Show Notes
If you've listened to this podcast and followed the Murdaugh saga, then you likely know the names Tommy Moore and Sandy Smith. ABC News 4 and the Unsolved South Carolina team were privileged to have them accept a joint invitation for an interview last week, and we're sharing highlights of that interview here. READ: Attorney: SLED investigating Stephen Smith's death as a homicide FROM THE ARCHIVES: The Death of Stephen Smith, Part 1 | The Death of Stephen Smith, Part 2 Sandy is the mother of Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old young man found dead in the middle of a dark country road in Hampton County in July 2015. Stephen was in college studying nursing when he died. He also happened to be an openly gay man in the conservative, rural South. How Stephen died remains a mystery. Sandy has long suspected he may have been the victim of a hate crime, while the Hampton rumor mill churned with the name "Murdaugh" for years. Meanwhile Tommy Moore is one of the dozens of people to have fallen victim to notorious attorney-turned-thief and convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh. We were the first to share Moore's story with the public in January 2022 after an avalanche of fraud and money laundering charges came pouring down on Murdaugh. The connection between Moore and Sandy Smith and the Murdaughs comes full circle in a bizarre way. Moore recently divulged he helped lead Highway Patrol's investigation into Stephen's 2015 death. READ: Sandy Smith & Tommy Moore agree Stephen Smith didn't die in a hit-and-run Moore and his Highway Patrol colleagues insisted Stephen's death was not related to an automobile hit-and-run based on evidence available at the time; rather, they felt it appeared Smith's body had been dumped in the roadway after being killed elsewhere. However, other law enforcement agencies, death investigators and medical officials seemed disinterested in pursuing a homicide probe into Stephen's death. The case went cold, but Sandy's fight to bring justice and closure for her son never waned. Then, the case gained national attention as part of the broader Murdaugh criminal saga in the summer of 2021. But how are the Murdaugh's connected? Initially, several witnesses interviewed by Highway Patrol back in 2015 and 2016 told Troopers someone in the Murdaugh family was connected to Stephen and may have knowledge of his death. But attempts to track down those rumors led nowhere. It's an allegation never proven, and one which Buster Murdaugh vehemently denies. READ: New details in 2015 Stephen Smith death investigation Little else was heard about Stephen's case until the summer of 2021 when SLED announced out of the blue it was opening a new investigation into Stephen's death based on evidence and information gathered while concurrently investigating the June 2021 murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. And as of March 21, 2023, SLED confirms to the Smith family's lawyers that they're officially considering Stephen's case a homicide investigation. That's welcome news to both Sandy Smith and Tommy Moore. Listen along as reporters Anne Emerson and Tara Jabour join former S.C. Attorney General Charlie Condon and retired S.C. Highway Patrol Lt. "Trooper Bob" Beres to share highlights of the interview with Sandy and Tommy, and offer insight into the story. READ: Independent autopsy to be performed on Stephen Smith See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
More from The Murdaugh Murders, Money & Mystery | Criminally Obsessed
Former attorney Alex Murdaugh received a 40-year prison sentence in federal court for his financial crimes. United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel handed down the sentence on April 1 at the United States District Courthouse in Charleston. In this latest episode, Anne Emerson, Drew Tripp, and Charlie Condon discuss new information learned from the federal sentencing, which includes $6 million in missing money, 11 new unknown victims, and an alleged unnamed codefendant to Murdaugh's crimes. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Alex Murdaugh's bid for a retrial falls short as Justice Jean Toal rules Becky Hill's likely improper contact with jurors didn't rise to the level of prejudicial jury tampering. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Alex Murdaugh's defense team entered the ring throwing haymakers in a pre-hearing status conference on January 16th, hoping to bludgeon open a clear path to a retrial in Murdaugh's murder case. But retired South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal, the newly appointed judge on the case, parried and rebuffed Murdaugh's ambitious volleys in stunning and decisive fashion. Now Murdaugh's opening to land the decisive blow against his dual murder convictions and life sentence appears vanishingly small. Join Anne Emerson, Charlie Condon and Drew Tripp as they recap the important day in court and preview Murdaugh's upcoming evidentiary hearing on the controversial jury tampering allegations. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Did Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill have improper communications with jurors during Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial? If so, did she create bias or prejudice among jurors potentially influencing their verdict and warranting a retrial? Those are the two primary questions needing answers when state prosecutors and Murdaugh’s defense lawyers meet in court January 29 in a pivotal hearing to decide if Murdaugh’s dual convictions for the murders of his wife and son were fair and will stand. Murdaugh’s defense lawyers in a brief filed ahead of the hearing adamantly argue the answer to both questions is “Yes,” while the team of prosecutors for the S.C. Attorney General's Office argue they still feel Murdaugh shouldn't even be getting a hearing. Join Anne Emerson, Charlie Condon and Drew Tripp as they break down the legal battles taking shape. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
State investigators have found evidence linking a Colleton County government wiretapping scandal involving Jeffrey Hill to a public ethics complaint against his mother, the county’s elected clerk of court, Becky Hill. In this episode, former S.C. Attorney General Charlie Condon tells hosts Anne Emerson and Drew Tripp how the ethics complaint and attacks on Hill's character might impact a potential retrial for convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh. BACKGROUND: The date of the wiretapping incident involving Jeffrey Hill came in late July 2023, about a month after someone filed an ethics complaint against his mother with the State Ethics Commission. Becky Hill's county-issued cell phone was confiscated as part of the ongoing investigation. A public corruption investigation tied to the wiretapping incident has now been escalated to the S.C. Attorney General's Office. The original ethics complaint against Becky Hill, dated June 2023, alleges that during the Murdaugh murder trial and afterward, she "utilized her authority, the Colleton County Courthouse and taxpayer's money outside the scope of routine court business." In documents dated August 2023 reported by FITSNews, Hill categorically denies many of the allegations made in the original June 26 ethics complaint, and alleges other accusations have been crafted to exclude important context and other details to intentionally make her actions appear nefarious. MORE: Source says Colleton wiretapping & corruption probe linked to court clerk ethics complaint See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.