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3 months ago
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The only surviving son of murderer and fraudster Alex Murdaugh plans to sue Netflix and Warner Brothers over documentaries connecting him to the murder of his former classmate.
Buster Murdaugh, 30, unmistakable for the distinctive red hair that he and his brother both inherited from their father Alex, 55, is suing several outlets in addition to the two major studios for damaging his reputation.
Murdaugh claims that various films and written stories about the case have linked him to the killing of 19-year-old Stephen Smith.
An attorney for Smith's family is warning Murdaugh that trying to suppress information will only have the opposite effect.
Smith died in 2015 near the Murdaugh estate in South Carolina and it had been initially ruled an accident.
Buster Murdaugh, 30, unmistakable for the distinctive red hair that he and his brother both inherited from their father Alex, 55, is suing several outlets in addition to the two major studios for damaging his reputation
Smith, who was openly gay, was initially ruled to have died in a hit and run. But following the flurry of interest in the Murdaugh case, and rumors that Smith and Buster Murduagh had a sexual relationship, Smith's case was reopened in June 2021.
On March 23, 2023, his death was declared a homicide and his mother Sandy launched a GoFundMe to pay for the exhumation of his body.
Buster Murdaugh called any reports linking him to the death of Smith as 'vicious rumors' last year and the lawsuit claims there are no formal allegations against him.
The films Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal on Netflix, Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty, distributed by Warner Bros. and Murdaugh Murders: Deadly Dynasty, on discovery+ are cited in the suit, along with Gannett publishing.
He's also suing Michael DeWitt Jr., the editor of The Hampton County Guardian, a local newspaper.
The suit cites various scenes that Murdaugh's attorneys allege link him to Smith's death.
'The false statements were published to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of viewers who watched the show,' the filing added.
Eric Bland, a Smith family attorney, thinks this is only going to be good for those Murdaugh is suing.
Alex Murdaugh, 55, is now in prison for the murders of his wife, Maggie, 52, and youngest son, Paul, 22, as well as a host of financial crimes
Smith, who was openly gay, was initially ruled to have died in a hit and run. But following the flurry of interest in the Murdaugh case, and rumors that Smith and Buster Murduagh had a sexual relationship, Smith's case was reopened in June 2021
'I think the defendants will love this lawsuit because it will make a part 3 of any documentary,' Bland told The Daily Beast.
'Buster was never asked if he had any knowledge of [Smith's] death. He just said he didn't kill [Smith] and didn't have a sexual relationship with him.'
Bland also represented the victims of the various fraud schemes conducted by Alex Murdaugh, which have seen him sentenced to an additional 40 years in prison for stealing millions of dollars from clients of his law firm, a punishment that will be served at the same time as his 27-year sentence for state fraud convictions.
The attorney says Buster is 'exposing himself' and he's 'very interested' in what information he may be able to gain into Murdaugh.
'I think this lawsuit will backfire,' he said. 'I talked to a number of attorneys who were asked to take on his lawsuit and they passed. This will only bring a spotlight to Stephen's investigation.'
Murdaugh wants actual damages and punitive damages because of the 'reckless conduct of the defendants in falsely accusing him of being involved in the murder of Stephen Smith,' according to ABC News 4.
Alex Murdaugh is now in prison for the murders of his wife, Maggie, 52, and youngest son, Paul, 22, as well as a host of financial crimes.
Investigators said that as Murdaugh’s financial schemes were about to be exposed in June 2021, he decided to kill his wife and son in hopes it would make him a sympathetic figure and draw attention away from the missing money.
Many have tried to connect Buster (pictured left), a former high school classmate of Smith's, to the murder given how near Smith's death occurred to the hunting estate
An attorney says Buster is 'exposing himself' and he's 'very interested' in what information he may be able to gain into Murdaugh
Paul Murdaugh was shot several times with a shotgun and Maggie Murdaugh was shot several times with a rifle outside the family’s home in Colleton County.
Murdaugh has adamantly denied killing them, even testifying in his own defense against his lawyers’ advice.
Federal prosecutors said Murdaugh did appear to tell the truth about the roles banker Russell Laffitte and attorney and old college friend Cory Fleming played in helping him steal.
Laffitte was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison, while Fleming is serving nearly four years behind bars after pleading guilty.
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