In the latest update on the Stephen Smith case, it has been revealed that his mother, Sandy Smith, has previously identified Buster Murdaugh to be a suspect in her son's death. In a 2016 letter sent to the FBI, the mom stated that her son was murdered for "being gay" and continued to name Murdaugh as a possible suspect.
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In the letter published by TMZ, Sandy begins by saying they are in desperate need of help, as they no longer trust anyone. The 4-page document details what happened after their family was informed by authorities of their son's death.
According to Sandy, the authorities initially said that Stephen was shot. Later, they changed the story and said it was a hit-and-run. Finally, investigators determined that he was beaten to death.
The letter named Buster Murdaugh to be the perpetrator of the brutal crime. This information came to the family through a source who says he witnessed everything that happened firsthand.
The unidentified source said that they were out smashing mailboxes when they ran into Stephen. Allegedly, Buster (who went to the same school as Stephen) was the one who beat his son with a baseball bat.
The source claimed that Buster killed Stephen because he was gay. This young man told all of this to Stephen's older brother, Chris. He also said that he was threatened by Murdaugh to keep his mouth shut.
Sandy also said in the letter that solicitor Randolph Murdaugh called almost immediately after their son's death. He was interested in working pro bono as a liaison for the family, which they found to be suspicious.
They accepted Mr. Murdaugh's offer even if they were unsure of his intentions. But, after a while, the solicitor stopped returning their calls.
The grieving mom ended the letter with a plea, explaining that she believes the investigation of the death of her son was being deliberately derailed because of the power and influence of the Murdaugh family.
Sandy also implied that Stephen and Buster had a secret romance. This was also discussed in the Netflix series Murdaugh Murders.
The 19-year-old's death in 2015 was previously tagged as a highway fatality. His body was found along a rural road in South Carolina not far from the Murdaugh family estate.
The Smith family has doubted the police force from the start and has done their best to uncover the truth behind their son's death.
In the original notes of the incident report, there was “no vehicle debris, skid marks, or injuries consistent with someone being struck by a vehicle.” Additionally, Smith's loosely tied shoes were still on his feet, which would not have been the case if he was hit by a car.
Earlier this week, authorities gave an update on the case and said they will now be investigating the Stephen Smith case as a homicide.
“SLED’s investigation into the death of Mr. Smith was never closed - it remains a homicide investigation,” the agency said in a statement. “Progress has been made, and SLED’s investigation is active and ongoing.”
Reports say the body will be exhumed so investigators can look for more clues that will lead them to the killer.
Last week, the Smith family created a GoFundMe page to help with the expense of the independent exhumation and autopsy.
"We need a new, unbiased look at his body and an accurate determination of his cause of death based on facts," the family stated on the page.
Meanwhile, the Murdaugh family has adamantly denied any involvement in the death of Stephen Smith.
In his statement, Buster says that these are only baseless rumors. "This has gone on far too long. These baseless rumors of my involvement with Stephen and his death are false. I unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the Smith family."
In an interview with FOX, Sandy shared that she was shocked and elated at the recent homicide ruling. "This is what I've been waiting for," she said with a smile.
