paul, captivating the nation in a dramatic six week long trial. >> guilty verdict. >> although stephen smith 2015, it wasn't until two law enforcement reopened smith's case. they discovered new evidence while looking into the double murders. >> at some point in the murdaugh investigation, which was very broad and all-encompassing, something happened in that investigation that made them take a fresh look at stephen about his case. >> his mother sandy smith never lost her belief that something more happened to her son. she posted a gofundme link in the hopes of exhuming her son's body to re-examine his cause of death. she is said to raise more than $90,000. >> a loving, beautiful child, had ambitions, he wanted to be somebody, he was working on that and somebody stole it from him. >> i know sandy smith has been pushing, fighting, trying to get anyone to pay attention to stephen's case. now nearly eight years. >> for eight years, having to live with that, to be told for the first time you are not easy, we believe you, we think you're right and we are going to find out the truth. >> the south ca

the police and south carolina originally considered stephen smith's death the result of a hit-and-runer sandy smith never accepted. and the case reopen in june 2021 based on information brought to light in the investigation into maggie and paul myrdal's murders. one day after buster spoke out about his empire involvement after hbo and tied him to the specials on his father's murder trial. buster writes, "these baseless rumors of stephen's death are false. i have to publicly deny any involvement in stephen's death and my heart goes out to his family." ." but attorneys for smith's family say this is not about the murdaughs. >> this is about stephen smith and get answers to questions his mother desperately needs answers for. so there is no reason to discuss buster murdaugh and no, it to be made back to murdaugh. god willing, court willing what was stephen smith's true cause of death? >> in the meantime, the sons of the murdaugh's former housekeeper calling for justice for their mother who died on the front steps of the family's homes. her death was ruled an accident but an autopsy was ne

state investigators in south carolina say that 2015 death of stephen smith near the merica state is now being looked at as a homicide. no member of the murdoch family is considered a suspect in this also gwyneth paltrow in court after she is being sued over 2016 ski accident in utah and optometrist accused her of skiing, a skiing hit and run on the slopes. but the actress claims it's actually the other way around that she's the one who was hit. also florida governor ron de santis going on offense hitting trump's character and his leadership skills ahead of an expected 2024 bite. and when it comes to that d sanctimonious nickname. or the governor says you can call it whatever you want. as long as you call him a winner. we do begin this hour with two major developments in two different investigations into former president trump versus special counsel's probe of those classified documents found at mara lago. we have now learned that a federal judge is convinced that donald trump may have used one of his own defense attorneys to break the law on federal agents were trying to retrieve those

why would they want to help stephen smith's family with a death investigation?ldn't put yourself out there to try to help or damage control a situation like it kind of seemed that randy was doing unless you're trying to save your own family from something. >> the murdaugh law firm did have an investigator show up after a couple of days had gone by. we're out there still trying to comb that scene to try to find something because no other law enforcement is willing to help. he shows up with a camera and wants to come in the crime scene. i said, i'm sorry, you can't come in here. i told him if he wanted to take pictures, he could take them after we were gone. but it wasn't about taking pictures. it was about seeing what we were doing to try to get one step ahead. this whole thing makes sense to me. if you wanted pictures, you could have got those at any time. makes you wonder, is murdaugh involved in that? >> stephen's case, we know very well, or at least certainly publicly. his body was found in the middle of the road. he had blunt force trauma to his head. they w

the attorney for stephen smith's mother eric bland says he plans to petition a judge to exhume smith'sndent autopsy conducted. he also said the murdaugh name had high influence in the area and possibly intimidated witnesses. he hopes they'll speak more freely now. back to you. >> c thank you for that. here to discuss, carol lamb, in studio, great to see you in person. i wonder a cold case like this, and the entire tv show dedicated to cold case, and eight years later, what are the challenges for prosecutors? >> as we have all seen on tv, chris, there are obviously challenges both forensic and witness challenges. forensic evidence obviously dissipates over time. it's a little bit harder to find murder weapons, and the body is not in the same condition anymore. but witness testimony is also critical in these cases, and you have people who have died. you have people who are incapacitated, memories fade over time. i think one of the interesting things here is a lot of potential witnesses are young people, people in the prime of their life at the time of the events eight years ago. it's qui

there have been no suspects named in the death of stephen smith.there have been rumors and there are a lot of documentaries and podcasts and people on social media talking, but nobody in the murdoch family has ever officially been named in connection with stephen smith death. in fact, look, they're still asking for information and tips right now, but buster murdoch's name did get thrown around in some of the interviews after stephen smith's body was found with highway patrol investigators again, not a suspect in buster murdoch released a statement this week saying that he's been trying to focus on grieving his mother and his brother while his father was convicted of killing them. but that he was unable to ignore the vicious rumors for any longer, he said. this has gone on for far too long. these baseless rumors of my involvement with steven and his death are false, unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the smith family again. this is an nearly eight years old. voter at this point that they are looking into erica

. >>> in our national lead, the body of stephen smith, the teenager found dead in the middle of a southld soon be exhumed. this comes two years after the investigation into smith's death had been reopened. that was because new information came to light following the 2021 deaths of maggie and paul murdaugh. all this renewed scrutiny over smith's death comes weeks after disgraced attorney alex murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison for killing his wife maggie and their son paul. cnn's dianne gallagher joining us from charlotte, north carolina. dianne, why is the murdaugh family linked to this case despite no connection made by police? >> reporter: so that's important, that no direct connection has been made by police. in part the reason why they're linked to it is because of a statement from the state law enforcement division they put out in june of 2021 where they said they were opening the death investigation into the killing of stephen smith because of new information that was gathered during the course of this double murder investigation of paul and maggie murdaugh. now, look, from

state investigators in south carolina are now treating the 2015 death of stephen smith as a homicide.uestions about smith's death were raised during the alex murdoch murder investigation. smith's death was reported at the time as a hit and run, but officials are now publicly acknowledging that they do not believe that to be the case. diane gallagher is following this and she joins us now. diane this investigation has been mentioned often in the same breath as the murdoch murders. is there a connection? locate the only real connection that has been made official between the death of stephen smith and the murdoch family is the fact that back in june of 2021, the state law enforcement division announced that it was opening the case into stephen smith's killing because of information it gathered while looking into the murders of paul and maggie murdock. since that point, they have never glean what that information was or what a further connection may have been. but look attorney for stephen smith's mother. sandy said that yesterday the chief of fled, called him and said that now that the

smith's family, s.l.e.d. has also agreed to work with them and participate in exhuming stephen's body for a private autopsy toather more evidence. it's all validation for sandy smith who told us before the news she never believed her 19-year-old son's death was an accident. >> in my heart this was not a hit and run. i think he was murdered and i just need the proof. >> reporter: smith's body was found lying in a rural south carolina road back in 2015, state investigators initially ruled it a hit and run and no one has ever been charged. in june of 2021, s.l.e.d. reopened the case based on information gathered during the curse of the double murder investigation of paul and maggie murdaugh. the agency has not said what that information was. a netflix documentary raised the possibility of a relationship between smith and buster murdaugh. >> there were so many rumors swirling around that buster and stephen were intimate together. >> reporter: in a statement to nbc news this week, buster murdaugh calls the rumors baseless and denies any involvement with stephen's death. no one in the murdaugh family has been impli

murdaugh whether it's him or somebody else in the family that has knowledge at least of the death of stephen smith to college, wanted to be a nurse, and he was found in the middle of a country road in hampton county. and they said, well, the highway department said he was hit by a car. but there was no broken glass, no car parts, his clothes were intact, his shoes were on, and he had a, you know, a clear head trauma injury that looked like it was done by something other than a car. and his death went, you know, it was investigated initially, but it was just deemed a car accident. and when in 2021 when they opened the investigation into the death of my client, gloria satterfield, they opened the death and investigation into the death of stephen smith. and that is ongoing, and now buster's father, alex, has been convicted there's a big cry in south carolina to find out what actually happened to stephen smith. buster himself is going to have to come to grips with is my father capable of murdering my brother is and mother, a jury said so, and he's going to have to look at his future in this family. pe

this is a stephen smith 2.0.s is a mother who for nearly eight years wondered what happened to her son and who did it to him. sandy smith started a go fund me and raised more than $75,000 that will go to pay to exhume her son in a private autopsy, once a judge allows that petition that they plan to file. look, don, we did reach out to sled. they said that their investigation is active and on going. they told us they made progress looking into the death of stephen smith. >> oh my goodness, so many twists and turns when it comes to what's happening with the murdaughs. thank you very much, dianne gallagher. >>> widespread bullying, homophobia, misogamy and racism is what's going on inside london's metropolitan police department, according to an official review released just moments ago. the response pouring in. ♪ what's the #1 retinol brand used most by dermatologists? it's neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair® smooths the look of fine lines in 1-week deep wrinkles in 4. so you can kiss wrink! neutrogena® wonderg what a

nothing but the best for the smith family, and he's denied having any involvement in the death of stephen smithit's important to note that, but it's unclear what it means for the murdoch family. right now, the focus is on. certainly the smith family they're planning to exume stephen smith. its body. they're going to work with south carolina law enforcement and see what more they can find out about exactly what happened to him ready. is it clear at all? how buster's name it was mentioned in and in what way there could be a connection at all to stephen smith. well according to sandy smith, steven's mom, stephen smith, and buster played baseball together , they attended school together , but in terms of how it's mentioned, i mean, i've listened to some of these audio interviews in the case file. you hear? you know, you just hear people saying, well, i keep your keep hearing buster's name thrown around but again. it's really important to note here that buster is denying any involvement in this having any knowledge of this and it could just be people talking in that in those audio interviews with th

the family of stephen smith, south carolina teenager who was killed in 2015 once a new investigation into the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death. so far, they've raised more than $89,000 on go fund me to have his body exhumed for a private autopsy. originally his cause of death was ruled as a hit and run. but investigators who were looking into the murders of maggie and paul murdoch said they found information that led them to open a homicide investigation into smith's death. cnn's dianne gallagher is joining us now live with the latest diane tell us about these new developments. so look, this is the first real update that we have received from state investigators since they announced that they were opening that investigation into the killing of stephen smith back in june of 2021, if you remember, they said the reason they were opening that investigation was because of information gathered during the course of a different investigation. into the murders of paul and maggie murdock. now look, there's never been any official connection made between the murdoch family and ste

i spoke with stephen smith's mom, sandy, and that attorney eric bland. appreciate you joining us. you have been fighting for nearly eight years now, too. to get justice for your son. how do you feel now that the investigation has been is being looked at as a homicide now, finally. i'm just overwhelmed. um, i've been fighting. this is what i've been fighting for. and i'm finally getting it. um. i don't know how to explain it, but i have a little bit of peace in the hall. yeah. do you know? as you said, you've been fighting to get more attention on and find out exactly what happened to your son, really? from the beginning , and it has been nearly eight years now. it'll be eight years this july. did you know i mean when, early on when they said, well, it looks like it was. you know, it was blunt force trauma , you know, motor vehicle accident. he was probably hit on the road walking on the side of the road. did you believe that at all? i did not told him that i said there's no way this is a hit and run. my son would not walk in that road. there was some at

stephen's death. attorney eric bland represents smith's mother. >> she believes that stephen was murdered, and it was important for her for his legacy to prove that. >> reporter: nowhere in the files from 2015 does it indicate that investigators attempted to speak with or spoke with buster murdaugh. murdaugh's attorneys confirm they never did. lester. >> all right, catie, thank you. >>> in 60 seconds, the new cdc warning on eye drops following three deaths. >>> plus, the new plan to overhaul the country's organ transplant system. what it may mean for wait times and who gets s the orgagans next. organ transplant system. what it may mean for wait times and who gets the organs next. i suffer with psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis. i was on a journey for a really long timeme to find d some relieief. cosentyx w works for m me. cosentyx h helps reall peoplele get real l relief from the e symptoms o of psoric ararthritis oror psoriasisi. serious alallergic reaeactios and d an increasased risk of infnfections oror lowered ability y to fight them m may occur.. tell youour doctor i if you he an i infection o o

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involved in this sordid saga, also saying that he might have been one of the last people to see stephen smith, according to the netflix documentary. um he buster was allegedly, um, called by stephen that night to come help him. uh you know, fill up his car with gas. we don't know if that actually happened, but there's seriously reason to go and investigate buster over this . he might have nothing to do with it. but the fact that he was not questioned, i think again says something about how untouchable this family was. and i just can't imagine how frustrated this family must be feeling like their case. didn't matter as much as these other ones. did. we have a statement from buster murdoch. he denies any involvement in stephen smith's death, he says, quote these baseless rumors of my involvement with steven and his death are false, unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the smith family. there are ways that you can in law enforcement investigate this forensically. i had a forensic expert who i used to work with. who would say a dead body is like a mini crime s

trey: welcome back to "sunday night in america" on july 8, 2015 the body of 19-year-old stephen smithhe south carolina roadway not far from where alex murdaugh would later murder his wife and son. what happened in the aftermath of discovering smith's body was not a good moment for south carolina justice system. there was a dispute of whether smith was killed in the roadway or elsewhere there were differences of opinion among law enforcement acrimony of law enforcement and the forensic pathologist that performed the autopsy the minutes and hours and days after crime are crucial every day that goes by makes it more difficult to find the tr truth. here we are eight years later in the south carolina state law enforcement division commonly known as flood has determine the manner of death was homicide. that is the beginning not the end, police and prosecutors must rule out accident, self-defense and find the perpetrator and uncover what happened to develop a case that is worthy of prosecution. right now the question outpaces the answers but it is a start how did this body get into the roadw

stephen smith was a classmate of buster in high school.the "new york post" the family kept inserting themselves in to the case. she's not directly accusing them of being involved. saying "i don't know if they did it or not. i don't care. i just want to know who and i want to know why. i don't care what your name is." jonna, let's start with randy and get to the stephen smith case, which people are intrigued by. randy did not testify. john martin did testify on behalf of his brother, alec. randy said he's sad and confused and he wants to know what his brother knows and what he didn't tell them. >> i agree with that. randy doesn't necessarily agree with the jury's verdict in this case. he's supportive of his brother to a certain extent. he does think that alec murdaughs knows more, perhaps know whose did it, has some more connection than he led us. we all know he's a liar. if you watched the trial, you know that alec murdaugh is a liar. he also had a relationship with maggie and paul. of course he wants to know what happened to them. i don't

in 2016 implicating buster murder, surviving son as possible suspect in her son stephen smith's deathephew buster who graduated with stephen beat stephen to death with a baseball bat. he claimed because stephen was gay. the young man told chris that buster threatened to kill him if he ever spoke of. today the smith family attorney still searching for answers all the years later into what really what happened. >> obviously people have talked over the last eight years and it's critical now that we ride this awe of momentum and the people get out and reach folks with information so we can track down the leads to finally find out what happened. laurence: they want answers. police originally ruled smith's death as hit and run. rare tornado hit montebello in california. in california. montebello is ass assessing the damage. in other parts of california, spring snow and rain, and two people died in storm on tuesday. the la national weather service reported hail and also issued tornado warning, stay with fox weather for extended coverage on the latest storm. and it's the end of an era almost

and the cause is still unknown. >>> new details now on the investigation into the 2015 death of stephen smithth carolina. smith was a classmate of bus ter murdaugh, the surviving son of convicted murderer alex murdaugh. smith's death was initially deemed the result of a hit and run, but in 2021, state investigators said that they were reopening the investigation into his death based on information that they had learned while investigating the murders of maggie and paul murdaugh. now a new legal team for smith's family is seeking to launch a fresh probe into his death and his family has raised about $80,000 to have his body exhumed for a private autopsy. randi kaye has the details. >> heartbreaking. he was a human. and he deserves justice. >> reporter: sandy smith now one step closer to what she hopes will be justice for her son. >> it will be hard to open an investigation after eight years, but it has to start with an examination of his body. >> it is important to me because i love my son and sense i couldn't protect him, i'm going to fight for him. >> reporter: stephen smith, a 19-year-old w

south carolina police are investigating the 2015 death of stephen smith as a homicide. as a classmate of buster murdoch, that surviving son of convicted murderer alec murdoch. investigators now say there's no indication that smith's death was caused by a hit and run. as originally reported by a medical examiner. the family attorney raised concerns that smith might have been targeted because he was gay. and as cnn's dianne gallagher reports for us now, the initial police case file mentions the murdoch family dozens of times. the investigation into who killed 19 year old steven smith is heating up with state investigators calling his mother's attorneys tuesday with an update on her son's case. this is not a hit and run that this is something more and something different. and that sweater is actively investigating this as a homicide . smith's body was found in the middle of this rural hampton county south carolina road in july. 2015 highway patrol investigators at the time said there was no evidence he had been hit by a car, but a pathologist who performed the autopsy said

. >> breaking overnight, a major development in that mysterious death of stephen smith. the investigation reopened because of evidence authorities say they found in the alex murdaugh double murder. now what his mother is saying this morning. >> gwyneth paltrow in court. the oscar winner being sued over a ski accident, accused of recklessly crashing into a retired doctor. now what the actress is expecting to testify. >> fake outtake. a deceptive late-night delivery causing this distraction. a new warning >> a whale of a tale. shipwrecked after a whale slammed their boat in the middle of the pacific. we hear from the captain on the incredible tale of survival. >> and inspiring change. >> here's your change. >> don't miss our surprise for the young woman on a mission. >> i especially want all the kids out there to know that i think kids at any age can change the world. >> with their love for lemonade and animals. >> live in times square, this is "good morning america." >> this is "good morning america," we cannot wait for you to meet delanie. she is a rising star. as we cel

we get more from nikki battiste. >> reporter: nearly eight years after stephen smith mysteriously died along a rural south carolina road, his family is finally hopeful for answers. >> i hope to find the real reason for stephen's death. >> reporter: the south carolina law enforcement division announced it is now investigating his death, initially ruled an unintentional hit-and-run as a homicide. investigators reopened the case in 2021 after finding new evidence while investigating the murders of maggie and paul murdaugh. the smith family's attorney says his mother is haunted by the lingering concern her son was targeted because he was openly gay. >> we think that he did not die on thatnially said smith was hit and killed by a car after he ran out of gas while driving home. an autopsy report states he died of blunt force trauma to the head, possibly from the impact of a side view mirror. but the initial report said they see no evidence to suggest that the victim was struck by a vehicle. >> it just makes no sense to us that he could be struck in that fashion badly enough to cause his deat

now to south carolina, and new developments in the death of stephen smith, the state assigning more agents to the homicide investigation into the death of the 19 year old who was a classmate of buster murdoch, this surviving son of convicted murderer alex murdoch. smith's body was found on a country road in 2015 close to the murdoch home. initially, his death was deemed a hit and run. cnn's anderson cooper spoke to his mother on wednesday. have a little bit of peace in the whole. i'm open to the evidence and the only dispute i had was that it was not a hit and run. hmm. and that's what i've been saying from the beginning, and i felt my son was murdered. he was beaten to death. and i think it was a hate crime. cnn's dianne gallagher has more. the investigation into who killed 19 year old steven smith is heating up with state investigators calling his mother's attorneys tuesday with an update on her son's case. this is not a hit and run that this is something more and something different. and that sled is actively investigating this as a homicide . smith's body was found in the middle of thi

carolina law enforcement now investigating the 2015 death of buster murdaugh dawg's classmate, stephen smiths originally considered accidental, a hit and run. an attorney for the smith family says he believes witnesses to the teen's death will be able to, quote, come forward without fear now that buster 's dad alex is behind bars. and smith's death is not even the only one with bizarre ties to the disgraced family. how many layers does this rotten onion have? the party panel is back, ines, doug and robby. so, robby, let us begin. this case of stephen smith has been so tragic for his family. his mom has been able to raise $80,000 partly through the series on netflix and hbo max that that the highlight the way that his son -- her son, rather, was murderedded and discarded in the middle of the road. and almost everyone that law enforcement interviewed, they talked about buster murdaugh. will we finally see some justice here? >> i hope so. you know, what we're hearing now is there wasn't actually a lot of evidence that it even was a hit and run, out looked more like a murder by some blunt force

we get more now from cbs's nikki battiste. >> reporter: nearly eight years after stephen smith mysteriouslyral south carolina road, his family is finalyl hopeful for answers. >> i hope to find the real reason for stephen's death. they announced it is now investigating his death ruled an unintentional hit-and-run as a homicide. investigators reopen the case in 2021 after finding new evidence while investing the murders of maggie and paul murdaugh. the smith family attorney says the mother is haunted by the lingering concern her son was targeted because he was openly gay. >> we think that he did not die on that road that fateful night. >> reporter: police initially said smith was hit and killed by a car while running out of gas an autopsy report said he died of blunt force trauma to the head, possibly a side mirror, but the initial report said that they see no evidence to suggest that the victim was struck by a vehicle. >> it makes no sense to us that he could be struck in that fashion badly enough to cause his death and there to be no vehicle debris of any kind whatsoever. that buster murder

the family wants to exume stephen smith's body for an independent autopsy. they're waiting for approval from a judge andrew rhiannon, andrea, thank you. we turn now to the virginia man who died in police custody allegedly suffocated by deputies. newly released video shows the disturbing moments leading up to the death of ivo otieno 10. people have now been indicted in this case, including medical workers. abc s justin finch is here now. new details. justin. good morning. and good morning. that video is from a psychiatric hospital, and we want to warn you. it's hard to watch. it shows officers in hospital workers dragging and holding down otieno for 12 minutes as he was cuffed and shackled. it's unclear why the situation escalated, but investigators are now suggesting a cover up, saying it took deputies 3.5 hours to call 911 dispatcher was told otieno suffered cardiac arrest when, in fact, prosecutors say he was smothered. her to death family says he was battling mental health issues. he was loved by everyone in the community. he was battling with his mental

smith family now wants stephen spotty to be exhumed for a new investigation.'ve seen somebody that. >> spinny 19 years since the -- middle of this country road and hampton county, south carolina. the teens death gained national attention in june 2021, nearly six years after he was killed, when the state lawn forsman -- opened investigation into his death based on information gathered during the course of the double murder investigation of paul and maggie murdaugh. >> frederick, guilty. >> alex murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of his wife and son earlier this month. >> for the rest of your natural life -- >> investigators have never revealed when information they gleaned from the murdaugh murders investigation that resulted in his case being opened. today, new private efforts lash to uncover the circumstances, spearheaded by smith's mother, sandy, and two attorneys. the first goal -- exhuming his body. >> we think we have good cause to show why a fresh side of eyes on this would be beneficial. it has to start with a fresh new look at the

smith's family, s.l.e.d. has agreed to work with them and participate in exhuming stephen's body for a private autopsy to gatherce. it's all validation for sandy smith who told us before the news she never believed her 19-year-old son's death was an accident. >> in my heart, this was not a hit-and-run. i think he was murdered, and i just need the proof. >> reporter: smith's body was found lying in a rural south carolina road back in 2015. state investigators initially ruled it a hit-and-run and no one has ever been charged. in june of 2021, s.l.e.d. reopened the case based on information gathered during the course of the double murder investigation of paul and maggie murdaugh. the agency has not said what that information was. a netflix documentary raised the possibility of a relationship between smith and buster murdaugh. >> there are so many rumors swirling around that buster and stephen were intimate together. >> reporter: in a statement to nbc news this week, buster murdaugh calls the rumors baseless and denies any involvement with stephen's death. the new development comes weeks after alec murdaugh was sen

. -- he was involved into this thousand 15 death of stephen smith, a former cause made of his. t 15 miles from the home. authorities originally ruled his death a hidden run, but new information on that murdaugh double murder probes put that in doubt, and the smith family now wants stevens body to be exhumed for a new investigation. cnn's dianne gallagher is out front. >> what is your emergency? >> -- i see somebody laid out. >> it's been nearly eight years since the body of stephen smith was found in the middle of this country road, and manhattan county south carolina. the teams death gain national attention in june 2021, nearly six years after he was killed, when the state law enforcement said they're open an investigation into his death, based on information relating to the death of paul maggie murdaugh. >> i like murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife and son, earlier this month. >> the rest of your natural life. >> and investigators never revealed what information they glean from the murdaugh murders investigation, there resulted in his case been

and now i understand you are representing stephen smith's mom? >> yes. it's-i'm honored to do so.r 8 years to change the cause of death the coroner's report, the certificate of death all said that steven died as a result of being hit by a car on a highway. and there was a lot of disagreement in the beginning of the investigation that it was not a highway fatality. his shoes weren't blown off. there wasn't debris from a car. you would expect if you hit somebody, there wasn't any skid marks. and had all the earmarkings of a homicide taking place somewhere else. and she has been screaming from the rooftops and this has he taken a back burner as the murdaugh murders unfolded. this week i received an extraordinary phone call from mark keel, who is the chief of reade seligmann our chief fbi in. he said he it is now the position of the state of south carolina that stephen smith, his death resulted from a homicide. >> ainsley: what makes them think that, eric? >> well, i think now they have recovered some evidence. you remember they opened the investigation in july of 2021 will when they

after extraordinary sefolosha closure phone call after a phone call with mark kiehl the death of stephen smithed a homicide. smith, once a classmate of alex murdaugh's oldest son buster was found dead in the middle of a south carolina road in 2015. his body discovered near the murdaugh's hunting lodge and three miles from where his car had run out of gas. police in south carolina treating the case as a hit and run. something smith's mother sandy never accepted. the case was reopened in june of 2021 brought to information brought to light into the investigation ever the murders of maggie and paul murdaugh news coming one day after buster his involvement documentaries on hbo and netflix revealed rumors of romantic buster and smith. buster writes these baseless movements in my involvement in steven's death are quote. i unequivocally deny any involvement in smith's death and my heart goes out to the smith's family. the sons of murdaugh's former housekeeper are also calling for justice. their mother died on the front steps of the murdaugh family home, her death ruled an accident, but, an autopsy wa

south carolina investigators initially ruled the death of stephen smith an accident. pull his body from the grave. and a strong denial of involvement from the surviving son of convicted killer alex murdaugh. fox nation host nancy grace joins us now. good morning, nancy. >> good morning. yes, it's quite the saga playing out again in south carolina. it's very unusual. this case, as you said, happened back in 2015, so why has it bubbled up to the surface in a full boil now. well, reportedly, during the investigations of the double murder of paul and maggie murdaugh some evidence came forward south carolina law enforcement division that this was, in fact, a murder. and they have outright said it is a murder. and that through some shifting of various law enforcement, it was never investigated as anything but a hit and run. but, let me remind everybody, a hit and run is not exclusive ith a murder. a murder can be a hit and run. there was one visible wound to stephen smith's head, about a 7-inch laceration on one side of his head. but what troubled his mother sandy is that t

listen first of all to what stephen smith's mother sandy said about what she was told by sled it couldand since i couldn't protect him i'm going to fight for him. i hope to find the real reason for stephen's death. and the real why. >> john: and what she said to the hampton county guardian last night, i've been waiting on this news for almost eight years. i'm in shock, i'm elated, i'm waiting for the next chapter. not often, mark, you hear a parent say they are elated to find out their son was murdered but she has long suspected there was foul play here. >> yeah, i get it. i'm a father of three and if i learned that they said my kid was involved in an accident and i knew that there was something nefarious like she's alleging her son would not have left his wallet in the vehicle and then walked along a roadway, or that there was no skid marks at all on the asphalt to indicate that somehow this was the accident they are claiming it to be. no vehicle debris, no parts of the vehicle left, no evidence consistent with him being dragged at all. you know, that's hokey, and you don't just as a

there also was a case, a death years ago of a man named stephen smith. initially local police said that they believed he was killed in a hit and run accident. his family has adamantly said they do not believe that that's what happened here. buster murdaugh, the sole surviving son of this family, his name had been mentioned in some different circles, in different inquiries as it related to the death of stephen smith. police have not named anything official, tieing that death to this family. but the law enforcement division, south carolina law enforcement division, they said that they were opening an investigation to look into the circumstances surrounding stephen smith's death because of information that they found while they were investigating the double homicide of maggie and paul murdaugh. so those are all things to watch moving forward. the most immediate thing for alex murdaugh will be those charges, those 99 charges related to financial crimes. we will also likely see his attorneys appeal his murder charges here. jose? >> ellison barber, charles col

i've tried my best to ignore the vicious rumors about my involvement in stephen smith's tragic death that continuing to published in the media as i grieve over the brutal murders of my brother and mother i love them so much and miss them terribly. murdaugh adding that he's still coping with their loss and the incarceration of his father while being harassed 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 >> i need answers. i'm a mother i need answers >> reporter: and how those answers are found will rest in the hands of a judge smith's attorneys say they plan to petition the court and ask for permission to exhume also presenting evidence about why it's necessary now back to you. >>> officials in miami beach narrowly voted against extending the city's curfew into this weekend. coissioners instead voted to ban all alcohol sales for off-premises consumption after 6:00 p.m. starting on thursday miami beach issued a state of emergency and curfew that lasted from midnig

one time classmate, the family of stephen smith raising over $70,000 to exhume the 19 year old body for an independent autopsy. my hope is that we can find the right people that we need to just start from the beginning and to get us answer. police classifying him as a victim of a hit and run after his body was found in 2015 on a south carolina road, nearly six miles from the murdoch home, but authorities investigating the murdoch murders later announcing they found new evidence in smith's death. they did not say what that evidence is. lawyers for the smith family rejecting that hit and run theory, it just makes no sense to us. that he could be struck in that fashion badly enough to cause his death and there'll be no vehicle debris and buster murdoch, who went to high school with smith, breaking his silence to address what he called vicious rumors of his involvement, saying in a statement these baseless rumors of my involvement with steven and his death are false, unequivocally denied any involvement in his death. and my heart goes out to the smith family. the smith family has the money

the death of stephen smith is now considered a homicide, one day after buster murdaugh spoke out aboutored involvement after netflix tied him to smith in a documentary. buster writes, "baseless rumors of my involvement in stephen's death are false, i deny any involvement in stephen's death." the sons of murdaugh's former housekeeper are also seeking justice. her death was ruled an accident, but an autopsy was never performed. settlements were received, but kept most of it. >> ashley: officials in miami beach voting against putting a curfew in place. chaotic scenes like this play out on the streets. officials have decided to ban the sale of alcohol after 6 p.m. the owner of a liquor store in miami beach joins us now. george, thank you for being here this morning. tell me, why do you think they decided, officials in miami beach decided to shut down sale of chicago past 6 p.m. and that will somehow stop this problem? >> to be frank and honest, i understand they have an issue in south beach with chaos and spring breakers, i don't see why shutting liquor stores down. eight or nine stores on

. >> ashley: south carolina authorities are investigating the homicide of stephen smith near the murdaughnch. >> todd: initially ruled a hit and run, but his mom believed buster murdaugh brutally murdered stephen. >> the probe into the death of stephen smith continue as south carolina law enforcement say they are making progress. investigation into the death of mr. smith was never closed, it remains a homicide investigation. agents reviewed the south carolina highway patrol investigative file. it was apparent those agents did not believe mr. smith's death was a hit and run by a motor vehicle. in a letter from 2016, smith's mother provides information about an alleged witness approaching her older son. this person told chris he was present when stephen was murdered and saw it firsthand. he said buster beat stephen to death with a baseball bat, he claimed it was because stephen was gay. the young man said buster threatened to kill him if he ever spoke up. this eyewitness testimony was given to law enforcement, but nothing came of it. she accused of protecting buster murdaugh as her attorney

this is stephen smith 2.0. it's all about stephen. >> that's at the heart of this here. a mother for eight years has wanted to find out what happened to her son and who did it to him. sandy smith has a gofundme. she has raised $75,000 that she plans to use for the independent autopsy and to exhume her son's body if a judge signs a petition allowing it. we asked about the investigation. they told us they had made progress and said it was active and ongoing. diane gallagher, cnn, charlotte, north carolina. >>> ukrainian authorities say a russian attack last year on a couple in their car is a clear case of a war crime. it's also the subject of a new documentary by a ukrainian filmmaker. cnn's ivan watson has our exclusive report. >> reporter: from a battlefield in eastern ukraine, a desperate call for help, as a ukrainian woman pleads for her wounded husband's life. footage from last june, shows the moment when a ukrainian couple took a wrong turn towards an active front line. the car came under fire from nearby russian forces, badly wounding the driver. >> translator: i saw

stephen and his death are false. i deny any involvement in his death. while the smithw need approval to actually do it. that can still take some time to get. >> eva, every day there's something new in this case. >> yeah, there's a lot of complicated moving parts to it. i think there will be new developments to come. >> i know, you'll stay on top of it as you have from the beginning. >>> coming up our series scam u, a new warning about real estate scams. trevor. >> one retired teacher lost her down payment on her new house, entire life savings, we'll share her story. that's coming up next on "gma." s you loved doing... before your asthma got in the way? get back to the things you love... with fasenra. fasenra is an add-on treatment for eosinophilic asthma. having too many eosinophils, a type of white blood cell, can cause inflammation and asthma symptoms. fasenra is designed to target and remove eosinophils and helps prevent asthma attacks. fasenra is 1 dose every 8 weeks. fasenra can help patients to breathe better. most patients did not have an asthma attack in the fi

the investigation into the 2015 death of stephen smith. smith was a classmate of buster murdoch.rer, alex murdaugh. smith staff was deemed a hidden run. but in 2021, state investigator said they were reopening the investigation based on information they learned while investigating the murders of alex murdaugh's wife and youngest son. now a new legal team for smith's family is seeking to launch a fresh investigation into his death. his family has raised more than $70, 000, and they plan to ask a judge to allow them to have his body exhumed for a private autopsy. three 60's randi kaye has been reporting on every angle of the saget for majeski, or the rubber. >> it's heartbreaking, he was a human, monte deserves justice. >> sandy, smith now one step closer to what she hopes will be justice for her side. >> it's hard to open up an investigation after a, years but it needs to start with an examination of his body. >> it's important to me, because i just let my son, since i couldn't protect him -- >> stephen smith, a 19-year-old with dreams of becoming a doctor, was found at about four

police photos of the car belonging to stephen smith. urdaugh's oldest and only surviving son, buster. >> smith was found dead in the middle of a rural road in 2015, 15 miles from the murdaugh estate. investigators ruled the death as a hit-and-run but in 2021 the state law enforcement agency opened a homicide investigation after finding new information during the investigation into the deaths of paul and maggie murdaugh. to catie beck in south carolina. >> reporter: the homicide investigation was officially opened in june of 2021. that's the same month and year maggie and paul murdaugh were murdered. it is now shift to go stephen smith's investigation and investigators are making it a top priority. they say it is ongoing, active and designated a homicide. they will be dedicating new detectives, new resources to solving this crime. smith's mother has always advocated her son was not killed by a hit-and-run, that this was a homicide case. she wants an independent review and has hired someone to get an exhumation. the murdaugh name did yield

the stephen smith case was reopened by s.l.e.d. t was found at the double murder scene for maggie and paul murdaugh. >> so stephen died. and he was found july 7th of 2015. rumors were everywhere. everywhere. this is a small county. it's impossible that people didn't know what happened. people talk. >> what the talk has always been was that stephen had some sort of a relationship with a murdaugh. and that was going to get out. >> so they took him out? >> think how courageous stephen was. you're talking about a young man who is homosexual, who isn't hiding it, is very proud of who he is. you're talking about a small southern town. >> it's taboo. >> it's taboo. and he's wearing it proud. and somebody didn't like it. it clearly had to have been related to his sexuality. don't you believe, mike? >> 100%. 100%. south carolina and wyoming are the only two states that have no hate crimes law. >> we have no hate crimes law? >> no. we can't get one passed. and we have been trying and begging and fighting. >> you're kidding me. >> no. >> what