announcement from the state law enforcement when they auns noed they were opening an investigation into steven smith's course of the double murder investigation of maggie and paul murdaugh. now, look, smith's death remains unsolved. investigators have never revealed what that information was that they gathered. but buster murdaugh speaking out for the very first time today saying that he had remained silent about in his words these vicious rumors because he was going through his father as trial and grieving the death of his mother and his brother. but said today these baseless rumors of my involvement with steven and his death are false. i unequivocally deny any involvement in his death and my heart goes out to the smith family. now, steven smith's mother and attorneys speaking today about this new investigation. a private investigation. going forward saying they're going to go wherever it leads them. >> all right. >> we're going to hire experts who are going to come into this case with a fresh set of eyes, with an open mind, without any preconceived conclusions, being objective and wherever the facts

trey: welcome back so "sunday night in america," steven smith was a ch classmate of buster murdaugh, convicted murderer alex murdaugh. in 2015, smith's body was found in a roadway not far from where murdaugh killed his wife and son, police said it was a hit-and-run, but rumors persisted there was more to the case and his date. now the case has been reopened new witnesses have come forward am family of steven smith raised enough money for an independent examination of his remains. joining us now former nypd inspector paul mauro. thank you for joining us, i love having you on. for those not familiar perhaps with this part of the murdaugh saga, what should they know about this particular facts pattern. >> a lot of constitutional the top of the -- confusion at top of case, smith a body was found in middle of road with blunt force injury to his head, initially at scene is usupposition it was a gunshot wound, after the p the -- no bullet fragments were found then it was then decided to be a hit-and-run, the interact between different agencies there was a sheriff office, there was some conf

caution the public, this is not about the murdochs. >> this is not an alex murdoch 2.0, this is steven smithr who at the heart of this for nearly eight years has simply wanted to find out what happened to her son and who did it to him. sandy smith started a go fund me. she's raised roughly $25,000 to pay to exhume the body of her son if a judge signs off allowing it. we asked sled about the investigation into stephen smith's death. they said it is ak tich and ongoing and they have made progress. >> thank you very much. >>> next, dramatic new video this hour of riot police facing off with protestors setting fire across a major city tonight. research shows people remember ads with a catchy song. so to help you remember that liberty mutual customizes your home insurance, here's a little number you'll never forget. did you know that berty mutual custo— ♪iberty mutual. ♪ ♪ only pay for what you need. ♪ ♪ only pay for what you need. ♪ ♪ custom home insurance created for you all. ♪ ♪ now the song is done ♪ ♪ back to living in your wall. ♪ they're just gonna live in there? ♪ yes. ♪ only pay for what

disclosure phone call with south carolina law enforcement division chief, mark keel, the death of steven smithde adding that, quote, we have a chance to right eight. larryears ofwrongs and we inten. buster murdaugh's attorney released a statement where he denied any involvement in smith's test. the attorney for the smith family said this isn't about the murdaughs. >> this is about steven smith. this is about trying to get answers to questions that his mother desperately needs answers for so there's no reason to discuss buster murdaugh and there's no comment to make back to buster murdaugh. we're going to find out god willing, court willing, what was steven smith's true cause of death. death. >> an e-mail from mark zuckerberg with the subject line please resign has leaked. this is after information about the social network's future plans was leaked. the e-mail begins with zuckerberg stating his message is confident, adding do not share. he later says the link was an act of betrayal and threatens employees with, quote, if you don't he resign we will almost certainly find out who you are. oh, chi

so, lots still to go on this journey of find ought what happened to steven smith. >> that's certainlytice here. thank you so much, isabella rosales. >> thank you. >>> a man with duel american/israeli citizenship shot in the back while in the west bank. we'll have the latest, next in the "cnn newsroom." what's the big deal? what's the big deal? what's the big deal? ♪marcrching band music♪ scotts daylawn saving is the biggest deal of the year. stock up early and save up to $20 dollarsrs on the best scotts products. when covid hit, we had some challenges. the biggest de of the yeare pays to keep the people that have been here king care of us. learn more at getrefunds.com. (man) what if my type 2 diabetes takes over? (woman) what if all i do isn't enough? or what if i can do diabetes differently? (avo) now you can with once-weekly mounjaro. mounjaro helps your body regulate blood sugar, and mounjaro can help decrease how much food you eat. 3 out of 4 people reached an a1c of less than 7%. plus people taking mounjaro lost up to 25 pounds. mounjaro is not for people with type 1 diabetes or

through the online fundraising campaign friends and relatives of steven smith have raised more than threen independent autopsy. on the smith family go fun we gave patients even some of the family rates thank you for not allowing steven storage be swept under a rug burn we will pursue the exhibition immediately provide updates along the way. steven smith he was 19 at the time of his death was openly gay and had been a high school classmates of murdo's older son, buster preece even spiders from july 2015 through the murdoch family hunting estate or buster's mother maggie and brother paul were fatally shot six years later. for police inform the smiths of the body's identity, alec myrtle's older brother randy, an attorney reportedly contacted the family to offer his help looking for steven and into stephen's death. police and she rolled the case a hit-and-run accident. they reopened their investigation following the deaths of maggie and paul murdoch. first there has been a long rubber involvement somehow of a murdoch whether it's him, or someone else in the family that hasn't knowledge at lea

steven smith's family is vowing justice over his death and putting the murdaugh family once again into national spotlight. let's bring in nancy grace. thanks for being with us. take a listen to the smith family's attorney on this new investigation they are demanding. i want to get your response. >> there were no skid marks around his body. no vehicle debris found. his loosely tied shoes were still on his feet. it is our job and honor today to launch a new investigation into this death in the hopes of finding real answers. >> gillian: what do you think, nancy? >> i think the exhumation of this teen boy steven smith is a long time coming. first responders that appeared that night at the scene after a stranger calls 911 to report a body in the very middle of the road, which i find very unusual. as if it is staged there back on july 18, 2015. the first responders said it looks like he was shot in the head. they thought it was the cause of death. according to the autopsy we've been told it was changed to vehicular homicide because the body was found on the road. i have driven that road at n

buster murdaugh was never interviewed about the 2015 case. >> the attorney for steven smith's mother uth carolina. let's bring in nbc's senior legal correspondent, laura jarrett. laura, good morning to you. >> good morning, craig. >> eight years after the death of steven smith, how hard is it to put together a murder investigation, considering how much time has lapsed? >> it's difficult, but not impossible. we can all think about cold cases that were solved decades after a killing took place. the real issue here is that so much attention has been focused on this case. obviously, there's a netflix documentary, there's an hbo documentary. it's very hard to control witnesses and their memories after so much time, especially when they've been out there talking about the case so much. you have to wonder, how much of the evidence was preserved. we don't know enough about that. is it impossible, no. difficult? absolutely. >> we should point out, buster murdaugh has denied any involvement in the death of steven smith. he was not questioned at the time. any chance that buster murdaugh gets que

police nonreal predicates from 2015 of the young man you see their 19-year-old steven smith.his body was found right in the middle of the road about 15 miles from murdoch family home in south carolina. at first decided he of a hit-and-run accident this is not so he was murdered and his body dumped on the roadway. investigators now trying to determine if there is indeed a connection between the incident involving kim and the murdoch family. with the latest on this case. >> recent conviction for the conventions of his wife and son have renewed interest in other deaths that happened nearby or on the e-uppercase-letter property. originally these deaths were thought to be accidental. third on the client fundraising campaigns friends and relatives of steven smith have raised more than three times ma they to commission an independent autopsy. dismissed family go funny saves steven's mother, sandy writes thank you for not telling steven sorry to be swept under a rug. we will exhume immediately and provide updates on the way. steven smith was 19 at the time of his death was openly gay

we do have a statement today saying they have made progress in the investigation of steven smith, howeverstigation remains active and ongoing. smith's mother has been fighting day one, since his body was found, to get some answers into her son's death. she started a gofundme with the goal of having an independent autopsies and exhumation, she said that would be around $7,000 and set a goal of $15,000 and today has blown past that goal of nearly $60,000 that she has raised and she put up a post saying our family is so very grateful to all of you who came together to help us in our fight for justice for steven, we will pursue the exhumation immediately. thank you for your kind words and prayers, it means the world to us. still so many questions that need to be answered for steven and his family and justice and for things to happen here. >> remarkable turn of events and it keeps going. thank you so much. >> coming up, education advocates say more black male teachers are needed in classrooms all across the country but many schools face recruiting challenges such as low pay and racial bias in

steven's death. no one in the murdaugh family has been implicated in smith's killing.prison. lawyers believe that frees up more police resources and they hope will encourage more potential witnesses to come forward. >> someone's soul is burdened with this information. whoever that person is, i'm telling you, talk to s.l.e.d., call us, put this weight down. >> reporter: a hope shared by sandy smith still seeking the truth. >> i'm a mother. he need answers. >> reporter: she hopes to see a private, independent medical examination of her son's body. a judge has to grant permission for that to happen. back to you. >> our thanks to blayne alexander. >>> taking to the streets. protests in israel, standing up to netanyahu's plans to overall and take away the independence in the nation's courts, including the supreme court. this is "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. when moderate to severe ulcerative colitis keeps flaring, put it in check with rinvoq, a once-daily pill. when uc got unpredictable, i got rapid symptom relief with rinvoq. and left bathroom urgency behind. check.

i've the former highway patrol lieutenant who responded to the scene says he believes steven smith was murdered. saying smith shoes were still on his feet and his road rash was minor, suggesting it was something other than a crash things that come to my mind either. he was murdered there. or he was murdered elsewhere and dropped their more says he took his concerns to law enforcement officials. but the corner insisted smith died after a hidden run. smith's family has already raised thousands of dollars to exhume his body for an independent autopsy. so there now just waiting for a judge's approval. sports some late night, march madness and the women's tournament. miami facing number one indiana with seconds left when it's just pure destiny , the shot drops in by destiny harden, and that gave the ninth seeded hurricanes a 72 68 when they move on to the sweet 16, along with the men's team. indiana is the second number one seed to lose in the tournament this year. congrats to your case , let's go coming up the benefits of telling dad jokes, plus ted lasso is unusual visit plus ted lasso is

saying they've made progress in the death and progress of steven smith. has been fighting since day one, since his body was found to get answers into her son's death. she started a gofundme with the goal of performing an autopsy and information. she thought that would be around $7,000. she set a goal of $15,000. and today has blown past that goal. she put up a post on gofundme saying our family is so very grateful to all of you who came together to help us in our fight for justice for steven. we will pursue that immediately. and provide updates along the way. thank you for the kind words, prayers and donations. you have made this possible. and it means the world to us. this is steven's year. >> isabel rosales reporting there. as she mentioned authorities are not showing a connection between smith's death and the murdaugh family. >>> prepared to strike, thousands of school workers in los angeles are preparing, getting ready to hit the picket line after contract negotiations failed to reach a resolution. >>> and this -- >> is he resisting, combative at all

you for not allowing steven's story to not be swept under the rug, we will pursue exhumation and steven smith murdaugh's oldest son buster. steven's body was found on july 8th, 2015 near the murdaugh family's hunting estate where buster's mother maggie and paul were fatally shot six years later and informed the smiths about the biden's identity. attorney reportedly contact to offer help. police ruled hit and run but reopened investigation following the deaths of maggie and paul murdaugh. >> this was. >> he had a clear head trauma injury that looked like it was done by something other than a car. >> attorney who you saw there represents the family of gloria, housekeeper who died in 2018 after what was described as a trip and fall accident at the murdaugh family home. alec murdaugh pocketed money intended for sarah field's money. mike: so this may not be over. jonathan reporting live. jonathan, thanks a lot. >> certainly. >> the western u.s. potentially bracing for another nasty storm system that will bring heavy storm and rain causing increase risk and flooding after weeks of wet weather. mete

a highway patrol commissioner said the coroner said he believed steven smith died of a gunshot woundsked for clarity if they were sure it was a homicide and their response was yes. 10 hours later the coroner said he had to change the cause of death to a hit-and-run because of the conclusion of the medical examiner that the body was found on the highway and had no bullet fragments. i asked her why she was ruling on a motor vehicle accidents and what she thought caused the head injury. she said that was my job, not hers. and a doctor prompted a witness to contact authorities with a lead that failed to pan out. but investigators are going to emerge now that alex murdoch is behind bars. he believes people will now have the courage to come forward and ask these people to come forward. murdoch's surviving son went to high school with the victim but insists he had no relationship with him beyond that and no involvement in his death. >> math that was about the death of steven smith in the murdoch case. the story we wanted to deliver to you is the fifth circuit court of appeals once again bloc

. >>> new details into the investigation of the 2015 death of steven smith in south carolina. smith was a classmate of buster murdaugh, the surviving son of convicted murderer alec murdaugh. buster is denying claims he was involved in smith's death. calling them vicious and baseless rumors. cnn's diane gallagher has details. >> i seen somebody laying out. >> reporter: it's been 18 years since steven smith was found in the middle of this country road in south carolina. the teen's death gained national attention in june 2021, nearly six years after he was killed, when the state law enforcement opened an investigation on its death, based on information gathered of the double murder investigation of paul and maggie murder. alec murdaugh was sent to prison for the death of his wife and son. investigators never revealed what information they glean about his case being open. new private efforts launched to cover the circumstances, spearheaded by smith's mother, sandy, and two attorneys, the first goal, exhuming smith's body. >> we think we have good cause to show why a fresh set of e

he pushed back on speculation regarding the smith case saying these baseless rumors of my involvement with stevenalse. my heart goes out to the smith family. through an online fundraise than campaign relatives of smith are doing an autopsy. she writes thank you for not allowing steven's story to be swept under a rug. we'll provide updates along the way. dana, skeptics of the initial hit and run theory say there was no clear evidence of any vehicle impact. no obvious debris. the victim's clothes were intact suggesting he wasn't dragged but did have a massive head injury which they believe was caused by something other than a vehicle impact. dana. >> dana: fascinating. thank you. >> john: let's bring in phillip holloway to talk more about this. we have something thought to be a hit and run death back in 2015 and now south carolina law enforcement division is looking at this in the wake of the alex murdaugh trial and going maybe this does necessitate a second look here. what do you think they could learn from an exhumation? >> this was blunt force trauma. that was the finding of the original autopsy

and there is a 2015 case that, i don't want to forget of steven smith, right? because of the death investigation was reopened in the course of the double murder investigation there at moselle. so, where do all of these cases go from here, and specifically the financial case? >> judge newman said that he is ready to get going on that. he has been assigned the cases, and he is ready for those victims to have their day in court. he had anticipated that the attorney general will be moving quickly to determine the arrangement of what cases will be tried next, and to determine if, you know, alec murdaugh is going to plead guilty, and i would not expect that, but they are going to be working with that quickly, and certainly regarding steven smith's death investigation, and i believe it is a priority for south carolina law enforcement division, and i do have hope that there are people out there who have the information on that, and i do believe that s.l.e.d. is working on that and we will get the answers for his brother and family. and it is tragic the number of victim

sunday, they said they have made progress in the death of steven smith, but that the investigation isnt ahead of sandy smith. he said, i have tried my best to ignore the vicious rumors of my involvement in the death of stephen smith that have swirled in the media as i grieve over my viciously murdered mother and brother. i unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out the the family. now, there is a gofundme that has raised more than 60,000 which the family is going to be using to and they noticed of course, erica and john, it is not their job to determine who killed him and perhaps this grieving mother can get answers nearly eight years since her son was killed. >> thank you, dianne gallagher. >>> could there be a strike tomorrow shuting down the nation's largest school district? stay with us. . suv. subaru's first all-electrtric, zero-emissions suv. (man) we've got some catching up to do. (woman) sure do. (vo) built to help you protect the environment as you explore it. love. it's what makes subaru, subaru. couldn't use cpap. now i have this. inspire is a sl

. >> 19-year-old steven smith was found dead on the side of the road. >> i want justice. >> good evening. i'm randy kaye. tonight for the first time alex murdaugh's victims and alleged victims, their lawyers, and local reporters who for years have been covering every detail of this case come together to talk about the man who changed their lives forever and the mystery that has shaken this community. >> you're all brought together by really one man, but some of you, you do know each other, right, from -- >> yes, yes. our families work together or went to school together. >> there's always a connection. yes. >> my father owned a grocery store for 54 years, which everyone came through that grocery store. that's what put me to be able to know everyone. >> we call him jj. >> jordan james, ginger heriot, and sandy smith grew up in the rural county of hampton south carolina. >> one thing about hampton also, i mean genuine people live there. >> all your friend's children come to your home and they call you mom. >> what was alex murdaugh like as a young boy? >> kind of rough but typical friend.

he said you may mentioned all of the misdeeds of this family except steven smith., he mentioned federal courts. if he loses on appeal. he'll try to remove it to federal court. meaning he would have a federal question at hand. so, this guy may be looking to make into the supreme court. >> yeah, you and i both were like he's used to being in the spotlight. they got a celebrity in that zone in south carolina, in that county, carlton, they got somebody who can handle that kind of spotlight and they may try to push that. one last one, jeremy, i will ask you about this. i thought it was odd they fight harder to protect him in prison. don't you think there will be people around may know him and he's got to spend 30 days in that processing and at least give us an idea of what you think may happen as his attorney. emily used the perfect wo wowork, wo wowo wowork, -- word, yeah, oh, he didn't need that. >> they're kind of poking fingers at everybody else and he was made out to be a monster. alec murdaugh made himself out to be a monster with the acts he committed and all the

that is according to smith's family attorney. steven murdaugh's oldest son buster. his death was originally declared the result of a hit-and-run. the murders of paul and maggie murdaugh caused the case to be scrutinized more closely. here is nbc news correspondent catie beck. >> reporter: we are learning that the steven smith case is actually considered a homicide investigation. it was once classified a vehicular manslaughter. she believed whoever killed her son did so intentionally. smith calling for an independent review of the case and permission from a judge to do an exhumeation of smith's body to do an independent autopsy, perhaps finding out the real cause of death and the person who was behind it. she has hired a legal team to petition a judge for permission and hopes to have it within several weeks. in the meantime, sled again saying they're on the case and actively investigating, wanting to cooperate with smith to get to the bottom of it. here is what smith said to us in our interview. >> in my heart this was not hate and run.

. >> this is not an alex murdaugh two point oh or any murdaugh two point oh, this is a steven smith twon. >> that's what's at the heart of this, it's a mother who for nearly eight years wanted to happen to her son and who didn't have him. his sister started a gofundme, she raised $75,000 already she uses -- plans to use to pay for the independent autopsy to exhume her sons body if a judge signs off on a petition allowing it. we did ask sled about the death investigation of stevens beth, they told us that they had made progress but said it was still active and ongoing. alison? >> diane, thank you. joining me now, attorney of legal affairs areva martin. this is tragic that this mother has not had any information that they've never resolved this crime after all of these years. so of course he wants the investigation reopened. and this is a strange case to know that there weren't the telltale signs of a normal hit and run around steven smith's body. >> you're right, alison. this is a very strange case and we know that [inaudible] law enforcement as they really -- doing this ahead and run ac

of convicted double murderer alec murdoch is now being investigated as a homicide. 19 year old steven smith was found dead on a rural road not far from the murdochs property in 2015. his death was deemed to hit and run, but no suspect was ever arrested. a law firm representing smith's family now says after eight years of being proclaimed a highway vehicular manslaughter, we have a chance to write eight years of wrongs. at first, we were told he was it was a gunshot, and then they come back and said that, um, he was hit beat up and then it come out that he was hit by a car family wasn't alone and doubting the hit and run theory, former highway patrol lieutenant told our affiliate wc. i've he believes smith was murdered. there's two things that come to my mind. man either. he was murdered there or he was murdered elsewhere and drop their authorities reopened the smith case after the murders of maggie and paul murdoch, based on what they said was information gathered during the course of the double murder investigation. they did not elaborate. buster murdoch, alex surviving son was a classmate

our first guest steven a. smith this morning. see how it goes. >> so long from new york. here now "america's newsroom." >> stay within yourself. >> dana: on the outside looking in, america on the sidelines as russia and china wrap up a three-day sum et setting their sights on a new world order. good morning, john. >> john: i'm john roberts. this is "america's newsroom." the summit putting biden's foreign policy to the test. lawmakers get a chance to ask antony blinken about it in less than an hour scheduled to appear before two senate committees today. >> dana: the alliance is seen as a threat to the global order. they signed two agreements strengthening ties. according to the white house, this is just a marriage of convenience. >> i wouldn't go so far to call it an alliance. president xi sees a counter weight to american influence and nato influence on the continent and elsewhere around the world. president xi, president putin sees a backer here. a man who doesn't have a lot of friends on the international stage. >> john: russia continues to wage war in ukraine launching

in 2015, steven smith, one of buster's classmates died, it was called a hit and run. and authorities are looking into both of those cases. and of course mallory beach was killed in a boat crash involving his dead son paul. that case involving a key role in this trial. murdaugh is still facing a lwsuit for the boat crash even with this verdict. >> i have to ask you about the two jurors who were not guilty initially. how did they convince them so quickly in deliberations? >> he said they looked at the time line and then played the video. >> the video with the kennel with murdaugh's own voice. >> mm-hmm. >> eva pilgrim, excellent reporting for weeks and weeks. thank you. we should note eva and the entire "20/20" team has been working on a two-hour "20/20" special that dives into all these unanswered questions. the history of the murdaugh family, what led to this and the other cases generating headlines along the way. the all new "20/20," what led up to that awful day. the murdaugh family murders, 9:00 p.m. eastern tonight, 8:00 central right here on abc. eva, i'll see yo

in 2019, steven smith, one of buster's classmated died, it was called a hit and run. and of course mallory beach was kill in the a boat crash involving his son. that case involving a key role in this trial. murdaugh is facing a lawsuit for the boat crash evenou abo the howid they convince them so quickly? >> he said they looked at the time line and then played the video. >> the video with the kennel vo. eva pilgrim, excellentks andeks. wedotva and the entire team has been working on a two-hour "20/20" special that dives into all these questions. the history of the murdaugh family, what led to this and headli headlines. the all-new "20/20," what led up to that awful day. the murdaugh family murders, 9:00 p.m. eastern tonight, 8:00 central. eva, i'll see you later for "20/20.." >>> in the meantime, we continue with the other news, the storm moving from the south into the east. atlanta, washington, d.c., philadelphia, new york, boston all in the path. at least seven reported tornadoes already across the south in the past 24 hours. this funnel texas. in firmed ef heading

the investigation into the 2015 death of steven smith. of buster murdoch, son of murderer alec murdoch. they said they were reopening the investigation based on information they learned while investigating the murders of alec murdoch's wife and youngest son. now a new legal team 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 private autopsy. 360s randi kaye has been reporting on the saga. here's a report. >> heartbreaking. he was a human and he deserves justice. >> reporter: sandy smith one step closer to justice for her son. >> it's going to be hard to open an investigation after eight years but it has to start with an investigation of his body. >> it's important to me because i just love my son and since i couldn't protect him, i'm going to fight for him. >> reporter: stephen smith, a 19-year-old with dreams of becoming a doctor, was found dead about 4 a.m. july 8th, 2015, on sandy run road in hampton county. >> in

the south carolina highway patrol revealing both officers believe the death of the 19-year-old steven smith who was found dead in 2015 was a homicide. in the report, an unnamed highway patrol officials said the local coroner said he believe smith had died from a gunshot wound, writing pointing to the entry point to the head and a defensive wound to the hand. i asked for clarity if they were sure it was a homicide. their response was yes. that theory changed to a hit-and-run. the coroner said he had to change the cause of death because of a ruling from the medical examiner who said she found no bullets or fragments and could only theorize that it had to involve a motor vehicle. the highway patrol reports, state, i asked why she was ruling a motorcycle accident and what she thought caused the head injury. she told medical it was not her job to figure it out. it was mine. alec murdaugh offered his assistance to the victim's family and according to some, prompting the witness to contact authorities with the lead that failed to pan out. now that alec murdaugh is behind bars. he went to high scho

. >> steven's smith's auto biography. >> when's the last time you were on twitter. >> a couple mince a booking a get-away without the kids. you said -- >> both of my inspirations, no, have not done that. >> that's going to move to number one now. >> that should move up. >> you said you would -- look at will on vacation. you said you were going to invest more energy in your sports teams, double down on them. pete: you know i'm in the kyrie kyrieluka, i'm all in. rachel: you said you would eat clean and no sugar. >> i'm doing six days a week. fail days are with y'all. fat face, i think it's getting better. i'm not sure. rachel: inflammation is coming down. >> did you eat a brownie at rachel's house yesterday. >> no. rachel: he did not eat the the brownie. >> i didn't. >> this is a fail. a little less booze. pete: my fails are always with you. rachel: there was a lot of booze last night. will: that one's a no go. pete: where did they get the wonderful photos. rachel: you said you want to figure out golf and try to play eight times this year. have you started. >> you would have to be on

but new information on that murdaugh double murder probes put that in doubt, and the smith family now wants stevens 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 opened. -- spearheaded by smith's mother, sandy, and two attorneys. the first goal? examine smith's body. >> we think we have good cars to show why, a set of eyes on this would be beneficial. it has to start with a fresh new look at the body.

authorities have confirmed the 2015 death of steven smith is being investigated as a homicide after newood moning, jose. initially, it was considered vehicular homicide. now it's a homicide investigation. the reason they haven't put more resources to the case is because they have been focused on the murdaugh investigation. now that that is complete, they plan to put more resources towards this investigation and really try and assist sandy smith in what she's trying to do, an independent review of this case. she has never believed that this was an accident or a hit and run. she thinks it was intentional. she thinks that person who did this is still out there. she's asking for an independent review. she wants to exhume her son's body and do an independent autopsy. with the cooperation of s.l.e.d., it's looking like there's more confidence in solving this case moving forward from her and her legal team. we spoke with her earlier this week about what she battles in terms of unresolved grief and unanswered questions. here is what she had to say to us. >> in my heart, this was not a hit and r

law enforcement has not released anything new about what led to the death of the 19- year-old steven smithd why the mysterious murders of paul and maggie murdoch in the low country of south carolina led to his case being reopened six years later. >> that was very surprising to me. there is no explanation. maggie and paul's death was so shocking and as things unfolded and more information came out it was so clearly in the event in a much larger story. >> south carolina law enforcement, announcing an arrest. officers from south carolina law enforcement arrested 61- year-old curtis smith for the september 4 roadside shooting. >> he represented curtis smith who was a blogger who got hurt on the job, but he definitely did not match the description of the alleged attacker. >> i got called probably within 10 minutes of the shooting getting reported. i knew instantaneously that his story was bull. >> it happened in broad daylight along a deserted road when he said he was changing a flat tire. now we are learning what actually happened may be even more unbelievable. >> law enforcement now believes

reporter: the documentary also highlights the death of buster murdaugh's high school classmate steven smith the road in 2015 not far from the murdaugh home. described at the time as a hit-and-run. smith's mother alleging his death was no accident. >> when they told me hit-and-run, i said that's upon because steven wouldn't have been walking in the road to start with. he would have cut through the woods. >> reporter: south carolina law enforcement officials reopened both cases as part of their wider investigation into alex murdaugh. >> we all know alex murdaugh, that's his son. >> reporter: these developments come as a wrongful death lawsuit works its way through the court system alleging paul murdaugh was responsible for a 2019 boat crash that killed 19-year-old malary beach. he pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges before his death. according to prosecutors, it was because of that crash that alex murdaugh's deceit began to unravel, putting him on a murderous course that ended in a guilty verdict on friday. >> and catie joins me live. good to see you. millions of people just came to th

the body of 19-year-old steven smith, who died in 2015, will be exhumed, according to the family's verifiedofundme page. authorities have not said there's a connection between smith's death and the murdaugh family, but the case was reopened in 2021 based on information gathered in the murdaugh investigation. >>> in the state of florida, the city of miami beach is taking measures to keep people safe during spring break following two fatal shootings over the weekend. authorities imposed a sunday night curfew and issued a state of emergency in response to the violence and excessively large and unruly crowds. the city manager is also planning additional restrictions starting thursday and lasting through the weekend. the city imposed a similar curfew last year after two spring break shootings. >>> coming up next here on "cnn newsroom," it has been 20 years since the start of the u.s. war in iraq. we'll look at how the country has changed and the challenges iraq still faces.past the doubt. past the pain, and past your limits. no matter what, we go on. biofreeze i've always had trouble falling asl

. >> griff: unthinkable and the last 15 seconds, alan, do we see further investigations of steven smithe wake of this trial? >> our office will pursue justice everywhere that we can hear that is all i'm going to say right now, but we will never stop pursuing justice for the people of south carolina. >> griff: . >> griff: all right. >> ainsley: alan, thank you so much. we have known you a long time and we appreciate your work over there thank you. >> thank you. >> ainsley: she was a news anchor when i was working for the news too. >> brian: let me tell you what's happening in the news, guys, hundreds with vigils of crossed the city to phone police officer andres vasquez-lasso killed on the line of duty. the officer was shot, killed while responding to a call a man was chasing a woman with a gun. the suspect was also shot and remains in critical condition. we are learning he was arrested last number in connection with another shooting for only charged with a misdemeanor. that sounds familiar. president biden to visit east palestine ohio with the community devastated by the toxic train der

hoping for closure on steven smith. where did all of alex's money go? are opioids that expensive?you have just said. but on that issue of the opioids. i was waiting for the medical testimony. all we really had in the trial record of the case was what alex said his intake was. i would have liked to have heard from a physician, naumly a treating physician of his, somebody who treated him when he was in detox to say on the e admissions papers, here's what he told us he was taking. and for a patient who take this is amount, this is what it would do to them cognitively. but in the end, it was the dog video. placing him at the murder location within minutes of the murders taking place. although final thing if i can say this. t"the new york times" today, really interesting insight wondering if maybe the jury was just too accepting of the case that technology made. go read that. >>> i want to remind you. go to smerconish.com. who will be the last to leave office? biden, putin or zelenskyy? that is the poll question. a little bit off beat. i thought of it yesterday. i was just wondering wh

. >> steven smith, don't forget stephen smith, the young man who was killed, treated as road kill, essentially. now, they're looking at the family, because there may have been something nefarious going on. it was a young man was killed in the middle of the road, so, this was just a crime family it seems like. >> just a follow-up quickly, on her point which is spot on, this was not the main reason he was convicted. i think it was a factor. i think it was a significant factor, when i listen to the experts like dave and others that you've had on in the last couple of hours, they all say, there was if you really look at it, there could have been reasonable doubt. there could have been a juror or two that said, wait a minute, there's no one hunted percent proof here. but i think the history was part of why that decision happened, and why it was so emphatic. >> by the way, because there was enough, there was some room for reasonable doubt. where were the bloody close? >> that's right. >> where were the murder weapons? that shows that premeditation, how did he clean that up? in fact, it was his other

steven smith's death was initially ruled a hit and run, but police are reopening the case following newfund raising drive for an independent autopsy is also celebrating murdaugh's conviction. her son was a classmate of more cough's only surviving -- murdaugh's only surviving son, buster. >>> actor sam neil says he is battling stage 3 blood cancer and is, quote, possibly dying. the new zealand star star is best known for his role as alan grant in jurassic park. he also starred in the piano and the hunt for red october. >> and i will live in montana, and i will marry a round american woman and raise rabbits, and she will cook them for me. and i will have a pickup truck. joey: neill, who is 75, was first diagnosed with non-hodgkin's lymphoma last year. he says he doesn't fear death but says, it would, quote, annoy me. wish him luck. >>> bag pipers, first responders and tens of thousands hitting the street of new york city for the annual@patrick's day parade yesterday. the there tradition honors irish heritage and those who keep us safe. a big group of "fox & friends" staffers getting into

convicted murderer with alex murdaugh is breaking his silence over the death of his former classmate steven smithlegal team for smith's family promised to launch a, quote, fresh investigation into his death. knowing where you came from, it gives you a sense of “this is who i am”. oh my goodness... wow, look at all those! you get hungry for more and then you're just like, “wow, i'm learning about my family.” yeah, yep. which one, what'd you find? lorraine banks, look, county of macomb, michigan? look at grandma... hey grandma! unbelievable. everybody deserves to know who they are and where they came from. ohhh...cool. this whole journey has been such a huge gift for our family. how many rooms are in there? should we go check it out? yeah. we get to stay here all weekend! when you stay at a vrbo... i call doing the door code! ...the host doesn't stay with you. it looks exactly like the picture. because without privacy in your vacation home... it's a full log cabin guys. ...it isn't really a vacation... we can snuggle up by the fire. ...is it? wow, oh my- [birds chirping] ♪ ♪ we're reinventing our n

authorities found the body of steven smith on a south carolina road about 15 miles from buster murdaugh's he died in a hit and run. the investigation recently reopened. there were rumors buster murdaugh was involved and it was highlighted during a recent netflix documentary. buster is now opening up exclusively, telling the "today" show, quote, i've 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 miss them terribly. >> you can watch the full story on the "today" show at 7:00 right after "today in the bay." >>> the president of china is in russia this morning, where he begin as three-day visit. this is new video of xi jingping landing in the country. he's meeting with russian leader vladimir putin. they'll discuss potentially deeper economic and political cooperation and russia's ongoing war in u ukraine. >>> it is 6:46. we've been tracking thousands upon thousands of layoffs for weeks now. if you lose your job, the

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 scene i had. look this death happened eight years ago. um i had a case where we dug up a body a person that had been missing for seven years. you can tell a lot from the remains. in fact, in this case, the forensic expert was able to tell that the cause of death was a blunt force injury to the head. i mean, you know, we all note bones last teeth last, but these experts have a remarkable ability to look at even even a body that's that's badly decayed. that's been in the ground for a long time. um, you can tell an awful lot so. you know if they're going to investigate, that's gonna have to be a key part of it was saying there's a lot of murder around the family. i think it's more accurate to say there

. >> and then steven smith, the young man who was a classmate of alex murdaugh's oldest son buster, he was found dead on a road ten miles from their home. s.l.e.d. had reopened that investigation into his death based on the double murder investigation of paul and maggie. now i wonder if that is something that comes to the are forefront once again? >> i've got enormous respect for chief keel, one of the things we know based on the way this investigation was handled was it was really, really tight investigation. there weren't a lot of leaks, and the way an investigation is supposed to work is that you're not supposed to know that the investigation's going on. you shouldn't be hearing about an investigation going on. while i have every faith to believe that they are taking a good hard look at it and i've been told -- it's been reported that they're taking a good hard look at it. i believe if they can find anything there, they will go forward with it. >> and david, back to the original reference, i think, which is that we know alex murdaugh is accused of at least 99 financial crimes in 19

now investigators have reopened the investigation into the death of 19-year-old steven smith.h family home back in 2015. now smith was a classmate of murdaugh's older son buster and questions remain about how smith died. his family now pushing for smith's body to be exhumed and for more we turn to cnn's dianne gallagher who joins us live from charlotte, north carolina. good morning to you. the smith family attorney says this is about seeking justice and has nothing to do with the murdaugh's. what do you know? >> reporter: don, the attorneys saying, look, they want a fresh start with a fresh look at stephen smith's body from the beginning the murdaugh name has sort of swirled around the death of stephen smith from witness interviews back in 2015 to the state saying they reopened the case because of information they gathered while investigating the murders of maggie and paul murdaugh. but, those are just rumors. there's never been a direct connection and now buster murdaugh is speaking out about those rumors for the first time. >> what is your emergency? >> i just want -- i see

this is steven smith two point oh.at happened to her son. -- he started a gofundme, she raised roughly $75,000 already that she says she will use to pay to examine her sons body if a judge signed off on a petition allowing it. we did ask -- that the investigation. they said they have made progress in the stephen smith the -- investigation, erin, but would only say that it remains active and ongoing. >> thanks very much. thanks to all of you for being with us. truckload capacity and dedicated trucks and drivers. we're carvana we created a brand new way for you to sell your car go to carvana answer a few questions and our techno wizardry calculates your car's value and gives you a real offer in seconds we'll come to you pay you on the spot then pick up your car that's it at carvana if you still have symptoms of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis or active psoriatic arthritis after a tnf blocker like humira or enbrel, rinvoq is different and may help. stand up to your symptoms with rinvoq. rinvoq is a once-daily pill

a highway patrol official said the local coroner said he believed steven smith died from a gunshot woundpoint to the head and also a defensive wound to the hand. less than ten hours later, the coroner said he had to change the cause of death to a hit-and-run because the body was found on a roadway and contained no bullet fragments. the highway patrol official said i asked her why she was ruling it a motor vehicle accident and what she thought caused the head injury. she told me it was not her job to figure that out. it was mine. double murder convict alec murdaugh's father a retired prosecutor, allegedly offered his assistance to the victim's family but stopped returning their calls. he prompted a witness to contact authorities with a lead that failed to pan out. investigators are optimistic more witnesses will emerge now that alec murdaugh is behind bars. >> the chief believes there's five people that have knowledge and that now the murdaugh trial is over with and there's been a conviction, he believes people will now have the courage to come forward. we're asking people to come forward

> today there's new attention being focused on the death of buster murdaugh's former classmate steven smithmurdaugh is denying any involvement to nbc news as smith's mother fights to reopen the case. catie beck has details. >> reporter: for nearly eight years, sandy smith has been pushing for answers in the death of her son stephen. the 19-year-old was found dead in 2015 in what state investigators originally called a hit-and-run. on a rural road in hampton county, south carolina. >> as a mother, there's questions that i need to ask, and there's questions i need answers to. >> smith believes the initial findings may have been wrong. and that someone murdered her son and staged it to look like an accident. it's a case that's never been solved. but as authorities looked into the murders of maggie and paul murdaugh, they say information came to light, prompting them to reopen smith's investigation. smith's death has also received renewed attention from a recent netflix docuseries about the murdaugh murders and other cases with potential ties to the once prominent family. in multiple interviews

in 2015, 19-year-old steven smith, a classmate of alex murdaugh's older son buster, was found dead quote-unquotely believed his death was a hit-and-run. but in 2021, opened an investigation based upon information gathered during the course of the double murder investigation of paul and maggie murdaugh. they have not directly accused the murdaugh family of any wrong doing in the case. alex murdaugh has also confessed to stealing a $4 million settlement from the sons of his family's housekeeper, gloria satterfield. satterfield died in 2018 after an apparent trip and fall at the murdaugh family home. the family and their attorney spoke out for the first time with craig about her death. >> how much money did the family get after gloria died? >> zero. >> police also reopened the investigation into her death, which is still ongoing. and one of gloria satterfield's children testified during this trial, the attorney representing the family were here, after the verdict was handed down, they released a statement saying in part, quote, alex murdaugh will drink from the same cup of justice as every other ci

family and stephen smith's death this week, in a statement given to cnn, buster murdoch said, quote this has gone on far too long. these baseless rumors of my involvement with steven and his death are false. i unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the smith family. diane gallagher, cnn, charlotte alright, quick hits across america now six construction workers are dead in maryland after a vehicle struck them. in a construction zone north of washington. the driver is being treated the hospital police say a second vehicle may be involved . seattle police arresting a 40 year old male suspect arson after a marina fire destroyed more than two dozen boats in storage on wednesday. nobody was injured in the blaze. arkansas governor sarah huckabee sanders approves a law banning transgender students from using school bathrooms that match their gender identity and imposing fines for noncompliance. later today, a new focus on the property where the murdoch murders took place plus boris johnson put on the spot. i am here to say to you hand on heart that i did not lie to the house. engagement rings now up to 40% off. you found the one now find