“Biggest unanswered question”: Murdaugh: Death in the Family creators hope show sparks justice for Stephen Smith

Hulu's latest docu-series, Murdaugh: Death in the Family, which premiered with its first 3 episodes on October 15, expands the story we know about the popular Murdaugh saga beyond Alex Murdaugh's conviction.

The series explores the 2015 death case of Stephen Smith in depth, which has haunted both investigators and journalists until now, being unsolved for a decade.

The executive producer of the show, Mandy Matney, who was also the investigative journalist behind The Murdaugh Murders podcast, expressed, while speaking with Us Weekly,

“It’s really the biggest unanswered question in this entire saga. It is the case that keeps me up at night,” said Mandy Matney. “It’s the case that I would like to solve.”

Read on to know more about the docuseries, Murdaugh: Death in the Family.

Murdaugh: Death in the Family creators hope the show sparks justice for Stephen Smith

The docuseries digs deeper into the unresolved and suspicious death of Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old nursing student at the time of death. His case first appeared as a hit-and-run case, but has always been surrounded by doubts for authorities and investigative journalists alike.

While speaking with Us Weekly, the executive producer of the show, Mandy Matney, who was also behind investigating the case and doing a podcast on the same, expressed how she hopes that this documentary series brings justice to Stephen and people who know him might recall anything that could give the authorities any lead to solve the case.

“I know enough about the case to know and believe that people are out there who know exactly what happened to Stephen… Anything that tips them over the edge to go to the police - that’s my biggest hope.”

Matney has covered his death case from its earlier days and has promised his mother to keep her story alive.

What happened with Stephen Smith, as shown in Murdaugh: Death in the Family

In July 2015, Stephen Smith was found lying in the middle of a rural road about 3 miles from where his car had run out of gas. The police at first made it a hit-and-run case; however, there were no skid marks or vehicle debris, or any other evidence to prove the same. Moreover, Stephen's head injuries were blunt and focused; it wasn't something being struck by a car. His shoes were on and his phone was in his pocket.

Even Matney's investigative work always focused on getting more information from people who knew him. Sandy Smith, Stephen's mother, fought for justice for decades. The creator of the show, Michael D. Fuller, while speaking with Us Weekly, mentioned how the docu-series not just explores Stephen's story but also his mother's perspective on the same.

“One [of the details we wanted to make sure to include in the show] is Stephen Smith’s story because, unfortunately, the real case is still open-ended. Stephen’s story is fundamental to that. At this point, and not being in the midst of all of this unfolding, is that his mom, Sandy, has an entirely new perspective on the case and has an entirely new perspective on the suspicion of who is responsible for what happened to Stephen"

For a long time, as shown on Murdaugh: Death in the Family, the case associated members of the family with the death, but no formal charges were ever filed, or they get any substantial proof for that. In 2021, after the Murdaugh murders, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) reopened Stephen’s case due to new revelations uncovered during their investigation into the Murdaughs.

In 2023, SLED reclassified the case as a homicide and also encouraged people who know them to come up with information, offering them a reward of $50,000, signalling that the state now believes foul play was involved, as explored in Murdaugh: Death in the Family.

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Murdaugh: Death in the Family episode 6 is premiering on November 6, 2025.

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