Michael Duncan, a former S.C. Highway Patrol supervisor, said troopers were never given the opportunity to present their evidence and findings.
www.newsnationnow.com
Liz Jassin
Updated: MAR 23, 2023 / 06:53 AM CDT
(
NewsNation) — A rape kit was reportedly ordered hours after Stephen Smith’s body was discovered in 2015, in what officials initially claimed was the result of a hit-and-run accident.
South Carolina authorities are now reinvestigating Smith’s death, and they
no longer believe he was killed in an accident.
Michael Duncan, a former South Carolina Highway Patrol supervisor, told NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield during an exclusive interview Wednesday that troopers were
never given the opportunity to present their findings.
Duncan was working during the incident, but he never went to the scene. He said troopers received a call to stay back.
Smith’s wounds didn’t make sense with a hit-and-run, according to Duncan.
“Extremely disappointed. … I’ve never seen wounds like this that come from a car … In totality, it did not make sense why they were calling it a traffic accident,” Duncan said.
Steve Peterson is a former investigative consultant for the family of Stephen Smith. He told “Banfield” that the case has been “screwed up completely.”
Stephen Smith’s death was initially ruled a hit-and-run. Now, it’s being investigated as a homicide.
www.newsnationnow.com
Devan Markham
Updated: MAR 22, 2023 / 11:52 AM CDT
<snip>
Sandy Smith said she believes her son was beaten to death. Investigators have no evidence at the moment connecting anyone to his death. Still, previous interactions with the Murdaugh family created
unfounded rumors that the Murdaughs may have had a connection to Stephen Smith’s death, despite having no evidence of a connection.
<snip>
Smith family attorney Eric Bland explained it is extremely rare for the state to reverse its original rulings.
Alex Murdaugh’s son Buster was a classmate of Stephen Smith’s, and some questioned whether the younger Murdaugh was involved in Smith’s death. But
Buster Murdaugh has since released a statement adamantly denying any involvement in the death.
Bland said he doesn’t know why Buster Murdaugh’s name is even being mentioned in relation to the Smith case, saying he has no knowledge of any relationship or connection between them other than they knew each other and were classmates.
“But there is, to my knowledge,
no connection right now between Buster and this murder,” Bland said.
The attorney said, if anything, Buster Murdaugh’s name being mentioned has helped expedite reopening the investigation into Smith’s death.
“Something must have come up during the investigation having to deal with Alex Murdaugh and killing the wife and his son, because according to law enforcement … based on that investigation, some information came up having to deal with the death of Stephen Smith,” criminal defense attorney and former senior homicide prosecutor Bernarda Villalona said. “We don’t know what it is. But what we do know, the game changer, is that this is ruled a homicide, and now law enforcement will be involved in investigating to find out who is responsible for killing Stephen Smith.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(764x379:766x381)/stephen-smith-headstone-072122-3bf588e6c30b4891b3faed07c3003165.jpg)
