Buster Murdaugh, the son of convicted double murderer Alex Murdaugh, is breaking his silence about the death of his high school classmate in a new documentary set for release this week.
Alex Murdaugh’s oldest son has been the focus of rumors and speculation surrounding the death of Stephen Smith in July 2015. Smith was an openly gay teenager whose body was found in the middle of Sandy Run Road in Hampton, South Carolina. He had suffered head trauma.
Smith’s death was initially ruled a hit-and-run. But some state troopers investigating the crash took issue with that finding, as did Smith’s family.
Small-town gossip fueled rumors about Buster Murdaugh’s possible relationship with Smith. Buster Murdaugh and Smith were classmates at Wade Hampton High School and played on the same baseball team.
Now, Buster Murdaugh is speaking publicly for the first time about the rumors in an interview with FOX Nation host Martha MacCallum. The interview is part of the documentary “Fall of the House of Murdaugh.”
“I never had anything to do with his murder and I never had anything to do with him on a physical level of any regard,” Buster Murdaugh said.
Buster Murdaugh talks about Stephen Smith case in FOX Nation interview
Speculation about Buster Murdaugh’s involvement in Smith’s death intensified earlier this year after Smith’s mother had his body exhumed for a second autopsy. Documentaries and podcasts also focused on rumors state troopers heard about Buster Murdaugh and Smith during the investigation.
The speculation prompted Buster Murdaugh to issue a statement denying what he called “vicious rumors.” The statement and exhumation followed Alex Murdaugh’s trial in which he was convicted of the June 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul.
Buster Murdaugh testified in his father’s murder trial. The FOX Nation documentary is the first time Buster Murdaugh has granted an interview about the murders or Smith’s case. It also marks the second time the general public will hear from him.
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Buster Murdaugh testifies in court as his father looks on (via Law&Crime Network)
MacCallum asked Buster Murdaugh where he was the night Smith was killed.
“The night Stephen was killed, I was at our Edisto Beach house,” Buster Murdaugh said.
MacCallum followed up by asking, “With your family?” Buster Murdaugh responded, “With my mom and brother.”
Stephen Smith, pictured on the right, died under suspicious circumstances in July 2015.
MacCallum also asked Buster Murdaugh about the impact the rumors have had on him as he mourned the loss of his mother and brother.
“I don’t want to be rude here, but have you ever been accused of murdering somebody?” Buster Murdaugh asked. “Well, let me tell you, this is very, very, very, very, very, it’s a terrible thing to place on somebody with absolutely no fact. I mean, it has harmed my reputation. I mean, people perceive me as a murderer.”
A grand jury was empaneled to investigate Smith’s death earlier this summer, according to Sandy Smith’s lawyer. South Carolina’s Law Enforcement Division, or SLED, has been investigating Smith’s death since June 2021.
SLED Chief Mark Keel called Smith’s death a homicide earlier this year. An agency spokesperson said witnesses might be willing to speak about Smith’s death following Alex Murdaugh’s double murder conviction.
The FOX Nation documentary premieres on Thursday, Aug. 31.
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