South Carolina Attorney shot in head months after wife and son shot dead

[NorthLoop 14251]

2 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

Paying someone to shoot at you and miss is a pretty fucking dangerous game.

Yeah this game was pretty tame up until that point 

[SHOOTER12 8833]

On 9/6/2021 at 4:48 PM, Nicole44 said:

So after calling 911 saying he was changing a tire and was shot in the head:

 

HAMPTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - Alex Murdaugh has released his first statement since he was shot along a rural road in Hampton County over the weekend.

In that statement, released through his attorney, Dick Harpootlian, Murdaugh said he plans to resign from his law firm and enter rehab:

The murders of my wife and son have caused an incredibly difficult time in my life. I have made a lot of decisions that I truly regret. I’m resigning from my law firm and entering rehab after a long battle that has been exacerbated by these murders. I am immensely sorry to everyone I’ve hurt including my family, friends and colleagues. I ask for prayers as I rehabilitate myself and my relationships.

Neither Murdaugh nor Harpootlian has responded to questions about the statement.

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...and that mans real name was John Dutton.

[ChickenSandwich 9853]

2 hours ago, jdhorn92 said:

yeah, the tide changes dramatically in that part of the state, you need a boat that will float in less than 12".  I have 24' SH and it drafts less than 2', the 17' will float in very shallow water. 

Old man has the 20 and routinely runs in 12”   Great boat. 

[Braff Zacklin 13665]

45 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

Paying someone to shoot at you and miss is a pretty fucking dangerous game.

Nonsense. Just hire a stormtrooper and instruct him to shoot to kill.

[Braff Zacklin 13665]

dp

Edited September 9, 2021 by Braff Zacklin
making a bad joke once is enough ...

[Updawg 2286]

I think he tried to kill him self and fucked up. Will see what the powder says if legit

[JimmyJames 12271]

39 minutes ago, Updawg said:

I think he tried to kill him self and fucked up. Will see what the powder says if legit

This is my thought as well.

[JimmyJames 12271]

I’ve known two guys who tried to kill themselves with one a car and one a motorcycle. They both ultimately steered away at the last second leaving them alive with only a wrecked car on one and non fatal injuries from the bike. They were both lucky.

Edited September 9, 2021 by JimmyJames

[conVINCEd 21469]

2 minutes ago, JimmyJames said:

I’ve known two guys who tried to kill themselves with one a car and one a motorcycle. They both ultimately steered away at the last second leaving them alive with only a wrecked car on one and non fatal injuries from the bike. They were both lucky.

Yes they were.  The one person I know who killed himself called 911 and waited for his father, an on-duty cop in a small town, to respond before pulling the trigger in front of him.  Probably a little more going on there than I was aware of.

[JimmyJames 12271]

7 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

Yes they were.  The one person I know who killed himself called 911 and waited for his father, an on-duty cop in a small town, to respond before pulling the trigger in front of him.  Probably a little more going on there than I was aware of.

Man that’s fucked up. That dad is fucked up for life. Can’t even imagine the horror and pain from witnessing that. It will never end of course.

The only two friends I know who successfully killed themselves was both due to shotguns. One to the head and one to the chest.  Changed my view somewhat on guns. They are usually lethal. Much more than other things. Not saying they should be banned, but treated with more respect. Including laws and regulations of them. 

[conVINCEd 21469]

1 minute ago, JimmyJames said:

Man that’s fucked up. That dad is fucked up for life. Can’t even imagine the horror and pain from witnessing that. It will never end of course.

The only two friends I know who successfully killed themselves was both due to shotguns. One to the head and one to the chest.  Changed my view somewhat on guns. They are usually lethal. Much more than other things. Not saying they should be banned, but treated with more respect. Including laws and regulations of them. 

It was a rough deal.  Kid was a senior in high school and pulled high end college pussy when he came to Austin to hang out with his older brother for the weekend.  Seemed to have a lot of reasons to live.  Sometimes you just don’t know.

[JimmyJames 12271]

5 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

It was a rough deal.  Kid was a senior in high school and pulled high end college pussy when he came to Austin to hang out with his older brother for the weekend.  Seemed to have a lot of reasons to live.  Sometimes you just don’t know.

Yep. The guy I was friends with who blew his head off with a shotgun was a good looking guy, had a nice house, a great wife, two great kids, good job, inherited a whole bunch of money so no problems with that, and should have been happy. But he wasn’t. Never was. Of course I wish I had done more but I know it’s not my fault. Still tough though. I was glad a friend of ours found him instead and not his wife and kids. Thank God for that. 

[Cap33 393]

9 hours ago, NorthLoop said:

Probably the same cops that investigated the scene 

Which is why he was so cavalier about getting rid of the knife he used to slash his own tires. Even if his cop buddies found it, they wouldn't turn it in.  The plan all went to shit when he got hit in the head -- maybe when a bullet ricocheted off the pavement?

[Nicole44 22078]

So Paul also pushed his housekeeper down the stairs and she also died? Damien much?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9971841/Alex-Murdaughs-brother-Randy-blasts-allegations-took-money-law-firm.html
 

“He had also been tied to the death of his housekeeper (who fell down the stairs in 2018) and the unsolved 2015 death of Stephen Smith, whose mother believes was beaten to death in a hate crime because he was gay.”

[NorthLoop 14251]

Yeah I think Paul was a sociopath who may have already started racking up a serial killer body count.

Daddy had his own financial issues aside from that. Now the question is did these 2 issues cross paths with the double murder. 

[billfromlaketravis 11536]

I can't get there on Paul/Buster killing Stephen Smith. It's possible, but we just don't know. The poor kid was openly gay in a very small town full of rednecks. It could have been anybody harassing him out on that road. 

The housekeeper thing is bizarre and should be further investigated. That said, if Paul pushed her down the stairs, potentially the only people that would know about it are Paul and the housekeeper. 

[Nicole44 22078]

According to a few local articles, Alex Murdaugh’s alibi (iron-clad according to his attorney) for the shootings of his wife and son is that he was with his father at the time. 

His father passed away from an extended health battle three days after the shootings (was in intensive care at his home.) Alex is the one who found the wife and son and called 911. 

The family paid the housekeeper’s family $500k and the rumors on some other sites are that Paul pushed her down the stairs and that there were witnesses.

This is like a VC Andrew’s novel or some shit.
 

 

[NorthLoop 14251]

Yeah that old dude croaking 3 days later might want to be investigated as well, if possible. 

[fattyflattie 4638]

8 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

Seemed to have a lot of reasons to live.  Sometimes you just don’t know.

I know someone who committed suicide last week.  Had built generational wealth (CEO of public O&G contractor for decade(s)) and on surface lots to live for.  You never know. 

[Nicole44 22078]

8 minutes ago, NorthLoop said:

Yeah that old dude croaking 3 days later might want to be investigated as well, if possible. 

When I posted this story, I had no idea this would turn into some bizarre ass gothic Lifetime movie. 

[Nicole44 22078]

Timeline of stuff so far:

On July 8th, 2015, Stephen Smith’s body was found in the middle of Sandy Run Road in Hampton County. Smith, who many connected to Buster Murdaugh — the eldest Murdaugh son — in interviews with law enforcement, was discovered with a large wound to his head. Investigators were unable to find a suspect and the case went cold until 2021. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) announced that they were reopening Smith’s case based on information uncovered during the Murdaugh double-homicide investigation. 

On February 26th, 2018, the Murdaugh’s housekeeper died after she allegedly tripped and fell. Alex Murdaugh reportedly settled with the Satterfield family for $500,000.

Four years later on February 24th, 2019, Paul Murdaugh and five friends were returning from a party after hours of drinking. Paul Murdaugh was allegedly driving his father’s boat erratically before crashing into a bridge piling at Arches Creek Bridge near Parris Island, throwing three passengers from the boat and killing Mallory Beach.

In April of 2019, Paul Murdaugh was charged in death of Mallory Beach. He pled not guilty and was awaiting trial when he was shot. Charges against him were later dropped. 

On June 7th 2021, Alex Murdaugh discovered his wife and son brutally shot to death on the family’s Colleton County hunting property near the dog kennels. Alex arrived home around 9:30pm before calling 9-1-1. The Colleton County Coroner confirmed that both Margaret and Paul were shot multiple times with different weapons. 

Three days later, Alex’s father and former 14th Circuit Solicitor Randolph Murdaugh III passed away after an extended health battle. Alex claimed to be with his father at the time of the shootings.

On August 11th, 2021, 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone recused himself from the case. He did not provide extensive details, but in a letter to Attorney General Alan Wilson, Stone said that recent SLED findings were a factor in his decision. 

On September 3rd, 2021, Alex Murdaugh resigned from the family law firm, Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth, and Detrick (PMPED). The firm said that his resignation came after it was discovered he had misappropriated funds.

The law firm says they have hired a forensic accountant to do a thorough investigation of the law firm’s money to identify how much money is missing and where it could be.

On September 4th, 2021, Alex Murdaugh called 9-1-1 reporting he had been shot in the head while changing a tire on a rural Hampton County road. 

Two days later, Alex Murdaugh released a statement announcing his resignation and plans to go to rehab. He apologized for past mistakes, which he said were exacerbated by the deaths of his wife and son.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.counton2.com/news/south-carolina-news/full-timeline-murdaugh-family-investigations-2015-2021/amp/

Edited September 9, 2021 by Nicole44

[Goredho 17422]

This thread is like “Don’t Fuck With Cats”, but where the nerdy, socially stunted internet sleuths all have Down’s syndrome.

[Nicole44 22078]

So his Mercedes was equipped with "run-flat" tires...lulz...

The Mercedes-Benz GLS sport utility vehicle driven by prominent South Carolina attorney R. Alexander “Alex” Murdaugh on Saturday – the day he sustained a “superficial” gunshot wound to the head while purportedly changing a tire on the side of a rural Hampton county road – was equipped with run-flat tires, sources familiar with the situation have confirmed to this news outlet.

These tires – also known as “extended mobility tires” – allow a vehicle to travel approximately fifty miles with little to no tire pressure due to the presence of a reinforced sidewall.

Speculation regarding the run-flat tires on Murdaugh’s vehicle has run rampant on social media – which greeted the official narrative of the shooting provided by his attorney Jim Griffin with decided skepticism.

According to Griffin – a prominent Palmetto State defense lawyer – his client stopped on the side of the road after experiencing “car trouble” while traveling to Charleston, S.C.

“Alex was changing a tire when a car passed him,” WCIV TV 4 (ABC – Charleston, S.C.) reported on Saturday, quoting Griffin. “The vehicle turned around and someone in the car shot him.”

Most Mercedes SUVs equipped with run-flat tires do not include spare tires – which would mean there would have been no reason for Murdaugh to pull over to the side of the road to try and change a flat tire.

[Billy Pilgrim 1984]

23 minutes ago, Nicole44 said:

So his Mercedes was equipped with "run-flat" tires...lulz...

The Mercedes-Benz GLS sport utility vehicle driven by prominent South Carolina attorney R. Alexander “Alex” Murdaugh on Saturday – the day he sustained a “superficial” gunshot wound to the head while purportedly changing a tire on the side of a rural Hampton county road – was equipped with run-flat tires, sources familiar with the situation have confirmed to this news outlet.

These tires – also known as “extended mobility tires” – allow a vehicle to travel approximately fifty miles with little to no tire pressure due to the presence of a reinforced sidewall.

Speculation regarding the run-flat tires on Murdaugh’s vehicle has run rampant on social media – which greeted the official narrative of the shooting provided by his attorney Jim Griffin with decided skepticism.

According to Griffin – a prominent Palmetto State defense lawyer – his client stopped on the side of the road after experiencing “car trouble” while traveling to Charleston, S.C.

“Alex was changing a tire when a car passed him,” WCIV TV 4 (ABC – Charleston, S.C.) reported on Saturday, quoting Griffin. “The vehicle turned around and someone in the car shot him.”

Most Mercedes SUVs equipped with run-flat tires do not include spare tires – which would mean there would have been no reason for Murdaugh to pull over to the side of the road to try and change a flat tire.

Start humble brag: I have the same car and it has a spare tire. End humble brag.

[Nicole44 22078]

This story needs to be the new Fargo season, I guess. Looks like HBO is already going to make a docuseries on the family. 

Now the media outlets are saying even though he was airlifted from the scene of his "attempted murder" he suffered no visible injuries...

https://www.fitsnews.com/

Comments under most of the articles are interesting (guessing locals.)

[NorthLoop 14251]

Damn Lauren Taylor would get it. 

[SquishMitten 10444]

So his Mercedes was equipped with "run-flat" tires...lulz...

The Mercedes-Benz GLS sport utility vehicle driven by prominent South Carolina attorney R. Alexander “Alex” Murdaugh on Saturday – the day he sustained a “superficial” gunshot wound to the head while purportedly changing a tire on the side of a rural Hampton county road – was equipped with run-flat tires, sources familiar with the situation have confirmed to this news outlet.

These tires – also known as “extended mobility tires” – allow a vehicle to travel approximately fifty miles with little to no tire pressure due to the presence of a reinforced sidewall.

Speculation regarding the run-flat tires on Murdaugh’s vehicle has run rampant on social media – which greeted the official narrative of the shooting provided by his attorney Jim Griffin with decided skepticism.

According to Griffin – a prominent Palmetto State defense lawyer – his client stopped on the side of the road after experiencing “car trouble” while traveling to Charleston, S.C.

“Alex was changing a tire when a car passed him,” WCIV TV 4 (ABC – Charleston, S.C.) reported on Saturday, quoting Griffin. “The vehicle turned around and someone in the car shot him.”

Most Mercedes SUVs equipped with run-flat tires do not include spare tires – which would mean there would have been no reason for Murdaugh to pull over to the side of the road to try and change a flat tire.

That’s neat and all, but run flat tires can go flat if you don’t change them relatively quick afterwards. They’re only meant to hold up long enough for you to drive to a mechanic. Second, just because some cars don’t have spares doesn’t mean his car didn’t. Lastly, if no tire was flat, then he’d be a fucking moron using that as his story. But since there are pictures of the car that clearly show a flat tire, I don’t understand what all the conspiracy nuts are arguing on that point.

[Nicole44 22078]

3 minutes ago, SquishMitten said:

That’s neat and all, but run flat tires can go flat if you don’t change them relatively quick afterwards. They’re only meant to hold up long enough for you to drive to a mechanic. Second, just because some cars don’t have spares doesn’t mean his car didn’t. Lastly, if no tire was flat, then he’d be a fucking moron using that as his story. But since there are pictures of the car that clearly show a flat tire, I don’t understand what all the conspiracy nuts are arguing on that point.

I'm not disagreeing with you. Allegedly, the tires are meant to go 50 miles (which...bullshit) but he was 8 miles from his home taking a route he normally didn't take. According to his attorney. Allegedly, police found a knife believed to belong to Alex at the scene which was thought to have punctured/used to flatten the tire. I would just go with the whole "attempted murder" story is fairly sketchy if he was targeted like his son and wife. They were shot multiple times. With two different weapons. He's just merely grazed and essentially left the hospital right after he arrived. I wouldn't discount a botched attempt at suicide but it could also be an attempt to make himself appear to be a victim. Its a weird story. Which is why I posted it I guess. So much was redacted from the double homicide report that the press sued. I just don't buy the whole, "my tire was flat and while I was changing it someone came along and shot at me/shot me (barely) and drove away." However, this is a weird story.  

[The Ace of Aces 5194]

I don't have Lester Freeman around to pin up 187 pictures on a chalkboard to explain this to me. Can I get a tl;dr version please? 

Edited September 9, 2021 by The Ace of Aces

[Nicole44 22078]

30 minutes ago, The Ace of Aces said:

I don't have Lester Freeman around to pin up 187 pictures on a chalkboard to explain this to me. Can I get a tl;dr version please? 

I found the best article that would help with this shit. The attorney that represented the dead housekeeper *alleged to be killed by Paul* was initially retained by one of the passengers (claimed to be the driver of the boat by Paul.) Stephen Smith is believed to have been a boyfriend of Buster (older brother of Paul.)

► June 7: On the night of June 7, prominent Lowcountry attorney Richard Alexander "Alex" Murdaugh found his wife and son shot at 4147 Moselle Road, near Islandton. 

Colleton County Coroner Richard Harvey reported that both victims were shot multiple times and were found on the ground in front of the family's dog kennels.

► June 10: Randolph Murdaugh III, longtime 14th Circuit Solicitor, a member of the prominent Murdaugh family of Hampton County, and partner in one of the largest law firms in the South Carolina Lowcountry, died after suffering from extended health problems at the age of 81. 

► June 22: SLED announces that it has "opened an investigation into the death of Stephen Smith based upon information gathered during the course of the double murder investigation of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh." 

► June 25: Alex Murdaugh and his surviving son, Buster, offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest or arrests and convictions. 

► July 7: New court documents filed allege a civil conspiracy possibly connecting law enforcement and members of the Murdaugh family following  the fatal 2019 boat crash in Beaufort County. 

► Aug. 15: Current 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone recused himself from the homicide case and passed it on to the S.C. Attorney General's Office. 

► Sept 3:The Hampton County Guardian received the following statement from Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick PA (PMPED) law firm in Hampton:

"On Friday, September 3, 2021, Alex Murdaugh resigned from the Law Firm. He is no longer associated with PMPED in any manner. His resignation came after the discovery by PMPED that Alex misappropriated funds in violation of PMPED standards and policies.

► Sept. 4: According to SLED, on Saturday, Sept. 4, at 1:34 p.m., Hampton County Central Dispatch received a 911 call from Alex Murdaugh, who reported that he had been shot in the head on Old Salkehatchie Road, a rural road near Varnville, S.C., in Hampton County. 

► Sept. 6: Alex Murdaugh announced he was resigning from the family’s storied law firm and entering rehab. In a statement, he said Paul and Maggie’s murders caused “an incredibly difficult time” in his life.

“I have made a lot of decisions that I truly regret,” the statement continues. “I’m resigning from my law firm and entering rehab after a long battle that has been exacerbated by these murders. I am immensely sorry to everyone I’ve hurt including my family, friends and colleagues. I ask for prayers as I rehabilitate myself and my relationships.”

► Sept. 8: The eldest brother, Randolph "Randy" Murdaugh, IV, in the prominent Murdaugh family of Hampton County issued a statement: 

 

"I was shocked, just as the rest of my PMPED family, to learn of my brother, Alex’s, drug addiction and stealing of money. I love my law firm family and also love Alex as my brother. While I will support him in his recovery, I do not support, condone, or excuse his conduct in stealing by manipulating his most trusted relationships."

► Sept. 8: The S.C. Supreme Court published an order on Appellate Case No. 2021-000974, in the Matter of Richard Alexander Murdaugh, Respondent, which temporarily suspended Murdaugh's license to practice law following the allegations by the PMPED firm.

 

Edited September 9, 2021 by Nicole44

[NorthLoop 14251]

Somewhere in that dynasty one of them married a redhead and it fucked them all in the end. 

[cactusflinthead 27606]

Well, there is a reddit too. From there.

[Nicole44 22078]

2 minutes ago, NorthLoop said:

Somewhere in that dynasty one of them married a redhead and it fucked them all in the end. 

Most of the articles don't give the best details (so another timeline.) Also where is the redhead diagram of crazy...

 

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Alex Murdaugh, the patriarch of a prominent South Carolina family, recently stepped down from his law firm after allegedly misappropriating a significant sum of money. That announcement came just hours after Murdaugh was shot in the head while changing a tire on the side of a rural Hampton County Road. Murdaugh also announced that he would be checking himself into rehab, but did not specify for what.

The whirlwind weekend for Murdaugh comes just months after his wife Margaret and son Paul were found shot to death at their family property on June 7.

“I need the police and an ambulance immediately,” Alex Murdaugh can be heard saying in 9-1-1 calls released earlier this summer. “My wife and child have been shot badly.”

As bad of a year as 2021 was for the Murdaugh family, their troubles started far earlier.

 

 

Officially, Smith’s death was classified as a hit and run.

Six years later, Sandy Smith — Stephen’s mother — is still grappling with the pain of not knowing what happened to her son.

On Thursday, Sandy Smith said she received a call from an official with the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED). She was hoping to hear that they had opened a case in her son’s unsolved death.

Officially, Smith’s death was classified as a hit and run.

Six years later, Sandy Smith — Stephen’s mother — is still grappling with the pain of not knowing what happened to her son.

On Thursday, Sandy Smith said she received a call from an official with the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED). She was hoping to hear that they had opened a case in her son’s unsolved death.

 

Officially, Smith’s death was classified as a hit and run.

Six years later, Sandy Smith — Stephen’s mother — is still grappling with the pain of not knowing what happened to her son.

On Thursday, Sandy Smith said she received a call from an official with the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED). She was hoping to hear that they had opened a case in her son’s unsolved death.

“They called me back and said they were looking into Stephen’s case because they have to see if my family is involved in the shooting of Paul and Maggie (Murdaugh),” Sandy Smith said. “What a slap in the face.”

Sandy has been begging law enforcement officials for years to open an investigation into her son’s unsolved death. She was devastated to hear the news that she and her family were now being viewed as possible persons of interest in the savage slayings last Monday at Moselle — the Murdaugh family hunting lodge in Colleton county.

In the aftermath of her son’s death, Sandy said she’s learned that there are two different justice systems in the Palmetto State — one for people like the Murdaughs and another for everyone else.

“They just don’t care about the poor people who can’t afford to hire a big-time attorney or private investigators, Sandy said. “They just throw their cases on a shelf to collect dust.”

The Murdaugh family has loomed large in the Lowcountry for nearly a century — with three generations of its members serving as solicitor (South Carolina’s version of a district attorney) over a five-county region between 1920 and 2007. Two Murdaughs also work for the prominent Hampton, S.C. law firm of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick (PMPED).

SLED is continuing to cast a wide net as it looks to exclude individuals in connection with the double homicide that took place at the Murdaugh’s 1,700-acre hunting property located near Islandton, S.C. on the evening of June 7, 2021. Earlier this week, the agency opened up a tip line exclusively for the high-profile case.

Of course, the fact SLED is interviewing Sandy Smith means it is taking seriously the suggestion that the Murdaugh family may have had something to do with the death of her son.

SLED’s inquiry into the Smith family does not mean its agents believe they had anything to do with the deaths of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh. SLED is simply looking at anyone who may have had a possible motive in the case — including the survivors of a high-profile February 2019 boat crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach.

Beach died when a 17-foot center console fishing boat allegedly driven by an inebriated Paul Murdaugh slammed into a pylon near the Archer’s Creek bridge on February 24, 2019 around 2:25 a.m. Murdaugh was charged with three felony counts of boating under the influence (BUI) in the aftermath of that crash.

According to our sources, all of the boat crash survivors — and Beach’s family members — voluntarily submitted to questioning and volunteered to provide their DNA as a part of the double homicide investigation. A source close to the family also told FITSNews that the Beaches have not been questioned again since providing their statements and DNA.

SLED is investigating every angle in the Murdaugh case — something that Sandy wishes they would have done with Stephen’s death six years ago.

In fairness, SLED didn’t investigate Stephen’s case because it was dubiously ruled a hit and run. No homicide investigation was ever opened, and no referral was ever made to the agency in the case.

Sandy Smith was told that if she wanted her son’s case to be looked at by SLED, she would have to write a letter.

Like the probe of the 2019 boat crash that killed Mallory Beach, the 2015 investigation into Smith’s death was chaotic from the beginning — clouded by jurisdictional confusion and suspicions of investigative interference.

Smith was found dead just before 4:00 a.m. EDT on July 8, 2015.

Crime scene photos obtained by FITSNews are horrific — Stephen’s entire face was covered in blood that cascaded from a 7.25-inch gaping hole on the right side of his forehead. His head was misshapen by blunt force.

*****

Stephen’s massive head wound — along with the lack of other significant injuries on his body — stumped investigators on scene. His right shoulder was partially dislocated. Cuts and bruises dotted his right hand. His loosely tied shoes were still on and his clothes appeared untouched. His phone and keys were still in his pocket.

Investigators found Smith’s car three miles away on the side of Bamberg Highway. His wallet was inside the car. SCHP detectives noted the car’s gas cap was unscrewed and hanging outside of the gas cap door. Law enforcement officers believed Smith ran out of gas and started walking home before he was killed.

Officials couldn’t nail down a cause or manner of death. At first, they thought it was a hit and run. Then, the coroner ruled the death a shooting homicide — forcing investigators to search the rural road carved between a tree line and a corn field.

In their search, investigators from SCHP, the Hampton County sheriff’s office, and SLED found virtually no evidence — no bullets, no gunshot residue, no tire marks, no debris from a vehicle.

Nothing … 

 

Hours later, a pathologist at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) — Dr. Erin Presnell — ruled that Stephen was killed in a hit-and-run accident, a decision which was met with confusion and skepticism by investigators and those who knew Stephen.  

Investigators theorized that the mirror of a semi-truck hit Stephen’s head.

This decision to rule his death a hit-and-run appeared to skew the investigation by SCHP’s Multi-disciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) – who typically investigate accidents, not murders.

In a report (below) by Todd Proctor, a MAIT detective for SCHP, it was clear that investigators didn’t agree with the pathologist’s conclusion to rule the death a hit and run.

t was also clear from the report that there was tension between Presnell and SCHP. He said another investigator “had already had, from (his) understanding a heated conversation with her about this issue.”

On July 22, 2015, Proctor visited Presnell at MUSC to “get some sort of clarification” on the Smith case.

Proctor wrote that Presnell spoke in a “negative tone” and “basically called (him) a liar” when he said that he’d already spoken to Hampton County Coroner Ernie Washington.

“I asked her why she stated that in the report and her answer was ‘because he was found in the road,'” Proctor wrote. “She had no evidence other than that for the statement being put in the report.”

Proctor said that he explained to her that law enforcement officers “had no evidence of this individual being struck by a vehicle.”

“As I was leaving she stated that the report was preliminary and it was my job to figure out what struck him, not hers,” Proctor wrote.

In August 2015, the coroner told Proctor that he did not agree with the final autopsy results in the Stephen Smith case.

The final autopsy report said that Stephen’s cause of death was blunt head trauma, motor vehicle crash, pedestrian vs. vehicle. It said the manner of death (which is either homicide, accident, natural, suicide, or undetermined) was still undetermined.

“The pathologist also states in the report, that in light of historical information along with the autopsy, these conclusions were made,” Proctor wrote. “To what historical information she possessed, I am unaware.”

Proctor then spoke with Kelly Greene, Hampton County deputy coroner and a SLED agent — who both attended the autopsy — and said they didn’t make any reference to the pathologist about the victim being struck by a vehicle, only that he was found in the road.

Proctor also wrote in his report that Greene was fired sometime between July 22 – August 18 2019. According to the autopsy, Greene was responsible for evidence transfer in the case.

Stephen’s friends and family also disputed the autopsy report. Stephen was sharp and hyper-aware of his surroundings.A toxicology report showed that Stephen was completely sober at the time of his death.

“Stephen was not stupid,” Stephen’s friend told FITSNews. “There is no way that would happen to him. He would not let a car, let alone a truck, get close enough to hit him. That did not happen to my friend. He doesn’t deserve that. He doesn’t deserve people to think that.”

Stephen was beloved. He was an openly gay young man in the small town of Hampton, South Carolina, which wasn’t easy, but he made the best of it, his friends told FITSNews. He was bright and determined to make a better life for himself. He was in school for nursing at the time of his death.

Murdaugh Connection

The Murdaugh name was mentioned over 40 times throughout the course of the investigation – which went cold less than a year after Smith was killed. According to SCHP documents, detectives were pursuing Paul Murdaugh and his brother Buster Murdaugh as possible persons of interest in the case.

To be fair, police appeared to be pursuing other persons of interest as well and never named anyone as a suspect.

According to the investigation file, Buster was rumored to have been linked to Stephen — intimately — but detectives never proved this connection. It’s also unclear if the MAIT team ever examined Stephen’s phone, which was tossed between agencies before it was finally unlocked by the FBI several years after his death.

After interviewing several sources who knew the Murdaugh brothers, SCHP detective Proctor made some significant assessments of the family. FITSNews obtained all audio from the investigation file.

“I think it’s a situation when you grow up and your family is kinda high-profile and you get away with some things because of your family name,” Proctor said in 2015. “You become invincible in a way and you get a little liquor and you think you’re untouchable.”

Keep in mind, this is years before Paul Murdaugh was charged with three felonies in the boat crash that killed Mallory Beach.

*****

RELATED | Boat Crash Lawsuit: Murdaughs Refuse To Settle, Withhold Financial Records From Victim’s Family

*****

At another point in the investigation, Proctor appeared frustrated that local sources were hesitant and scared to speak of the Murdaughs to police.

“The Murdaughs, as big and powerful and rich as everyone thinks they are … they’re going to go on living their lives like nothing (happened),” Proctor said. “So they can play that card like they care about everyone else. No they don’t… they care about protecting themselves.”

Proctor made it clear in his reports that he didn’t believe Stephen’s death was a hit-and-run.

“We’re not classifying this as anything other than a murder,” Proctor said in an audio recording. “You go back to the Murdaugh name and their ties in that community, and that don’t matter to me… What we’ve done is take that investigation out of that and their reach… I don’t care what your name is and how much money you got.”

He then said “I’m not saying that the Murdaugh boy did it.”

“But if we’re going to be throwing out names, I’m not going to be withholding names,” Proctor wrote. “His name is going to be right there with everyone else’s name and I don’t care who knows it.”

Stephen’s Mother Begs for Help

In September 2016, Stephen’s mother — Sandy Smith — wrote a letter to lawmakers and police agencies pleading for help and claiming corruption in the investigation.

“It has been apparent from the first week of the investigation that authorities are covering up critical evidence and we no longer know who to trust,” Smith wrote.

In the letter, she said that they were told that the Murdaugh brothers were involved in her son’s death. She also said she believed that the Murdaughs’ influence extended to all realms of the investigation and was initially tainted when it was ruled a hit-and-run incident (see below for part of Sandy Smith’s letter).

She said there appeared to be missing evidence in the case — such as the DNA under Stephen’s fingernails, the clothes he was wearing, and the rape kit.

“The case was mysteriously bounced from investigator to investigator without reasons or notification,” Sandy Smith wrote in the letter. “It would repeatedly get to a certain point, then the assigned investigator would bow out, perhaps not wanting to take on Solicitor Murdaugh.”

Six years later, Stephen’s case is still unsolved. Sandy told FITSNews she’s still clinging to hope — even after Thursday’s heart-wrenching news. She is working writing an official letter to SLED. While reporters from all over the nation contacted her last week about her son’s story, she just wants the official call from law enforcement telling her they reopened the case.

“I’m tired of them putting Stephen on the back burner,” Sandy Smith told FITSNews. “Stephen’s life mattered, too.”

****

[jdhorn92 1558]

19 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

I know guys who know what they are doing who have gotten stuck and had to wait for the tides to change.

yep, so true.  I live along the Gulf Coast of AL and we see that to a lot lesser extent.  Mostly when we hit the sandbars around Orange Beach...nothng like the low country though.

[Nicole44 22078]

It was past 1 a.m. and the five other passengers were getting annoyed.

One passenger, Miley Altman, stood up and yelled at Murdaugh to let someone else drive.

Murdaugh, who was drunk, yelled back.

“You think y’all know this river better than me? This is my boat, I’ll be damned if anyone else drives my [boat],” he said, according to Altman’s statement to DNR.

The exchange was one of several times Murdaugh argued with other occupants of the boat in the early morning hours of February 24, 2019, DNR documents show.

Not long after, the 17-foot Sea Hunt boat slammed into bridge pilings, flinging 19-year-old Mallory Beach into the brisk waters of Archers Creek.

A pair of boaters found her body a week later.

The events of that night 2 1/2 years ago are well known in the Lowcountry. But hundreds of pages of S.C. Department of Natural Resources documents released Friday paint a clearer picture of what happened in the hours leading up to the February 2019 boat crash that killed Beach — and led to Murdaugh’s indictment on felony charges of boating under the influence.

The documents include statements by passengers, police interviews, surveillance footage and GPS coordinates. They offer a timeline of events from late afternoon, when Murdaugh purchased alcohol at a local gas station, to 1 a.m. shots at a Beaufort waterfront bar, to the tragic death of a young woman.

DNR’s release of documents comes more than six weeks after Murdaugh was found shot to death along with his mother at their sprawling hunting property in Colleton County. Police have provided no information about potential suspects or possible motives in the June 7 double homicide.

Here is a timeline of what happened just before the 2019 boat crash, according to DNR investigative documents:

5:30 PM - Parker’s in Ridgeland

Paul Murdaugh, 20 at the time, drove a white pickup truck with a boat in tow to a Parker’s gas station in Ridgeland on the afternoon of Feb. 23, 2019.

He walked in the store and picked up a 6-pack of Michelob Ultra beers, a 12-pack of White Claw seltzers and a 15-pack of Natural Light beers.

At the counter, Murdaugh asked the cashier for a pack of Marlboro cigarettes and presented his older brother’s ID. He fidgeted with his sleeves and added a pack of mint gum to the order, according to surveillance footage.

Murdaugh exited the store minutes later and walked out to his truck. Noticing a friend had pulled up next to his car in the parking lot, Murdaugh triumphantly hoisted the new score of booze over his head, the footage shows.

6:36 PM - River House on Chechessee Creek

According to DNR’s timeline of events, all the passengers — Miley Altman, Anthony Cook, Connor Cook, Morgan Doughty, Mallory Beach and Murdaugh — met at the Murdaugh river house, a $1.45 million property owned by Murdaugh’s grandfather on Chechessee Creek, less than 2 miles from Parkers.

Court filings in the wrongful death suit filed by Beach’s mother refer to this property as “The Island.” The filings say the group of young adults started drinking there.

At 7:07 p.m., they all boarded a 17-foot Sea Hunt boat owned by Murdaugh’s father, Alex Murdaugh, and left for an oyster roast on Paukie Island, which is north of the Broad River and nearly 20 miles away.

8:00 PM - Paukie Island

Kristy Wood, a school principal at Brunson Elementary in Hampton County, and her husband, James, hosted an oyster roast for “friends and their families,” according to Kristy Wood’s statements to DNR and the S.C. Law Enforcement Division.

Guests came by boat and car. They served oysters, appetizers, and a crab boil. The event was “bring your own beer” for those of legal age, according to Wood.

Murdaugh and his friends, all underage, arrived around 8 p.m. They played cornhole and sat by the fire.

“No kids were seen drinking at our house nor were they provided alcohol,” Wood wrote.

A statement by Morgan Doughty, Murdaugh’s then-girlfriend, disputes that.

At the roast, Doughty and the other passengers “all drank alcohol and ate food,” she said.

Wood said she talked to the kids, and none appeared intoxicated or had concerns about being on the boat.

“Paul is very familiar with boats and navigating water,” according to Wood’s statement.

Murdaugh and his friends left after midnight. Wood said she asked them if they wanted to stay over at her house because of the temperature and “not for any other concern,” she said.

12:11 AM - Beaufort River

DNR created a timeline of events based on the boat’s GPS navigation system.

The timeline shows the group of six young adults boated from Paukie Island toward Beaufort’s waterfront.

Murdaugh and the group left because “Paul wanted to get shots” in downtown Beaufort, according to Miley Altman’s statement.

According to DNR’s timeline, the boat almost collided with the Woods Memorial Bridge at 12:35 a.m.

Morgan Doughty said in her statement that Connor Cook had to take the wheel because Murdaugh was going to hit the bridge. However, Doughty’s recollection puts the near-miss later in the night.

GPS coordinates show that the group arrived at the day dock in downtown Beaufort at 12:39 a.m. A minute later, the group pushed off from the dock and traveled away, according to the coordinates.

Four minutes later, at 12:44 a.m., the boat arrived back at the day dock for a second time. The group tied up and exited the boat.

12:55 AM - Luther’s Rare and Well Done

Once they tied up the boat for the second time, the group split up. Murdaugh and Connor Cook went to get shots at Luther’s Rare and Well Done, a nearby bar on the waterfront.

“Morgan was yelling at [Murdaugh] not to go but he did anyways,” Altman said.

The other four passengers waited on the swings at the waterfront park.

Once inside, Murdaugh and Cook ordered shots of Jägermeister. After that, they took shots of lemon drop, a vodka lemon mix.

Altman said she and Doughty went to the bar to get Murdaugh and Cook.

According to Altman, Murdaugh knocked down a chair at the bar and another person joked “what did that chair ever do to you?”

“As Paul walked away, he looked at Connor and said ‘What did he say to me?’” according to Altman’s statement. “[Murdaugh] turned back around and asked the guy if he had a problem with him.”

Connor Cook had to hold Murdaugh back and bring him to the boat, she said.

“When Paul and Connor came out of the bar, I could tell how intoxicated they both were,” Morgan Doughty wrote in her statement to DNR.

1:13 AM - Beaufort River

The young adults climbed back into the boat tied up at the dock at 1:13 a.m., according to the timeline.

They traveled south toward Port Royal Sound, in the direction of the Murdaugh river house.

According to Altman, Murdaugh was driving the boat. Beach sat on Anthony Cook’s lap in the back of the boat.

Connor Cook, she said, stood on the right side of the boat.

Altman said she and Doughty began to notice the boat was traveling in circles.

“We all got irritated,” Altman’s statement said. “It was funny at first, but then we ALL got mad and fed up and told Paul to let someone else drive. ...”

She said she yelled at Murdaugh to let Connor Cook drive. Murdaugh “got aggressive” and yelled back that it was his boat.

“Paul drove almost all the way” to Sands Beach in Port Royal, Doughty wrote in her statement to DNR. “From there we begged Connor to drive.”

Altman’s statement says that Cook and Murdaugh switched off driving around this time.

According to DNR’s timeline, the boat slowed down at 2:20 a.m. as Murdaugh moved to the front of the boat to argue with Morgan Doughty.

Murdaugh, according to Doughty, “got close to my face screaming, cussing and saying horrible things.”

Altman said she saw Doughty push her boyfriend away and say “What are you going to hit [me] like you have all those times before?”

Murdaugh hit Doughty. She hit him back, Altman said.

He then walked to the steering wheel and grabbed it from Cook, according to both statements.

According to DNR’s timeline, the boat’s speed increased at 2:20 a.m.

Altman, according to her statement, noticed a bridge that “came out of nowhere.”

“Right before we hit it I screamed ‘watch out’ and we made impact and the boat kept going and hit the shore,” Altman wrote.

Doughty wrote that Altman screamed Cook’s name before hitting the pilings.

According to DNR’s timeline, the boat smacked into dolphin pilings at 2:20 a.m. at the bridge along Archers Creek.

A minute later, the boat hit the bank under the bridge and stopped.

Mallory Beach was nowhere to be found.

[Reagan1k 3024]

They'll need to exhume and reinvestigate half of the county's deaths for the last 10 years at the rate this is progressing.

Next thing will be that the old man who died 3 days after his grandson and DIL were killed had received a clean bill of health that morning from his internist.

[Nicole44 22078]

16 minutes ago, Reagan1k said:

They'll need to exhume and reinvestigate half of the county's deaths for the last 10 years at the rate this is progressing.

Next thing will be that the old man who died 3 days after his grandson and DIL were killed had received a clean bill of health that morning from his internist.

Why not. Hopefully, the law figures it out. My hope. It appears like his family gets away with a lot. JMO. 

Edited September 9, 2021 by Nicole44

[Nicole44 22078]

19 hours ago, NorthLoop said:

Probably the same cops that investigated the scene 

 

18 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

Paying someone to shoot at you and miss is a pretty fucking dangerous game.

Thank you. I doubled your post to say this: Why? if he was a target you wouldn't circle around and hit a few more times. Its bullshit. 

[Augustus 3061]

On 9/8/2021 at 6:47 AM, Hornius Emeritus said:

Considering our genuine, altruistic love for all humankind, this really hurts. 

A healthy sense of humor is an incredibly redeeming quality.

[Updawg 2286]

Thank you. I doubled your post to say this: Why? if he was a target you wouldn't circle around and hit a few more times. Its bullshit. 

I’m thinking he staged a hit or more likely tried to off himself and failed. Then he panicked and cut a tire out of desperation

Crazy story all around

[atomheartbevo 89824]

11 hours ago, Nicole44 said:

When I posted this story, I had no idea this would turn into some bizarre ass gothic Lifetime movie. 

4 hours ago, Reagan1k said:

They'll need to exhume and reinvestigate half of the county's deaths for the last 10 years at the rate this is progressing.

Next thing will be that the old man who died 3 days after his grandson and DIL were killed had received a clean bill of health that morning from his internist.

This will be like one of those BBC crime dramas that runs for years, where two little old ladies, one a gardener, the other a seamstress, go around solving murders in their village using their particular skills to suss out clues.  Then one day you do the math and realize that there have been over 300 murders in their little village of 400 people.  

[SquishMitten 10444]

I'm not disagreeing with you. Allegedly, the tires are meant to go 50 miles (which...bullshit) but he was 8 miles from his home taking a route he normally didn't take. According to his attorney. Allegedly, police found a knife believed to belong to Alex at the scene which was thought to have punctured/used to flatten the tire. I would just go with the whole "attempted murder" story is fairly sketchy if he was targeted like his son and wife. They were shot multiple times. With two different weapons. He's just merely grazed and essentially left the hospital right after he arrived. I wouldn't discount a botched attempt at suicide but it could also be an attempt to make himself appear to be a victim. Its a weird story. Which is why I posted it I guess. So much was redacted from the double homicide report that the press sued. I just don't buy the whole, "my tire was flat and while I was changing it someone came along and shot at me/shot me (barely) and drove away." However, this is a weird story.  

Think you missed my point. You were referencing internet-detectives calling the story bullshit because a) he had run flat tires, and b) his car wouldn’t have had a spare. We know from photos that at least one tire was flat. I’m not saying the whole thing wasn’t staged/arranged, I’m just pointing out why the part of the story about a flat tire is undeniably true.

[Nicole44 22078]

48 minutes ago, SquishMitten said:

 

Think you missed my point. You were referencing internet-detectives calling the story bullshit because a) he had run flat tires, and b) his car wouldn’t have had a spare. We know from photos that at least one tire was flat. I’m not saying the whole thing wasn’t staged/arranged, I’m just pointing out why the part of the story about a flat tire is undeniably true.

 

Did not miss your point. He lied. 

[Hook1997 5404]

I’m pretty excited for the Dateline and then the Netflix series on all of this!  It’s some shit you couldn’t make up if you tried to and will be very entertaining.  

[billfromlaketravis 11536]

I listened to Matney’s latest podcast and Stephen Smith and I still can’t get there Buster or Paul being the killer. Highway Patrol botched the initial investigation because well they’re not murder police. SLED tried to get in late and clean it up, but there’s not much physical evidence. They do have a bunch of rumors and small town gossip. Unless somebody confesses, it’ll probably go unsolved. 
 

There are rumors that Smith was being harassed/stalked by a much older man that he had a relationship with. I know we all hate the Murdaughs, but they should be looking at this older man as well. 

[Harrison Bergeron 1798]

Am I the only one more interested in what Nicole did to trigger all the CR betas?

I tried to listen to the podcast. I thought it was more entertaining than the story. 

1. I had no idea what "vocal fry" was until apparently it was invented for this chick - I just though it was 976-voice.
2. I love the fact that the Zoomer podcaster fanciers herself some sort of Edward R. Murrow with her three years of online "journalism" experience - helps explain why the average 'murican is so woefully misinformed
3. Her solo catfight with everyone else talking about the story is epic.

[atomheartbevo 89824]

I had to check, but Louie Anderson is still alive, so it wouldn't take much makeup for him to play the elder Murdaugh whenever this hits the network docudramas.

[Nicole44 22078]

On 9/6/2021 at 6:00 PM, Nicole44 said:

"JimmyJammes" go fuck yourself. 

Is he an asshole or just a fire starter? I don’t like fighting with people. Yes I went into the CR and they seem cool. lol 

[conVINCEd 21469]

Just got an alert that they arrested somebody for trying to kill the dad.  Conspiracy to commit insurance fraud is the charge.  The allegation is the dad paid him to kill him.

[Blotto 23584]

Quote

In a stunning turn of events, a South Carolina man was charged Tuesday with shooting troubled attorney Alex Murdaugh in the head in an assisted-suicide plot to funnel $10 million in insurance money to his surviving son.

The alleged conspiracy was laid out in court documents released after Curtis Edward Smith, 61, was collared for the botched Sept. 4 shooting, which Murdaugh, 53, survived.

“Mr. Murdaugh supplied Mr. Smith with a firearm and directed Mr. Smith to shoot him in the head,” the affidavit said.

The affidavit indicates that Murdaugh confessed to the scheme on Monday and named Smith as the shooter. Smith then admitted to being there and getting rid of the gun, the document says.

Smith was also charged with distribution of methamphetamine and possession of marijuana, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division announced.

A law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the situation told The Daily Beast that Smith and Murdaugh knew each other and that Smith allegedly supplied the lawyer with drugs. Court records show Murdaugh had represented Smith in a personal injury lawsuit a decade ago.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/arrest-made-in-connection-to-shooting-of-alex-murdaugh-report-says