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

[otto]

Is that his left arm in the photo? His right arm is up and to the right? It's hard to understand since it is blurred. However, trying to understand what happened here. What was used to hit him in the head? That seems to be the fatal injury.

I'm starting to wonder why it was ever determined to be a vehicle accident.

Graphic Photo

 

[otto]

How far away from his car was he found in the road? I missed that, TIA

Three miles by road. His mother said he would have cut through the trees if he was walking home. It's a one mile walk through the trees from car to body.

I'm curious what his shoes tell us. Did he walk down the road or through the trees, or was he driven there and then killed?

 

[mom2chloe]

Hoping they still have his shoes. God bless his mom.

 

[pentimento]

Is that his left arm in the photo? His right arm is up and to the right? It's hard to understand since it is blurred. However, trying to understand what happened here. What was used to hit him in the head? That seems to be the fatal injury.

I'm starting to wonder why it was ever determined to be a vehicle accident.

Graphic Photo

Judging by the hand, to me it does look like his left arm, with his right arm up to the right.

Had he been dragged and someone was still holding his arm up when he was hit with something? So then we'd be talking about more than one person involved in the murder.

Or, did he use his right arm in self-defense and it landed above his head after he was hit? Doesn't seem logical.

Three miles by road. His mother said he would have cut through the trees if he was walking home. It's a one mile walk through the trees from car to body.

I'm curious what his shoes tell us. Did he walk down the road or through the trees, or was he driven there and then killed?

Why walk in the middle of the night when you've got your cell phone? Was he out of gas or not? Shoes don't look dirty to me -- no mud or dirt on the white sides of the shoes that I can see.

With what we know now, I think he was taken there by car. Why that location though? If he were to cut through the woods, I wonder if that is where you would end up?

JMO.

 

[otto]

Judging by the hand, to me it does look like his left arm, with his right arm up to the right.

Had he been dragged and someone was still holding his arm up when he was hit with something? So then we'd be talking about more than one person involved in the murder.

Or, did he use his right arm in self-defense and it landed above his head after he was hit? Doesn't seem logical.



Why walk in the middle of the night when you've got your cell phone? Was he out of gas or not? Shoes don't look dirty to me -- no mud or dirt on the white sides of the shoes that I can see.

With what we know now, I think he was taken there by car. Why that location though? If he were to cut through the woods, I wonder if that is where you would end up?

JMO.

Did I miss anything from the autopsy regarding injuries? (illustration based on this)

I don't think he was walking down the middle of the road 3 miles from his car. It could be a staged car accident, including leaving the gas cap hanging and his wallet in the car after the fact. Alex had police lights and a badge. He could easily pull this off.

 

[NeverPersonal]

Is that his left arm in the photo? His right arm is up and to the right? It's hard to understand since it is blurred. However, trying to understand what happened here. What was used to hit him in the head? That seems to be the fatal injury.

I'm starting to wonder why it was ever determined to be a vehicle accident.

Graphic Photo

Did I miss anything from the autopsy regarding injuries? (illustration based on this)

I don't think he was walking down the middle of the road 3 miles from his car. It could be a staged car accident, including leaving the gas cap hanging and his wallet in the car after the fact. Alex had police lights and a badge. He could easily pull this off.

highly highly recommend Eric Alan's videos on Stephen from a year ago. He goes into the weird and aggressive attitude of the pathologist who decided to mark it as a hit and run, the cops even visited the pathologist twice and said you sure??? and she was very upset when they'd visit. so strange.
Eric reports the facts - goes by police records, interviews, etc. great guy. lives there.

 

[pentimento]

highly highly recommend Eric Alan's videos on Stephen from a year ago. He goes into the weird and aggressive attitude of the pathologist who decided to mark it as a hit and run, the cops even visited the pathologist twice and said you sure??? and she was very upset when they'd visit. so strange.
Eric reports the facts - goes by police records, interviews, etc. great guy. lives there.

Just watched Episode 4 which reminded me of another question I was thinking about. Not sure I can talk about the details here but I found some support for one of my theories...

The metal paint chip particles on Stephen's clothes. Was he in the scratched-up back of a pickup truck just prior to his death?

Just a thought. JMO. Need to watch more of the episodes.

 

[evilwise]

At the scene, two state troopers an EMS agent and the coroner all initially agreed it was a gunshot wound but it's officially a hit and run. That's why the new medical examination could be very important.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

• An effort to exhume and autopsy the body of Stephen Smith, whose death state police began investigating just weeks after launching the Murdaugh murders investigation, has already raised over $110k.
• The S.C. Law Enforcement Division is still poised to exhume the body of Murdaughs late household employee, Gloria Satterfield.
• It is unclear if the Murdaugh murders investigation have delayed the Satterfield investigation or not.
• With the spotlight dimming on Alex Murdaugh, the Smith family feels its time to shine some new light on their murder case.

Stephen Smith, Gloria Satterfield bodies to be exhumed. Here's what you need to know.

More information continues to come forward in connection to incidents surrounding Alex Murdaugh and his family. Here's what we know about 2 exhumations.

www.greenvilleonline.com

 

[Nikynoo]

Judging by the hand, to me it does look like his left arm, with his right arm up to the right.

Had he been dragged and someone was still holding his arm up when he was hit with something? So then we'd be talking about more than one person involved in the murder.

Or, did he use his right arm in self-defense and it landed above his head after he was hit? Doesn't seem logical.

looks to me that the body was pushed from the passenger side of the car and that is how the body fell. If he had been hit by a wind mirror as opined by the medical examiner, then IMO he wouldnt be on his back, the momemtum of the strike would have propelled the body onto its front, or at the very least, there would have been abrasions where the momentum pushed the body over the ground.

JMO

 

[imstilla.grandma]

A shocking revelation has emerged as forensic expert, Shannon Beekhuizen, has claimed that teenager Stephen Smith was killed because he knew details about the “bad people” involved in his life. Smith’s body was found on a road in South Carolina in July 2015, and the case was initially treated as a hit-and-run. However, the case was later reclassified as a homicide investigation eight years later.

Victim’s Mother Suspects Foul Play​

According to CNN, Smith’s mother has stated that the circumstances surrounding her son’s death are suspicious. Sandy, Smith’s mother, wrote a letter to the FBI back in 2016 and claimed that others had suggested Alex Murdaugh’s son, Buster Murdaugh, could be responsible for her son’s death. However, Buster has vehemently denied any involvement.

Forensic Evidence Disproves Initial Claim​

According to Ronnie Richter, the Smith family attorney, none of the forensic evidence from the time made sense. There was no shattered glass or tire marks found on the road, which would indicate a hit-and-run. Law enforcement investigators who responded to the death, including investigator Todd Proctor, stated that, based on their 15 years of experience, “nothing about this case” indicated that it was a hit-and-run. However, the Murdaugh family has not been named persons of interest in the probe examining Smith’s death.

Chilling Evidence Revealed: Forensics Expert Uncovers Harrowing Details in Stephen Smith's Murder

Forensics Expert Claims Teenager Stephen Smith Was Murdered Because He Knew About "Bad People" A shocking revelation has emerged as forensic expert,

www.alaskacommons.com

Video:

STEPHEN SMITH'S MOTHER'S ATTORNEYS SPEAK TO COURT TV​

Eric Bland and Ronnie Richter weigh in on a police interview with the man who says he was Smith's boyfriend. They discuss the latest in unlocking the key to what happened to Smith and who's responsible; and Chanley Painter returns to the road where Smith's body was found.

Stephen Smith's Mother's Attorneys Speak to Court TV | Court TV Video

Smith family attorneys weigh in on police interview with the man who says he was Stephen Smith's boyfriend, and they discuss the latest in the case.

www.courttv.com

Stephen Smith probe: Hear the 911 call reporting dead body just miles from Murdaughs' South Carolina estate

On July 8, 2015, a man driving in Hampton County, South Carolina, called 911 around 4 a.m. to report a body lying on the side of a rural road just miles from the Murdaugh family's hunting estate where Alex Murdaugh shot his wife and son six years later. "Hello, I was just driving down Crocketville R

www.wgmd.com

 

[arielilane]

looks to me that the body was pushed from the passenger side of the car and that is how the body fell. If he had been hit by a wind mirror as opined by the medical examiner, then IMO he wouldnt be on his back, the momemtum of the strike would have propelled the body onto its front, or at the very least, there would have been abrasions where the momentum pushed the body over the ground.

JMO

Agreed. My thoughts as well. Got chills while reading the most recent posts, great sleuthing everyone. Y'all are the very best!

 

[arielilane]

Severe injury to the head sounds personal, imo.

 

[arielilane]

The DM article posted on previous page indicated that SS was "lying on his back, with his body and knees turned to one side, with a large trail of blood to one side of him."

 

[rescuemom]

Severe injury to the head sounds personal. No debris surrounding the body sounds to me that the body was placed there or pushed from a vehicle. All speculation, imo.

Agree and very possible. With the body in the middle of the road it was likely that a car would come along and hit the body adding to the injuries to make it more difficult to investigate and that was possibly the goal. Was it a statement??? I'm surprised the body wasn't hit at least once even at that time of night or early morning. I'm also surprised the body wasn't buried or drug into the woods where animals could further add to the injuries and prolong the finding or identification of the body.

 

[arielilane]

In accordance with the 1st autopsy: According to the coroner, the decedent was a 19 year old male who was reported to be lying in the road by a passerby driving a wrecker around 4 a.m. on July 8, 2015. Authorities responded; he was deceased at the scene. The decedent’s car was 2-3 miles down to the road and was out of gas; the decedent appeared to be heading to his home.

Stephen Smith Case Files: The First Autopsy - FITSNews

"Pending further investigation, the manner of death is best left undetermined."

www.fitsnews.com

 

[CityKid]

This is the most disturbing case I've followed in a long time. The amount of corruption in this town is shocking. Who got to Presnell? Why would she both postulate that it was a hit and run and also say "the manner of death is best left undetermined"? How many other mysterious deaths have occurred during the reign of the House of Murdoch?

 

[minazoe]

Have they come out and said he was bludgeoned? or was it a gunshot? I feel like there is just a ton of blood so how could they move his body without a trail of blood leading somewhere..

could be so many things..

I think as Stephen said, he was having relations with someone important..and he was blabbing it around ( not saying who) but still in a small town that implies someone everyone knows..maybe people just assumed it was a young person..maybe "buster". and a rumor was born..BUT..what if it was someone else, someone older like AM?

so many ways this could have gone down...but I can see them hooking up over there and then things go south from there..
and he gets him out in the road and shoots him dead..pockets the fired round and it's done.

anyway you look at it this is a hate crime..get it called a vehicular accident and get the insurance pay out..
lot's of bad accidents around AM huh... mOO

 

[lonetraveler]

I don't think I ever saw a list of items taken from Moselle after the search warrant was served. We know the M family came up during the initial investigation but it is amazing that they found something that would cause them to open up the case further based on the warrant. Hoping that it is something that is conclusive--- a bat, an old truck tucked away on the property, an item of Stephen's. Anxious as to how this will unfold.

JMO but maybe an item was found that was painted blue.

 

[lonetraveler]

• Stephen’s loosely tied shoes were on his feet when he was found dead in the middle of the road.
  
  
  

  Stephen Smith Investigation in Hampton SC: Interviews, Crime Scene Photos

  What went wrong to the Stephen Smith case in Hampton South Carolina? See interviews and crime scene photos mentioned in the Murdaugh Murders podcast.

  www.fitsnews.com

Thank you for the photo. Haven't seen this before. I was going by the written sentence stating that his shoes were 'loosely tied'.