The only living son of convicted killer and admitted swindler Alex Murdaugh has named a handful of documentary companies, a media conglomerate and a Hampton County journalist in a lawsuit accusing them of defaming him while reporting on the death of Stephen Smith.
Buster Murdaugh — whose legal name is Richard Alexander Murdaugh Jr — says that the defendants defamed him when they implied that he may be responsible for Stephen’s death. Stephen was found dead in the middle of Sandy Run Road in Hampton County on July 8, 2015. It is still unknown who is responsible for his death.
Buster cites the following documentaries as defamatory:
Murdaugh Murders: Deadly Dynasty
Produced by Blackfin Inc for Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.
Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty
Produced by Campfire Studios for Warner Bros. Discovery and Warner Media Entertainment Pages
Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal
Produced by The Cinemart LLC for Netflix, Inc.
Additionally, Michael DeWitt, Jr., the editor of the Hampton County Guardian newspaper is named in the suit, along with the Guardian’s parent company, Gannett Co. Inc. DeWitt appeared in Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal.
You can read the entire complaint here and hear Mandy and Liz's thoughts in True Sunlight Episode 56.
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Buster is represented by attorney Shaun Courtney Kent of Kent Law Firm in Manning, SC.
Contact Beth Braden
Beth Braden
Beth Braden is an award-winning investigative journalist who cut her reporting teeth in the hills and hollows of East Tennessee. She joined the LUNASHARK® Media team in 2023 as a researcher and journalist who handles FOIA requests, wading through and analyzing public records, and connecting with sources. She also provides a monthly update for premium members called Soundbites, which is a monthly review of everything happening at LUNASHARK®, and she occasionally writes and records for True Sunlight. Beth has her own solo podcast called Time of Death, which explores the 1992 homicide of Tommy Griffin and Connie Branam in East Tennessee.
Prior to joining the team, Beth’s newspaper work had taken her into deep-dive stories about faith-based serpent handling and Appalachian coal mining, as well as data journalism work to analyze euthanasia drug irregularities at an animal shelter, uncover the most dangerous intersections on her beat, and see whether or not the local judge’s rulings passed muster when cases were appealed to the state appellate court. And of course, she’s been to her fair share of court hearings, city council meetings, and board of education work sessions.
In addition to her newspaper experience, her byline appears on HGTV.com, nytimes.com, and other internationally known websites.
In her spare time, she enjoys quilting, rock climbing, strange museums, and good cups of coffee.
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