Murdaugh-linked Patrick Wilson, Shawn Connelly eyed as individuals of curiosity in Stephen Smith homicide: report
South Carolina authorities have zeroed in on two individuals of curiosity within the mysterious homicide of Murdaugh-linked teenager Stephen Smith — together with one man who allegedly admitted to mowing the nursing scholar down, in accordance with a bombshell report.
Police are investigating 25-year-olds Patrick Wilson and Shawn Connelly, each of whom had been initially implicated in Smith’s July 2015 demise case, Fitsnews revealed in a case file Thursday.
The duo had been youngsters on the time and lived only a few miles from the place the 19-year-old’s battered physique was discovered on a highway near the 1,700-acre Moselle property where Alex Murdaugh murdered his wife Maggie and son Paul six years later.
About 5 months after Smith’s body was found, Wilson’s stepfather — on the encouragement of Alex Murdaugh’s older brother — tipped investigators off to the boys’ involvement within the demise.
Wilson allegedly informed his stepfather that Connelly — who has an extended historical past of site visitors infractions and DUIs — was driving a car that “struck and killed Stephen Smith.”
The stepfather “acknowledged that the rationale he was passing this info on was as a result of Randy Murdaugh informed him to name,” the MAIT report learn in accordance with FitsNews.
On the time of Wilson’s confession, he was going through tried homicide prices for an incident that was not instantly clear. These prices had been dropped shortly after by a solicitor who “served on the pleasure of the Murdaughs,” one Hampton historian informed the outlet.
Inside one 12 months of Smith’s demise, Randy Murdaugh filed two motorized vehicle accident lawsuits towards Connelly on behalf of purchasers, each of which had been dismissed by Murdaugh-friendly judges.
Connelly’s prison historical past ranges from DUIs and home violence to searching with out a license and unlawfully killing an antlerless deer, information obtained by the DailyMail show.
Regardless of the confession, neither man was intensely scoured by the unique investigative staff. Police, who initially mentioned the demise “gave the impression to be a murder,” in the end dominated Smith was a sufferer of a hit-and-run.
After practically eight years, Smith’s demise has officially been ruled a homicide.
Police haven’t publicly excluded the Murdaughs from their investigation, regardless of one regulation enforcement supply telling FitsNews they’ve proof the authorized household is harmless of all ties.
“SLED has proof the Murdaughs weren’t there on the time Stephen Smith was killed,” a supply informed the outlet.
Police mentioned final week they “quickly” put Buster Murdaugh on their radar as a part of the reopened investigation following rumors that he killed Smith as a way to disguise a secret love affair between the 2 baseball teammates.
One classmate allegedly informed Smith’s sibling he watched Buster kill Smith “with a baseball bat” because he was gay.
Smith’s mom, Sandy, additionally linked Buster to her son’s demise in a letter sent to federal investigators the place she accused native regulation enforcement of butchering her son’s demise investigation.
Buster mentioned he “unequivocally” denied “vicious rumors” that he was concerned within the homicide as he continues to grieve the lack of his mom and brother and offers with the imprisonment of his killer father.