Pathologist Erin Presnell concluded that Smith died in July 2015 from a hit-and-run near the Murdaugh family's hunting estate, Moselle. This news comes two weeks after Alex Murdaugh shot and killed his wife and son.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) opened the investigation into Smith's death on June 23, 2021 and has since made progress. However, the exact nature of the progress was not revealed in a statement issued Wednesday. SLED Chief Mark Keel has assigned additional agents to the case in the hopes that those with pertinent information are now more willing to come forward. "SLED agents received information about his death and subsequently reviewed the SCHP [South Carolina Highway Patrol] investigative file," according to a press release issued Wednesday. "It was apparent that the SCHP did not believe Mr. Smith's death was a hit-and-run by a motor vehicle."
March 23, 2023
The statement from SLED, an agency that rarely makes public comments, follows the announcement by lawyers for Smith's mother, Sandy Smith, of an "extraordinary" phone call in which Keel told them that Smith's death is now being considered a homicide. For eight years, Smith's death was considered to be vehicular manslaughter.
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Sandy Smith has long suspected the Murdaugh family of her son's murder. An individual claiming to have witnessed the killing allegedly told her family that Buster Murdaugh had beaten Smith with a baseball bat. In response to the rumors of his involvement, Buster issued a statement denying any role in Smith's death.