Star Murdaugh trial witness probes mysterious death of Buster’s former classmate
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The star witness in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial is now independently investigating the 2015 death of Stephen Smith and says someone “has a good idea who committed this.”
Kenny Kinsey, a forensic investigator who testified for the prosecution in the 2023 Murdaugh murder trial, said on investigative reporter Anne Emerson’s “Criminally Obsessed” podcast that after reviewing the evidence, he believes key opportunities were missed early in the case.
Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old nursing student and former classmate of Buster Murdaugh, was found dead on July 8, 2015, in the middle of a rural Hampton County, South Carolina road just miles from the Murdaugh family’s hunting estate.
Smith, who was openly gay, had been walking along Sandy Run Road after his car broke down when a passing driver called 911 to report his body. He suffered a 7½-inch skull fracture. Authorities initially described the death as a hit-and-run.
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Stephen Smith poses with his mother, Sandy Smith, at his high school graduation. He was killed July 8, 2015, in what South Carolina authorities initially designated a hit-and-run. (Findagrave.com)
Kinsey said he has reviewed the original investigative file, examined findings from the second autopsy, analyzed police interviews and walked the stretch of road where Smith’s body was discovered nearly 11 years ago.
He said his forensic analysis indicates Smith’s fatal injuries were connected to a vehicle, but declined to detail specific wound patterns.
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However, Kinsey emphasized that determining who was responsible falls to investigators.
“I don’t know the who,” he said. “That part comes from the investigation.”
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A cross marks the spot where Stephen Smith was found dead, Hampton County, South Carolina, February 28, 2023. 19-year-old Stephen Smith’s body was found here in 2015. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
During the podcast interview, Kinsey described what he called “missed opportunities” in the early stages of the case, saying delays and jurisdictional confusion can make cases harder to solve over time.
“Memories fade. People leave this earth,” Kinsey said. “Those missed opportunities — you don’t get that back.”
The investigation into Smith’s death was reopened in June 2021 — just two weeks after Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were shot and killed at the family’s Colleton County hunting estate.
At the time, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) said it had uncovered information related to Smith’s death while investigating the Murdaugh murders but declined to provide details.
Stephen Smith’s body was exhumed over the weekend and a second autopsy was performed as part of the investigation into his homicide. (Findagrave.com/Courtesy of FitsNews)
In 2023, SLED announced that Smith’s death was being investigated as a homicide. His body was later exhumed, and a second autopsy was performed. The findings of that autopsy have not been publicly released.
Pathologist Dr. Michelle DuPre, who oversaw the second autopsy, previously told Fox News Digital that Smith’s injuries were consistent with being struck by an object attached to a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed.
“Scientifically, medically and forensically, we know what happened, but we don’t know who did it,” DuPre said at the time.
For years, unsubstantiated speculation circulated publicly tying Smith’s death to members of the Murdaugh family.
Buster Murdaugh watches his father, Alex Murdaugh, testify during his double murder trial. (POOL)
Buster Murdaugh issued a statement in March 2023 denying any involvement and calling the allegations “baseless rumors.”
Kinsey told Emerson he saw no evidence linking the Murdaugh family to Smith’s death.
“I saw nothing that would make me even draw an inference that that’s to be true,” he said.
Stephen Smith’s mother has continued to push for answers as the case approaches a grim milestone.
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July 8, 2026, will mark 11 years since the 19-year-old was killed.
Authorities have offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to arrests and convictions in the case. SLED has said the investigation remains active and ongoing.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
