Buster Murdaugh Denies Involvement in Death of Teen

Buster Murdaugh, the surviving son of murderer Alex Murdaugh, issued a statement Monday slamming rumors that he had any involvement in the death of Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old whose body was found near the family estate in 2015.

Buster’s comments, obtained by The Daily Beast, come a few days after it was announced that Smith’s body is being exhumed by his family for an independent autopsy.

“I have tried my best to ignore the vicious rumors about my involvement in Stephen Smith’s tragic death that continue to be published in the media as I grieve over the brutal murders of my mother and brother. I love them so much and I miss them terribly,” Buster said in the statement. “I haven’t spoken up until now because I want to live in private while I cope with their deaths and my father’s incarceration.”

Earlier this month, Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife, Maggie, and his son, Paul, at their family’s South Carolina hunting estate in June 2021.

Since his father’s trial, which he attended daily, Buster and his longtime girlfriend have filed two police reports against national media outlets they say have been harassing them and photographing them inside their Hilton Head home.

“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,” Buster added.

The statement was released just before the mother of the aspiring nurse, Sandy Smith, and her new lawyers will be holding a press conference about the teenager’s death. After the conviction, Sandy Smith started a GoFundMe to raise money for a new autopsy for her son, whose death was classified as a hit-and-run.