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In the wake of Alex Murdaugh's conviction, people have shifted their focus to Alex Murdaugh’s elder son, Buster Murdaugh, for his alleged involvement in the suspicious death of his former classmate in 2015.
Last week, Alex Murdaugh, the disgraced South Carolina lawyer, was convicted of the murder of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, who were killed in June 2021 at the family’s hunting estate called Moselle. Alex received two consecutive life terms for the double homicide he committed.
Several people have now called on investigators to investigate Buster Murdaugh for the death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith, a gay man whose body was found on a remote road near Murdaugh's property.
As per multiple reports, Smith’s death was initially blamed on a car accident. However, as per Fox News, Smith's case was reopened after authorities said that they are investigating the mysterious death of Alex Murdaugh’s family’s housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who, according to Murdaughs, died after tripping over their four dogs on the steps of the family’s hunting estate in 2018.
As of now, authorities haven’t said if Buster Murdaugh will be investigated for the death of Stephen Smith, though a Nexflix documentary on the Murdaugh family alluded to Buster’s involvement in the incident.
It is possible that investigators will look into Buster Murdaugh's alleged involvement in the death of Smith
South Carolina law enforcement agents reportedly told the New York Post that they would like to exhume Gloria Satterfield's body after the release of the Netflix documentary series "The Murdaugh Mysteries," which cast doubt on the official cause of death, which had been ruled an accident.
The documentary highlighted multiple mysterious accidental deaths related to the Murdaugh family, including the death of the housekeeper and Stephen Smith.
Attorney Eric Bland, who represents the children of the deceased housekeeper who worked for the Murdaugh family for twenty years, told Fox News that while investigators are examining the death of Gloria Satterfield, it is likely that Buster Murdaugh will also be investigated for the head-injury-related death of Stephen Smith.
Bland said that Smith’s death was deemed a car accident, though the crime scene did not reveal any evidence supporting the claim. Speaking to the New York Post, he said:
"He was found in the middle of a country road in Hampton County, and… the highway department said he was hit by a car, but there was no broken glass, no car parts. His clothes were intact, his shoes were on, and he had a… a clear head trauma injury that looked like it was done by something other than a car."
As per the documentary, while there is no evidence linking Buster Murdaugh to death, there was allegedly rampant speculation in the community about his alleged involvement in the incident. However, investigators continue to focus on Gloria Satterfield’s death and have not disclosed any additional information on Stephen Smith’s case or potential plans to investigate Buster Murdaugh for the crime.
Details on Gloria Satterfield's case explored as people ask authorities to investigate Buster Murdaugh
As per multiple reports, shortly after the housekeeper's death, authorities did not perform an autopsy on Gloria Satterfield, who suffered "multiple rib fractures, a pulmonary contusion, and a subdural hematoma" in the fall. Officials stated that an autopsy is standard procedure for all accidental claims and that they would like to exhume her body to look for signs of intentional injury.
Shortly after the death of Gloria Satterfield's children sued Alex Murdaugh under his recommendation after he allegedly told them that he blamed himself for the incident, adding that they should sue him for an insurance payout from his insurance company.
However, the Satterfields said that they did not receive any money, but Alex Murdaugh collected $4.3 million from an insurance claim on Gloria Satterfield, which was taken out a month before her death. As stated in the docuseries:
"Approximately one month before Gloria died on the Moselle property [Alex] took out commercial insurance and then allegedly collected more than $4.3 million from the insurance claim related to her death."
In 2021, the children filed a lawsuit against Murdaugh, alleging that he stole the insurance settlement amount due to them following their mother's death.
