//SLED reopens 2015 death investigation amid Paul Murdaugh case

SLED reopens 2015 death investigation amid Paul Murdaugh case

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) on Tuesday confirmed that the agency is opening the investigation into the 2015 death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith based on information gathered during the investigation into the shooting deaths of Paul and Margaret Murdaugh.

The deaths of a 19-year-old boy and a former housekeeper are all believed to be connected to the Murdaugh family. Pauls father Alex , was said to have settled a wrongful death claim for $500,000.00 in a wrongful death suit , related to the housekeepers slip and fall accident that resulted in her death. The other is where Stephen Smith was found , his skull half smashed in and his shoulder dislocated, dead in the middle of a rural road outside of Hampton. Two former South carolina Highway Patrol detectives who investigated Stephens death believe the well to do family (Murdaugh’s) had some involvement in the murder , but could not back up their claims. No one in the Murdaugh family was ever charged or made a formal suspect.