The son of disgraced attorney and convicted killer Alex Murdaugh, Richard “Buster” Murdaugh, is suing several media companies, including Netflix and Warner Bros., for falsely insinuating his involvement in the still unsolved death of Stephen Smith. Smith, a former classmate of Buster Murdaugh, was found dead in a hit-and-run accident in Hampton County in 2015. Investigators began probing possible links between Smith’s death and the Murdaugh family after Buster’s mother and brother were shot to death on the family’s South Carolina estate in 2021, although no connections were found.
The new lawsuit filed by Buster Murdaugh contends that he was falsely linked to Smith’s death in various media outlets and productions. Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. distributed a documentary series called “Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty,” which aired on HBO Max, depicting Buster Murdaugh and friends beating Smith to death with a baseball bat. The series also insinuated that Buster and Smith had been lovers. The Netflix series “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal” showed a figure with red hair carrying a bat, with court papers alleging that the creators were depicting Buster as the murderer of Stephen Smith.
The lawsuit also names Hampton County Guardian editor Michael DeWitt, who appeared in the documentary and stated his suspicions about Buster’s ties to Smith’s murder. The suit claims that these false statements were published to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of viewers, tarnishing Buster Murdaugh’s reputation irreparably. Buster’s father, Alex Murdaugh, was convicted in 2021 of fatally shooting his wife and son amidst suspicion of criminal financial activities. The defendants in the lawsuit, including Warner Bros. and Netflix, have not yet commented on the allegations.
Overall, the lawsuit filed by Buster Murdaugh against several media companies alleges that false insinuations were made linking him to the death of Stephen Smith, a former classmate found dead in a hit-and-run in 2015. The lawsuit claims that various productions, including the Warner Bros. documentary series “Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty” and the Netflix series “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal,” depicted Buster as the murderer of Smith and insinuated a romantic relationship between the two. The suit also points to statements made by Hampton County Guardian editor Michael DeWitt as contributing to the false accusations against Buster.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, arguing that Buster Murdaugh’s reputation has been irredeemably damaged by the media coverage and portrayals in these productions. It suggests that the widespread dissemination of these false allegations has had a detrimental impact on Buster’s personal and professional life. The suit comes in the wake of renewed interest in Smith’s death following the murder of Buster’s mother and brother in 2021, although investigators found no connection to the Murdaugh family. The lawsuit names several high-profile media companies and individuals involved in the production of these documentaries.
