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

[Pruddennce]

I didn't see a rape kit in the report SLED documents. I did see a GSR for gun residue. His hands were bagged at the scene, per SLED report FITS News.

Moo...

Hi, on page 92 of the MAIT case notes.

 

[Simply Southern]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1638740361718939648

SLED was called by HCSD very quickly. They investigated the crime scene and vehicle. Obtained the search warrant for the car, obtained photos of crime scene. It was noted they wore booties and gloves, so not to contaminate the crime scene.

I don't know how the State Police were involved, from the FITS News. From everything I've seen and read, it was SLED. FITS obtained report under FOIA. It was very, very detailed. 118 pages.
Moo...

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

An old case file ... and new leads.

www.fitsnews.com

 

[Simply Southern]

Hi, on page 92 of the MAIT case notes.

A rape kit on page 92? Good I'll go back, clearly could have missed it. Its hard working in the file they posted.

What did they say about rape kit.?

So happy to have others read and interpret

Thanks

 

[Pruddennce]

A rape kit on page 92? Good I'll go back, clearly could have missed it. Its hard working in the file they posted.

What did they say about rape kit.?

So happy to have others read and interpret

Thanks

Your welcome! I just see it was listed on a separate chain of custody sheet. (like the GSR) with dates of disposition.

 

[sds71]

'I felt my son was murdered.' Stephen Smith's mother never believed he died in a hit-and-run. Nearly 8 years later, his case is being investigated as a homicide | CNN

Stephen Smith's mother says she's been fighting for justice since the day her 19-year-old son was found dead in the middle of a rural South Carolina road.

www.cnn.com

Video: Hear Stephen Smith's mother describe her late son | CNN

The death of Stephen Smith, whose body was found in the middle of a road in 2015, is being investigated as a homicide, a spokesperson for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division told CNN. Stephen's mother, Sandy Smith, joins CNN's Anderson Cooper along with the family's attorney, Eric Bland.

www.cnn.com

 

[girlhasnoname]

I surely don't know what led LE back to reopening this case, but I am grateful they have. It was unfathomable how it was handled the first time around.

Answers and peace to Sandy and all of Stephen's loved ones during this process.

#Justice4Stephen

 

[sds71]

@RealRileyBenson


Stephen Smith Attorney Ronnie Richter confirms a rape kit test was performed on Stephen Smith in the early hours of the investigation but says the results have never been presented/made available. Richter is also unsure if the test or results are still available.

Richter says rape kit test “speaks to level of comprehensiveness in the investigation that was done” and says if the results are still available, he believes it gives the renewed investigation a great advantage moving forward.

@WCBD

 

[Marie A]

Michael Duncan, a former South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP) supervisor, told NewsNation during an exclusive interview Wednesday night that troopers were never given the opportunity to provide their findings and that they received a call to “stay back.”

That’s the most poignant line from the News Nation report Imho.

also imho……

THE AUDACITY OF THE EXTENT OF THE CORRUPTION IN COLLETON COUNTY amazes me. I hope that lots of heads roll for this one. Telling the Highway Patrol to “stay back” and the Murdaughs hanging out on scene.

Grateful that Michael Duncan is speaking out. Plenty of culpable people have been silent about Stephen’s murder. I hope that all the filthy animals are exposed.

There are a lot of good people supporting Stephen Smith’s loved ones. The world is still full of many good souls.

It makes you sick that the corruption went up through the ranks and “powers that be” in Colleton. What a cesspool.

 

[passionflower]

I read somewhere about evidence was found in the AM trial that reopened Stephens case. Does anyone know what it may be? DNA?

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

I read somewhere about evidence was found in the AM trial that reopened Stephens case. Does anyone know what it may be? DNA?

Sled hasn't said what it was.

 

[Twistinginthewind]

@RealRileyBenson


Stephen Smith Attorney Ronnie Richter confirms a rape kit test was performed on Stephen Smith in the early hours of the investigation but says the results have never been presented/made available. Richter is also unsure if the test or results are still available.

Richter says rape kit test “speaks to level of comprehensiveness in the investigation that was done” and says if the results are still available, he believes it gives the renewed investigation a great advantage moving forward.

@WCBD

Wow, sds71, thank you for this! As stated in a post from the media/SM upthread (twitter post) it would be unusual if not downright rare or unheard of for the victim of a "simple" hit and run to be tested for evidence of rape, which speaks to some knowledge LE had at the time that Stephen may have been attacked/SA before he was found in the middle of the road with head injuries, and it was not a simple hit and run. Holy moly! Such a tragic and awful thing for him to have gone through that night all alone on a dark country road, whatever transpired. Patiently awaiting the results of the reopened investigation and justice for Stephen and the truth for his loved ones. MOO

 

[otto]

Text of the letter:

Sandra Smith

September 28, 2016

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

Re: Stephen Smith Murder Investigation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sincerely,

Sandra Smith

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

I can't figure out the timeline for Stephen's murder. He was returning from an evening class, which I assume was finished no later than 10 PM. It's roughly a one hour drive home from Calhoun Technical College. That should put him in the area where his car was found maybe 45 minutes later, or no later than 11 PM. It sounds like the 911 call was around 5 AM. Was he on the road for 5 hours? Unlikely.

Did police interview other drivers in the area who commonly use that road? They should have set up a check stop between midnight and 5 AM to interview locals. Maybe he was only in the middle of the road for 20 minutes.

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

 

[Cindizzi]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1639028494695800833

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

I can't figure out the timeline for Stephen's murder. He was returning from an evening class, which I assume was finished no later than 10 PM. It's roughly a one hour drive home from Calhoun Technical College. That should put him in the area where his car was found maybe 45 minutes later, or no later than 11 PM. It sounds like the 911 call was around 5 AM. Was he on the road for 5 hours? Unlikely.

Did police interview other drivers in the area who commonly use that road? They should have set up a check stop between midnight and 5 AM to interview locals. Maybe he was only in the middle of the road for 20 minutes.

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

Based on the mother's letter to authorities, and what we've read previously, I am still in the dark as to him supposedly running out of gas and supposedly leaving his wallet in his car and walking a few miles away where he was later found. Did he make a cell phone call or text someone about running out of gas? Did he tell that person he was going to just start walking to the "nearest" gas station (inadvertently leaving his wallet behind)? Did that person tell him they'd come help him? Sorry if this has been discussed earlier but it is still fuzzy as to how anyone knows he supposedly stopped because he ran out of gas if a call or text hasn't been mentioned, that I've read, anyway.

 

[Cindizzi]

Based on the mother's letter to authorities, and what we've read previously, I am still in the dark as to him supposedly running out of gas and supposedly leaving his wallet in his car and walking a few miles away where he was later found. Did he make a cell phone call or text someone about running out of gas? Did he tell that person he was going to just start walking to the "nearest" gas station (inadvertently leaving his wallet behind)? Did that person tell him they'd come help him? Sorry if this has been discussed earlier but it is still fuzzy as to how anyone knows he supposedly stopped because he ran out of gas if a call or text hasn't been mentioned, that I've read, anyway.

Sounds like the gas tank lid was open- maybe staged ?



[…]

Smith was found with his cell phone and car keys in his pocket. Attorney Richter said that cell phone is unlocked and currently in the hands of SLED.

"Yeah, I think Stephen's cell phone is a really big deal in this case. First, because it was still on the person. To think he walked three miles at 4 a.m. or about that, on a dark country road with his cell phone the entire time. Apparently (he) never made an effort to call his sister nearby, or text a friend to help. I think that's a fascinating fact," Richter said.

Stephen's yellow car was found four miles from his body on Bamberg Highway. The doors were locked, his gas tank was open, and his wallet was still inside.

Richter said that is suspicious.

"Can we really accept that his car had broken down with a cell phone in his back pocket, walked three miles down a black, dark country road and never called for help? If he was going to get some gas, he left his wallet behind?" Richter said.


[…]

'Stephen's cell phone is a really big deal': Smith family attorney talks case details

 

[Twistinginthewind]

Based on the mother's letter to authorities, and what we've read previously, I am still in the dark as to him supposedly running out of gas and supposedly leaving his wallet in his car and walking a few miles away where he was later found. Did he make a cell phone call or text someone about running out of gas? Did he tell that person he was going to just start walking to the "nearest" gas station (inadvertently leaving his wallet behind)? Did that person tell him they'd come help him? Sorry if this has been discussed earlier but it is still fuzzy as to how anyone knows he supposedly stopped because he ran out of gas if a call or text hasn't been mentioned, that I've read, anyway.

I'm with you on these questions, JerseyWasHome2, and have posted with the same/similar questions before (probably on the AM MM/PM murders thread just before this thread was set up for Stephen's death) but with maybe less context than we have now, and there haven't been any of these details publicized yet AFAIK.

I am speculating that Stephen "running out of gas" and ending up miles away from his car without his wallet (ETD he didn't have his cellphone -- he did according to OP) with fatal head injuries in the middle of the road was a ruse set up by whomever attacked and killed him, which is being deconstructed as part of the reopened investigation into his death, and none to soon, IMO.

 

[happyday]

THANK GOODNESS Stephen’s murder is finally being taken seriously and actually investigated.Thank goodness for Bland and Richter taking this on and helping his mother find answers. And thank goodness for Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell keeping his case in the public eye. For years. And thank goodness the Murdaugh family’s terrible hold on these SC counties is OVER. I so hope there is justice for Stephen.

 

[ilovewings]

Instead of reading all these threads( feeling lazy), I have to ask why was a rape kit done on this kid? it sounds like an absolutely bizarre thing to do!!!! thanks for your responses!

 

[Twistinginthewind]

DBM, oops, posted on wrong thread

 

[passionflower]

Instead of reading all these threads( feeling lazy), I have to ask why was a rape kit done on this kid? it sounds like an absolutely bizarre thing to do!!!! thanks for your responses!

Maybe coroner saw nursing? Signs of a rape? So hoping there’s still dna. But that doesn’t mean the rapist was the killer