Kriti Mehrotra
CBS’ ’48 Hours: Stephen Smith: A Death in Murdaugh Country,’ NBC’s ‘Dateline: Murdaugh Saga,’ as well as Netflix’s ‘Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal’ chart the Murdaugh family’s twisted fall from grace by highlighting all the cases they’ve reportedly been connected to in the past few years. These date back to at least 2015 and include the mysterious deaths of their housekeeper, family members, and teenagers alike. Of course, Stephen Smith’s unsolved matter is a massive part of this tale, especially with the rumors surrounding it. Considering his age and the manner of his demise, though, we can’t help but wonder what his mother must’ve gone through. So, here’s everything we know about her.
Who is Stephen Smith’s Mother?
Stephen Nicholas Smith was born to Fred Joel and Sandy Smith as a twin on January 29, 1996. He was close to his twin sister — Stephanie — and was the light of his mother’s life. “He was just my heart,” Sandy once said. “He was my heart. Yeah. He was mamma’s boy.” They could talk about anything and everything, but the important thing was that he had his family’s support as an openly gay teen, unlike many others in the Southern community. That’s why, when Stephen was found dead in 2015, Sandy believed it to be a pure hate crime.
“[The detectives initially] said he was shot in the head,” Sandy revealed. “Then it turned out it was a hit and run. Then he was beat up. So the story just kept changing.” Despite that, she has always felt as if her son’s killing was deliberate and because of ingrained discrimination due to his sexual orientation. In an interview, she gave her honest opinion and alleged that Stephen was targeted by local youths, including classmates, from prestigious families. Sandy added that they lured or forcibly took him to the place of his death and brutally victimized him.
Stephen Smith’s Mother Continues to Live With Hope
For over eight years, Sandy has been waking up every morning, thinking of her kind son, and trying to meet with officials in search of actual answers. She knows what she believes, but she also wants the truth for some closure. Thus, when SLED announced they were opening an investigation into the matter in mid-2021, she was more than glad. “We’ve been waiting on this forever,” Sandy told ABC News 4. “Stephen’s always been put on the backburner. It’s like nobody’s looking for answers. Stephen’s had no justice.” But now, like her, we hope it’ll change for the better.
Sandy knows that nothing will bring back her son, yet it’s a step in the right direction. Moreover, she will finally have peace once his killer/s is brought to justice. As for where she is today, Sandy prefers to stay out of the limelight as much as possible, but we know that the rural South Carolina native is doing her best to keep her son’s name alive. For this, she has since established the Stephen Nicholas Smith Memorial Scholarship to provide annual support to those students hoping to pursue further studies but struggle to do so owing to financial constraints.
We should mention that a volunteer group by the name of #StandingForStephen had helped raise a significant amount of money to help Sandy fulfill this dream of creating a scholarship in her son’s name. These funds also cover any legal expenses she might face in the ensuing years. Plus, the group even played a role in ensuring he got the formal graveside memorial headstone he deserved; it took several years, but it was done in the summer of 2022. Moreover, it’s imperative to note Sandy has now also offered a $30,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest in connection to her son’s case – she hasn’t lost hope and continues to urge anyone with any detail to come forward.
Read More: Where is Alex Murdaugh Now?
