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Just after 4 AM on July 8, 2015, a call came into Hampton County emergency dispatch. A driver spotted a body in the center of a remote stretch of highway known as Sandy Run Road. The body belonged to 19-year-old Stephen Smith, a nursing student at nearby Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College. There was nothing to suggest a vehicle had been involved in Stephen\u2019s death, yet a hit and run would become the sheriff\u2019s department\u2019s official determination. The story didn\u2019t sit well with Stephen\u2019s friends, his family, or the South Carolina Highway Patrol. The circumstances begged several questions: Why would Hampton County make such a rush to judgment regarding the cause of death? Who were they trying to protect? And who was responsible for killing Stephen Smith? It would take eight years, and the widely publicized capital murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, for South Carolina authorities to admit that what happened that night in Lowcountry was no traffic accident, it was a homicide that many believe could be tied to the Murdaughs, Hampton County\u2019s Royal Family.\n\xa0\nFollow Jami and MURDERISH on Instagram & TikTok @JamiOnAir.\xa0\n\nSponsors\nEarth Breeze: Visit EarthBreeze.com/MURDERISH to subscribe and save 40%.\nMaev: Visit MeetMaev.com/MURDERISH for $40 off your first order.\nZocDoc: Visit ZocDoc.com/MURDERISH to download the app and book a top-rated doctor today.\n\nDirty Money Moves: Women in White Collar Crime - Listen on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dirty-money-moves-women-in-white-collar-crime/id1619521092.\n\nTrendVETTERS: Listen on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trendvetters/id1682586524.\n\nWant to advertise on this show? We\u2019ve partnered with Cloud10 Media to handle our advertising requests. If you\u2019re interested in advertising on MURDERISH, send an email to Sahiba Krieger mailto:sahiba@cloud10.fm with a copy to mailto:jami@murderish.com.\xa0\n\nResearch & Writing: K. Brant.\n\nVisit Murderish.com for more info about the show and Creator/Host, Jami, as well as a list of sources for this episode.\xa0\n\nAd-Free episodes: Visit https://www.patreon.com/Murderish to join MURDERISH | Behind the Mic and get access to bonus episodes, ad-free episodes, and other cool perks.\n\nListening to this podcast doesn\u2019t make you a murderer, it just means you\u2019re murder..ish.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices