Teenager’s body found dead near Murdo Manor in 2015 to be exhumed

The family of a teenager who was found dead on a road near the hunting estate of disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdo eight years ago say they are going to exhume his body for an independent autopsy.

Steven Smith’s death was originally thought to be an unsolved hit-and-run, but his mother has dismissed that suggestion and hopes a new autopsy will help answer questions about what really happened to her son.

“Our family is so grateful to all of you who have come together to help us in our fight for justice for Stephen,” wrote Sandy Smith on the GoFundMe page, which raised over $60,000 to pay for the exhumation.

“Thank you for not letting Steven’s story go unnoticed,” she added. “It’s Steven’s year.”

Earlier this month, Alex Murdo was found guilty of the 2021 shooting of his wife and son Maggie and Paul and sentenced to two life terms in state prison. Murdo admitted to lying to police during the investigation, but claims he did not kill the couple.

While investigating the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdo two years ago, the South Carolina Department of Law Enforcement announced that it was also launching its own investigation into Smith’s death. Chronicle of Augusta reported.

A spokesman said at the time that the agency was investigating Smith’s death “based on information gathered from the investigation into the double murder of Paul and Maggie Murdo.”

Smith’s family long denied that he was killed in a hit-and-run, suggesting that his injuries were not consistent with the hit-and-run and that there was no debris along the country road where his body was found. about 15 miles from the Murdo estate.

Sandy Smith says her openly gay son was killed because his car ran out of gas.

According to NBC, Smith and Murdo’s eldest son, Buster, graduated from the same Hampton County High School in 2014.

Despite being found guilty of two murders, Murdo still faces a host of other criminal charges related to alleged financial crimes, some of which the former lawyer confessed to during his trial.