Stephen Smith’s phone, tablet unlocked by South Carolina officers

(NewsNation) —  South Carolina authorities reinvestigating the death of Stephen Smith have now unlocked the deceased teen’s phone and tablet, attorney Eric Bland told NewsNation host Chris Cuomo on Monday evening.

Smith, a 19-year-old nursing student, was killed in 2015, with the death initially being ruled a hit-and-run. Smith’s family maintains he was murdered and has refused to let the case go cold.

The investigation into Smith’s death was reopened in 2021 and ruled a homicide in March 2023. Investigators did not reveal that Smith’s case was being reopened until after disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial. Alex Murdaugh was found guilty in March of murdering his wife and youngest son in a trial that drew national attention.

Although rumors have swirled in South Carolina’s Lowcountry about Smith and Murdaugh’s son, Buster, there is currently no known evidence linking any Murdaugh family members to Smith’s death.

Bland and Smith’s mother, Sandy, believe renewed access to the teen’s electronic devices may reveal key evidence in the case that could potentially provide a link to the Murdaugh family.

“I think between the phone and the tablet, it will yield some information that, close in proximity to when Stephen was killed, should explain: Was he (Stephen) going away with a prominent person, as he told his mother? But more importantly, SLED (South Carolina Law Enforcement Division) will be able to talk to the investigating officers and confirm whether Alex Murdaugh was at the accident scene,” Bland told Cuomo.

Sandy Smith insists she saw Alex Murdaugh on the scene in 2015.

“It’s very simple. Somebody’s going to have seen him there. I believe my client. I don’t think she’s told one single untruth in this whole process, and she doesn’t have an axe to grind with anybody,” Bland said.

Smith’s body was discovered in the middle of a rural road in Hampton County, South Carolina, in July 2015. It was reportedly found a few miles from a Murdaugh family property.

In March, Buster Murdaugh denied what he called “baseless rumors” regarding his alleged connection to Smith’s case.

“This has gone on far too long. These baseless rumors of my involvement with Stephen and his death are false,” Buster Murdaugh said. “I unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the Smith family.”

Buster’s statement came after his father Alex was convicted of two counts of murder. Alex, the patriarch of a once-powerful legal dynasty in South Carolina, was found guilty of gunning down his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul. The trial placed the Murdaugh family under an international microscope, with numerous people closely following the case.

NewsNation’s Liz Jassin contributed to this report.