The only surviving son of convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh has filed a series of lawsuits against Netflix and Warner Bros. for allegedly linking him to the death of his classmate in documentaries.
Buster Murdaugh, who is now 30-years-old, has expressed a belief that his reputation was damaged upon the release of several documentaries, including one by the streaming giant.
He believes they linked him to the death of his ex-classmate Stephen Smith, who died at 19-years-old in 2015. His body was found near the Murdaugh house in South Carolina.
Advert
Stephen's tragic death was initially ruled to be a hit-and-run but after the case was reopened in 2021, it led to a very different ruling.
It was declared in March 2023 that it was he was killed intentionally.
Stephen’s mother, Sandy, then launched a GoFundMe in order to cover the costs of an exhumation.
Advert
Buster says he was thrust into the limelight and implicated in Stephen's death after documentaries were made about his father, Alex.
55-year-old Alex is currently serving two life sentences behind bars after a lengthy high-profile trial.
He was found guilty for the 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, 52, and their son, Paul, 22. He was also found guilty of financial fraud after stealing millions from his clients.
The motive put forward for the killings was that Alex killed his wife and son as his fraudulent behaviours were set to be exposed in 2021 - and he believed losing his wife and son would gain him sympathy.
Advert
The shocking allegations and trial led to a series of documentaries being made, including Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal on Netflix, Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty, distributed by Warner Bros. and Murdaugh Murders: Deadly Dynasty, on Discovery+, all of which Buster cites in his lawsuit.
Buster was faced with allegations of involvement in Stephen's death and rumours began to circulate of the possibility of a sexual relationship between the two.
His lawsuit states that the Netflix docuseries shows “a young man with red hair carrying a baseball bat. The Plaintiff has red hair, and it is readily ascertainable from the content of the series that the creators were depicting the Plaintiff as the murderer of Stephen Smith."
Advert
It continues: “The false statements were published to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of viewers who watched the show."
Eric Smith, an attorney for the family of Stephen Smith, told the Daily Beast: "I think the defendants will love this lawsuit because it will make a part three of any documentary.
"Buster was never asked if he had any knowledge of [Smith’s] death. He just said he didn’t kill [Smith] and didn’t have a sexual relationship with him."
Advert
Tyla has reached out to Netflix, Warner and Discovery+ for comment.
Topics: Documentaries, Netflix, TV And Film, True Crime, US News
Kya Buller