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The key witness from the high-profile Alex Murdaugh murder trial has launched an independent inquiry into the mysterious 2015 death of Stephen Smith, suggesting that someone “has a good idea who committed this act.”
Kenny Kinsey, a forensic investigator who testified for the prosecution in the 2023 Murdaugh murder trial, said on investigative reporter Anne Emerson’s “Criminally Obsessed” podcast that, after reviewing the evidence, he believes key opportunities were missed early in the case.
Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old studying nursing and a former schoolmate of Buster Murdaugh, was discovered deceased on July 8, 2015, lying on a rural road in Hampton County, South Carolina. This location is just a few miles away from the Murdaugh family’s hunting estate.
Smith, who was openly gay, had been walking along Sandy Run Road after his vehicle broke down. A driver passing by later called 911 to report discovering his body. Smith had sustained a severe 7½-inch fracture to his skull, and at the time, officials initially reported his death as a hit-and-run incident.
Stephen Smith is pictured with his mother, Sandy Smith, at his high school graduation. He met his untimely death on July 8, 2015, in what was initially deemed a hit-and-run by South Carolina authorities. (Image via Findagrave.com)
In his investigation, Kinsey has meticulously reviewed the original case files, assessed the second autopsy results, scrutinized police interviews, and personally visited the area where Smith’s body was found nearly 11 years ago.
He said his forensic analysis indicates Smith’s fatal injuries were connected to a vehicle but declined to detail specific wound patterns.
However, Kinsey emphasized that determining who was responsible falls to investigators.
“I don’t know the who,” he said. “That part comes from the investigation.”
A cross marks the spot where Stephen Smith was found dead in Hampton County, S.C., Feb. 28, 2023. Nineteen-year-old Stephen Smith’s body was found here in 2015. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
During the podcast interview, Kinsey described what he called “missed opportunities” in the early stages of the case, saying delays and jurisdictional confusion can make cases harder to solve over time.
“Memories fade. People leave this earth,” Kinsey said. “Those missed opportunities — you don’t get that back.”
The investigation into Smith’s death was reopened in June 2021, just two weeks after Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were shot and killed at the family’s Colleton County hunting estate.
At the time, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) said it had uncovered information related to Smith’s death while investigating the Murdaugh murders but declined to provide details.
Stephen Smith’s body was exhumed over the weekend, and a second autopsy was performed as part of the investigation into his homicide. (Findagrave.com/Courtesy of FitsNews)
In 2023, SLED announced that Smith’s death was being investigated as a homicide. His body was later exhumed, and a second autopsy was performed. The findings of that autopsy have not been publicly released.
Pathologist Dr. Michelle DuPre, who oversaw the second autopsy, previously told Fox News Digital that Smith’s injuries were consistent with being struck by an object attached to a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed.
“Scientifically, medically and forensically, we know what happened, but we don’t know who did it,” DuPre said at the time.
For years, unsubstantiated speculation circulated publicly tying Smith’s death to members of the Murdaugh family.
Buster Murdaugh watches his father, Alex Murdaugh, testify during his double murder trial. (POOL)
Buster Murdaugh issued a statement in March 2023 denying any involvement and calling the allegations “baseless rumors.”
Kinsey told Emerson he saw no evidence linking the Murdaugh family to Smith’s death.
“I saw nothing that would make me even draw an inference that that’s to be true,” he said.
Stephen Smith’s mother has continued to push for answers as the case approaches a grim milestone.
July 8, 2026, will mark 11 years since the 19-year-old died.
Authorities have offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to arrests and convictions in the case. SLED has said the investigation remains active and ongoing.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.