Randy Mardock was the second person to call my dad after the coroner. And he said he wanted to take the case

Starting point is 00:17:05 and it would be free of charge and everything. And my dad's a little iffy on that. So, because it's kind of weird. No lawyer sits here and says it'll be free. And you can have whatever money you want. Okay, so I know that the Highway Patrol is not used to investigating homicides. But here, Duncan doesn't ask any follow-up questions about this. He just learned a few minutes before that this relative heard rumors

Starting point is 00:17:32 that the Murdoch boys were involved in Stephen's death. Then, a few minutes later, he heard that Randy Murdoch was the first person to contact the family after the coroner to offer his services. Granted, Hampton is a very small town, but Duncan appears to not even make the connection between the Murdox being mentioned twice in the interview. He just asked a few more questions that don't have anything to do with that, and he ends the interview. In Duncan's notes from the interview, he does not mention the Murdox. According to his notes, this relative told him that Stephen became very secretive about two weeks before the incident, and this relative didn't know of anybody who had a problem with Stephen. Later that day, Duncan calls Sandy Smith, Stephen's mother. Sandy tells Duncan different things about her son.

Starting point is 00:18:18 She says that he'd recently been cutting school, which is unusual for him. During the interview, Duncan asked Sandy if she's heard any rumors about her son's death. The Murdoch boy Duncan didn't ask any follow-up questions to this He doesn't appear to connect the rumors with anything Stephen's other relatives said Just hours before He asked Sandy a few more questions

Starting point is 00:19:02 And Sandy told Duncan about a young man Who worked at Bylow Who was making Stephen feel uncomfortable recently In his case notes, Stephen writes about the man at Bylow And suggested that another detective follow up by tracking him down There was no mention of the Murdoch rumor in his notes again

Starting point is 00:19:19 So if there's something that you find out or somebody else that you feel like I need to talk to that just kind of comes about, let me know. Okay, I sure will. All right. And I appreciate all you doing. Hearing Sandy's voice here just breaks my heart. She's so polite and sweet and hopeful that the investigation will give her and her family answers. Fast forward almost six years on a Saturday night, Sandy texted me.

Starting point is 00:19:48 Days after her son's sense, case was reopened by SLED. Almost every major news organization in the country was saying Stephen Smith's name. She said, quote, there is nothing in this world I want more than to hold my baby in my arm one more time. The media wants a story. I just want justice. A lot happened in the Stephen Smith case after Sandy's interview in July 2015. The case took a couple strange turns before it went cold in 2016, and we will get to all of that in a later episode. It's too much for one episode. So that brings us to the latest developments in the double homicide case. So there haven't been a lot of updates in this case recently, but I don't think that that's concerning. We have to

Starting point is 00:20:39 remember that it took the Attorney General's office two months to charge Paul Murdoch with three felonies after the BUI crash that killed Mallory Beach. So we still don't know who, if anyone, will be charged in the double homicide of Maggie and Paul Murdoch. But I do know that we have to give law enforcement space and time before jumping to conclusions. In another development this week, a spokesperson for the powerful Murdoch family released a statement about a reward that they are offering for information in the high-profile investigation. Ehrlich and his son Buster Murdoch offered the $100,000 reward.

Starting point is 00:21:17 In another update, Maggie Murdoch's cell phone was found along a rural South Carolina road just outside of the family's hunting property where they were found dead. And we still don't know what information sled obtained in the double homicide investigation that led them to reopen Stevens case. I've seen some talking heads on TV say that it was reopened because of something that was found on scene, but we don't know that. We can't guess that. We have to wait on law enforcement. And I just want to say again, be careful when you watch national news and YouTubers and other podcasters, really most media, unfortunately, in this case, because no one is being careful with their facts. We don't know a lot of things, and we can't jump to conclusions, and we certainly can't just make things up to fill up airtime. So for the latest developments on this case, follow me on Twitter at Twitter.com slash Mandy M-A-N-D-Y-M-A-T-N-E-Y.

Starting point is 00:22:19 And don't forget to leave a five-star review unless you're going to be nasty and talk about my vocal fright. The Mardock Murder's podcast is created by me, Mandy Matney, and my fiance, David and Moses. Produced by Luna Shark Productions. Ha-ha-ha-ha-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h...

Murdaugh Murders Podcast - MMP #2 - Who Killed Stephen Smith? Part One

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