Hulu’s Murdaugh: Death in the Family went out of its way to not just center the show around convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh and his family — but also ongoing questions about the scandal, including Stephen Smith‘s 2015 death.
“It’s really the biggest unanswered question in this entire saga. It is the case that keeps me up at night,” executive producer Mandy Matney, whose podcast inspired the series, exclusively told Us Weekly. “It’s the case that I would like to solve.”
Matney made a promise to Smith’s mother that she intends to keep.
“I just always said, ‘I’m going to do my best. I don’t know if it’s going to lead to solving your son’s case but I’m going to try,’” she recalled. “Ever since then, I’ve been trying different ways to get Stephen’s story in the media and get people talking about what happened to Stephen.”
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She continued: “I know enough about the case to know and believe that people are out there that know exactly what happened to Stephen. So anything to tip them over the edge, to go to the police, do the right thing and to remind them that we will never give up on this — it’s all closer to getting justice for the Smith family. That’s my biggest hope with this show. I know it’s a long shot but you never know.”
Smith was a 19-year-old nursing student from South Carolina when he was found dead in 2015. His body was discovered in the middle of a road three miles away from where his car had run out of gas. Smith had injuries on his forehead, which made the authorities initially believe he was the victim of a hit-and-run.
The case went cold in 2016 and five years went by before the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division announced that they were opening an investigation into his death “based upon information gathered during the course of the double murder investigation of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh.”
Matney started helping with the Smith case after she began looking into the Murdaugh family and their crimes. Paul Murdaugh was the first member of the family she reported on after he was under criminal indictment for Mallory Beach’s wrongful death. Alex Murdaugh subsequently killed son Paul and wife Maggie Murdaugh in 2021. Alex was found guilty in 2023 on all four counts related to their murders.
Smith’s death, meanwhile, was officially ruled a homicide that same year. The reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Smith’s death was increased to $50,000 earlier this year.
“One [of the details we wanted to make sure to include in the show] is Stephen Smith’s story because unfortunately, the real case is still open ended,” creator Michael D. Fuller told Us. “Stephen’s story is fundamental to that. At this point — and not being in the midst of all of this unfolding — is that his mom, Sandy, has an entirely new perspective on the case and has an entirely new perspective on the suspicion of who is responsible for what happened to Stephen.”
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Off screen, Alex and Maggie’s eldest son, Buster Murdaugh, became connected to Smith’s murder after witnesses and investigators claimed they were in a secret relationship. Buster denied knowing Smith and has continued to deny “false” accusations he had any involvement in Smith’s death.
Buster, who married Brooklynn White in 2025, sued Netflix, Warner Bros. and more in 2024 for defamation on the grounds that he was falsely accused of murder. Murdaugh: Death in the Family is aiming to get new information out about the case.
“It is important just to show that even if it’s just that speculation, here’s something else that happened in this small town. Here’s another tragedy that we don’t know the truth to but now we understand how that rumor mill works,” Fuller shared. “It was really important for us to include Stephen’s story. The answers are still out there.”
New episodes of Murdaugh: Death in the Family air Wednesdays on Hulu.
