Curtis "Eddie" Smith
The name Curtis “Eddie” Smith first appeared in the perpetually expanding Murdaugh crime and corruption saga on September 14, 2021 when he was arrested in connection with the suspicious September 4, 2021 shooting of disbarred and disgraced South Carolina attorney, Alex Murdaugh. Since that time, we have gotten a clearer picture of just how connected this 62-year-old accused drug dealer/ check casher was to Murdaugh through additional court filings and indictments.
Murdaugh, 54, has been charged with two counts of murder and two counts of possessing a weapon during the commission of a violent crime in connection with the June 7, 2021 shootings of his wife, 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh, and younger son, 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh. Maggie and Paul were killed at Moselle – the family’s sprawling 1,700-acre hunting property next to the Salkehatchie River on the border of Colleton and Hampton counties.
Smith has been a key player in this still-unfolding narrative from the very beginning. For starters, he has been accused of cashing more than 400 checks totaling at least $2.4 million at Murdaugh’s behest. Of interest? Some of these checks were cashed by Eason – one of the three names Smith gave to SLED to corroborate his alibi for the night of the Moselle murders.
Smith is also facing fraud and weapons charges after allegedly shooting Murdaugh in the head during a bizarre staged suicide last Labor Day.
Murdaugh’s attorney’s initially claimed he was shot by a passerby while trying to change one of the ‘run-flat’ tires on the Mercedes-Benz sport utility vehicle he was driving. This narrative began falling apart almost immediately, however – thanks to shifting, conflicting stories provided to members of the mainstream media.
Additionally, there has been no visible evidence of the “superficial” head wound Murdaugh reportedly sustained in the incident.
Whatever happened on that Hampton County roadside last summer, this shooting incident propelled Smith onto the national stage – attention which only escalated after it became clear he was a key cog in the alleged financial crimes Murdaugh stands accused of committing against a host of victims.
In the roadside shooting case, Smith was charged with assisted suicide, assault and battery of a high aggravated nature, pointing and presenting a firearm, conspiracy and presenting a false claim for an insurance payment of more than $10,000.
As I noted last week, Smith has been incarcerated at the Lexington County detention center for the past two months after his bond on multiple charges related to this saga was revoked by S.C. circuit court judge Clifton Newman.
The man known as “Cousin Eddie” has previously called Murdaugh “one of my best friends.”
“He’s like a brother to me,” he told WCIV TV-4 (ABC – Charleston, S.C.) last September.
Quick Facts
- Date of Birth: July 8, 1960
- Alex represented Eddie in a 2010 personal injury lawsuit against American Forestry Management
- Reportedly failed polygraph during investigation of murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh
- Accused of laundering millions of dollars for Alex Murdaugh
- Indicted in relation to the road-side shooting incident in September 2021 in Hampton County
- Indicted in June with Alex for drug trafficking
