Exclusive 'Secret' Interview: Alex Murdaugh's Alleged Co-Conspirator Still Awaiting Trial — Why?

Summary

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Criminally Obsessed

Episode: Exclusive 'Secret' Interview: Alex Murdaugh's Alleged Co-Conspirator Still Awaiting Trial — Why?
Host: Anne Emerson
Release Date: May 20, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, Anne Emerson dives deep into the ongoing legal limbo surrounding Curtis "Eddie" Smith, a pivotal (yet often overlooked) figure in the Murdaugh crime saga. Smith, a distant cousin and alleged co-conspirator of Alex Murdaugh, has been under house arrest for nearly three years without a trial, facing charges ranging from the infamous roadside shooting to money laundering and drug trafficking. Anne unearths her exclusive, previously secret 2021 interview with Eddie, bringing personal insight, raw emotion, and possible explanations for the delays in this high-profile case.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Legal Stalemate: Why Hasn't Eddie Smith Gone to Trial?

• Background: Eddie Smith was indicted nearly five years ago but remains under house arrest with no trial date set. (00:04)
  • Anne notes: “It’s been almost five years since he was indicted. I asked the South Carolina Attorney General’s office. I was told it’s still pending.” (00:44)
  • Public frustration is mounting, especially as Alex Murdaugh’s convictions face appeals.
  • Alex’s defense attorney, Dick Harpootlian, calls the delay “infuriating.” (00:53)
• Current Legal Status: Smith’s new attorney, Jarrett Bouchette, claims Smith is fully compliant with his bond, but offers no explanation for the protracted process. (11:02)

2. Eddie Smith: A Portrait in His Own Words

• Background & Upbringing:
  • Smith shares his history as a South Carolina local with a transient childhood due to his father’s Marine Corps service. (03:00–03:19)
  • “I was born in Beaufort, you know, Parris Island, along with both my brothers... but we just moved a good bit.” (03:24)
• Work & Accident:
  • Longtime logger, left disabled after a 2007 accident. (05:22, 03:58)
  • “I was a logger for better than 25 years… because of the accident I’m 100% disabled.” (05:22)
  • Describes daily pain: “It’s an everyday thing… I know is there all day long.” (04:13)
• Relationship with Alex Murdaugh:
  • Alex represented him in part of his injury settlement. Their connection runs years deep, both as legal client and family friend. (04:48)

3. The Roadside Shooting: Betrayal and Manipulation

• Fateful Incident:
  • Three weeks post-shooting, Smith sits down for his first and only interview (September 2021). (01:05)
  • Smith claims he was “set up” by Alex, asserting he never meant to shoot him: “There was a struggle and the gun just went off.” (01:36)
• Emotional Fallout:
  • Smith repeatedly uses metaphors of helplessness and being overwhelmed by events outside his control:
    • “I feel that little bitty flake of snow… it starts down that hill and just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and I’m a little flake of snow stuck in the middle of it. That’s how I feel.” (06:33; repeated at 06:11 and 07:07)
    • “I’m that one little Indian in front of that buffalo stampede. That’s what it feels like.” (09:05)
  • On Alex: “He’s like a brother to me… it’s crushing to know that evidently, I mean nothing to nobody, especially him.” (08:02, 08:09)
• Betrayal:
  • “I feel betrayed. I don’t know if that’s even a good word for it.” (07:07)

4. Eddie’s Life Under the Shadow of the Murdaugh Case

• Daily Reality:
  • House arrest since 2023, navigating life with severe physical limitations and community scrutiny. (00:49; 05:22)
  • Continues to “piddle around the house” and does odd jobs, mainly mechanical work for neighbors. (05:22, 06:04)
• Legal and Emotional Support:
  • Attributes having any stability now to help from his daughter and new legal counsel. (09:30)
• Hope for the Future:
  • “I hope that when it’s all said and done that everybody will wind up being exactly what it’s supposed to be… it’s that simple.” (10:49)
  • Insists: “I have no ill will towards the man whatsoever.” (08:35)

5. Systemic Questions and Unanswered Mysteries

• With double homicide convictions for Alex Murdaugh potentially facing reversals, is the state delaying Eddie’s trial to keep options open for further questioning or bargaining?
• Anne underscores that protracted legal purgatory leaves both Smith and the public with little closure, raising questions of fairness and prosecutorial strategy. (Throughout)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On being caught in the Murdaugh scandal:
  • "I feel that little bitty flake of snow… I’m a little flake of snow stuck in the middle of it." — Eddie Smith (06:33)
  • “I’m that one little Indian in front of that buffalo stampede.” — Eddie Smith (09:05)
• On betrayal:
  • “I feel betrayed. I don’t know if that’s even a good word for it.” — Eddie Smith (07:07)
  • “He’s like a brother to me…I done anything in the world for him. Almost, anyway.” — Eddie Smith (08:02)
  • “It’s crushing to know that evidently, I mean nothing to nobody, especially him.” — Eddie Smith (08:09)
• On the justice system:
  • “I hope that when it’s all said and done that everybody will wind up being exactly what it’s supposed to be.” — Eddie Smith (10:49)

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Essential Timestamps

• 00:00–01:13 – Anne introduces Smith’s role in the Murdaugh saga and legal background.
• 01:13–02:48 – Anne recounts details of the secret 2021 interview after the roadside shooting.
• 02:48–07:14 – Eddie describes his upbringing, injury, work history, and deepening relationship (and rift) with Murdaugh.
• 07:14–10:49 – Eddie grapples with feelings of betrayal, betrayal metaphors, and his disillusionment.
• 10:49–11:02 – Anne updates listeners on Smith’s current legal status and reflects on the enduring questions.

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Additional Insight & Context

• Still No Court Date: Even as the podcast episode airs, Eddie Smith remains in limbo, awaiting a trial that may help explain his true role in the Murdaugh saga—or whether he was collateral damage, as he describes.
• Future Coverage: Anne teases upcoming live panels and Murdoch case content, maintaining momentum as legal battles continue.
• Tone: Episode is candid and intimate, with Anne balancing investigative precision with compassion. Eddie’s vulnerability and metaphorical language make for memorable, emotional listening.

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This summary captures the emotional depth, legal intrigue, and personal stakes central to this episode, providing context and clarity for listeners eager to understand “the little guy” swept up in one of America’s most notorious crime stories.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, everyone, I'm Ann Emerson, and this is criminally obsessed. Do you all remember Curtis Eddie Smith from the Murdoch saga? He was a long lost distant cousin of Alec Murdoch. Police say Eddie shot Alec in the head in a failed life insurance scheme over labor day weekend in 2021. That was three months after Maggie and Paul were found murdered. Police also say Eddie was pushing drugs, forging checks, and laundering money for his cousin Alec. But we don't know because Eddie's case has still not gone to trial. And get this. Eddie's been under house arrest for almost three years, since 2023. Why? It's been almost five years since he was indicted. I asked the South Carolina Attorney General's office. I was told it's still pending. And now with Alex double murder convictions getting overturned, that response infuriates Alec's defense lawyer, dekarpoutlian. He says it's taking too long. But does the state have more questions for Mr. Smith?

[B]

My name's Curtis Edward Smith. Everybody else calls me Eddie.

[A]

Eddie's first interview was done in secret by me. I was the only one asking questions. It was September 2021.

[C]

Why do you feel betrayed?

[A]

It was three weeks after the shooting, after Alec Murdoch set up the plan for his only living son, Buster, to collect on his $10 million life insurance policy, the only money the family had left. According to police, Alec wanted it to look like he'd been shot while he was changing a flat tire along Old Sackahachi Road.

[B]

He's like a brother to me.

[A]

Prosecutors say Alec provided the gun to Eddie and gave him money. Eddie says he was set up, that he didn't aim the gun at Alec and shoot. He says there was a struggle and the gun just went off. But what we do know is that a bullet grazed Alex head, but he was not seriously wounded. This was the first domino to fall to show the depths of Alec's deception. Soon after, he was arrested for murdering his wife and son.

[C]

Well, tell me, how are you feeling right now about the predicament that the situation we're in right now. Tell me how you're feeling.

[D]

Nothing about the facts, just physically and mentally.

[B]

How are you feeling? I feel that little bitty flake of snow. It starts down that hill.

[A]

I pulled Eddie's interview from my archives because you told me you could not get enough of Murdoch content. Eddie's attorney. You'll hear him is off camera, but he had a heavy hand in what Eddie was allowed to say on camera to me. But I was able to ask him about his relationship with Alec and how he felt after the shooting. Before we get started, be sure to like subscribe and turn on your notifications so you don't miss any updates to this ongoing Murdoch saga. Now let's get into it.

[C]

Tell me your name and tell me how you like people to talk.

[B]

My name is Curtis Edward Smith. Everybody else called me Eddie.

[C]

Eddie. Eddie. How long have you lived in Hampton county area?

[B]

I actually live in Colony county in Walterboro. Been there for. I moved back here in 1984.

[C]

Where were you, where were you before that?

[B]

My father's in Marine Corps, so he was from Mississippi. So nice to be in the Marine Corps. We moved a lot, you know, so been all over. Mostly between South Carolina and Mississippi.

[C]

Tell me about where you're from. Like you were gone in 1984. Where were you? What were you doing?

[B]

Well, so my father's in Marine Corps, so we moved a good bit. I was born in Beaufort, you know, Parris island, along with both my brothers born to the same place. My middle brothers passed away. My youngest brother lives across the road from me, so. But we just moved a good bit.

[C]

Moved a good bet. And tell me just hearing that you were a veteran, talk to me about that.

[B]

Well, I don't claim a veteran status. I had six years in National Guard, but I don't. I don't claim anything veterans that people need a whole lot worse than I do. I don't want to take up no money from nobody else.

[C]

And talk to me a little bit. You had an accident. Talk to. Can you talk to me about the accident that you had?

[B]

Yeah, I had accident in logging woods in 2007. Had to have three disc removed out the back and got rods and screws in every place of them. It's not fun.

[C]

Talk to me about the pain.

[B]

It's an everyday thing. I mean it's every day. I know is there all day long.

[C]

Tell me who represented you? Can you tell me a little bit about what happened on that case?

[B]

John McCord, my representation now he's log out of Myrtle beach referred to me and. And we got touch and he represent me now. Other than that, I hadn't had any representations at all on this case.

[C]

Oh, I'm sorry, I meant when you got hurt.

[D]

It's public record.

[B]

I think I can't remember. I can't remember the name of a lawyer. He's right there on.

[C]

I'm sorry, I thought it was. I thought it was the.

[B]

Alex represented me on. On another end of it.

[C]

Yeah, that's what I was talking about. Talk to me about. So he, you knew, you knew Alec because he represented you. Is that like.

[B]

Oh yeah, he represented me on, on part of my case with my back injury. I don't remember exactly what part it was. I'm an attorney so I mean, you know, just so heavy take care of. They took care of it, you know.

[C]

Yeah. So he represented you. Were you related? Are you related to. Okay, talk to me about what you've done for a living. What do you do for a living? Talk to me a little bit about that. What do you do for a living, Eddie?

[B]

Well, I was a logger for better than 25 years I reckon. We're at logging woods and because of the accident I'm 100% disabled. I couldn't get hired anywhere. I was like, I'll pay Walmart, probably hire me right now with my back injuries. But I just piddle around the house. Mainly people needs a little bit of work done to come by and see me.

[C]

So folks, and folks in the Carlton Hampton area, they know they, they can call you if they need help on something.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

What are you particularly good at?

[B]

Hydraulic work? Engines? Most anything that moves mechanically.

[D]

What's the most recent thing he's been working on?

[C]

Can you tell me what the most recent thing you've been working on?

[B]

You tell her who I've been on track over?

[D]

No.

[B]

Well, I done a set of brakes for a buddy of mine last week. Done some welding for another one. I talked to him last night. I just had a welding helmet on. I take it off so I could talk to him.

[D]

That's good, that's good.

[B]

Anything needs to be done.

[C]

Well, tell me how are you feeling right now about the predicament that the situation we're in right now. Tell me how your feeling.

[D]

Nothing about the facts, just physically and mentally. How are you?

[B]

I feel that little bitty flake of snow. It starts down that hill and just keep bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and I'm a little flake of snow stuck in the middle of it. That's how I feel.

[D]

That's great.

[B]

I feel betrayed.

[D]

Far you can get that line again.

[C]

Give it to me again. Talk to me a little bit more because he's like, you can say it again because he interrupted you a little bit over here but not badly, not badly. Talk to me again Eddie, about what you feel like right now. What's going through your head right now and tell me about the, the analogy you just gave me. Say it again, I want to hear it again.

[B]

Well, that would betray you. I feel Like I've been betrayed. I don't know if that's even a good word for it.

[C]

You feel betrayed?

[B]

Yeah. You see?

[C]

Why do you feel betrayed?

[B]

I consider you one of my best friends. You like a brother to me. All right.

[D]

That's good. You okay? You're heartbroken?

[B]

Better. I'm covered.

[C]

Can I ask you, is Alex somebody that you cared about?

[B]

Yeah. I say he's like a brother to me. I done anything in the world for him. Almost, anyway.

[D]

You look up, bro.

[B]

Yeah. Just, it's. It's crushing to know that evidently, I mean nothing to nobody, especially him.

[D]

All right. All right, y'.

[A]

All.

[D]

That should be fast enough. Let's go.

[C]

I don't want to upset you. I don't want to. Do we have to end on a sad note? Yeah, I mean, I would like to hear.

[B]

I have no ill will towards the man.

[D]

Pardon?

[B]

I have no ill will towards the man whatsoever.

[D]

All right, close it up. Let's get your clothes. And one.

[C]

Well, I mean, my clothes. And there is no ill will, but. But as far as the. When you were saying you feel like you're in the middle of something, rolling downhill fast. Why do you feel like that? Talk to me a little bit about what that feeling's like.

[D]

No, I appreciate that, but come on.

[C]

Well, you said he could say it again.

[D]

No, I mean. I mean, dude, you guys don't need

[B]

any more than that. Just don't. Don't bury relationship.

[C]

Oh, I'm not.

[B]

I'm that one little Indian in front of that buffalo stampede. That's what it feels like. I'm not one Indian out there in front of that buffalo stampede. I got somebody backing me now.

[D]

See?

[B]

You can send it out again. John McCoy, my representation. And I appreciate everything he does.

[C]

Do you feel like you had to go out of state? I mean, out of county, out of the.

[B]

I'm not going nowhere.

[D]

That's a fine.

[C]

No, I mean, to find somebody to talk to about this.

[B]

I didn't know where to go. I didn't know where to turn to. And thankful my daughter is caring and loving. She is. And her worrying about me. So she started talking to some friends, and one thing comes to another, and I'm on the phone with this man, asked us how it happened.

[D]

All right, Now's your goodbye one. All right. You want any more?

[A]

Yeah, I want one more.

[D]

Okay, but it's going to be. Close it up. Like, what's your. You know.

[A]

What do you want us to ask him?

[C]

You sound like you got a question in your head.

[D]

You got, you got it. I mean, you hit it. You know, I would ask him, what is it like being a little guy in a big, in a town full of big names?

[B]

Well, I mean, about that one Indian one at Buffalo Stampede.

[C]

You said that it felt like a betrayal. Yeah. I don't think anyone could put their selves in your shoes right now. I don't think anyone could have predicted that we would be doing an interview like this right now and having these kind of conversations right now for the same.

[B]

In my mind.

[C]

How does it feel to be in the middle of that, middle of that right now? Do you see the truth out there? Do you see the truth coming forward in this case?

[B]

I hope that when it's all said done that everybody will wind up being exactly what it's supposed to be. I mean. Yeah, it's that simple.

[A]

Besides the roadside shooting, Eddie was caught up in some of Alex other legal problems as well. Eddie was indicted on charges of drug trafficking, forgery, money laundering and criminal conspiracy. He still hasn't gone to trial on any of these charges either. I've reached out to Eddie Smith's new attorney, Jarrett Bouchette, and he told me that Eddie has maintained compliance with the terms and conditions of his bond, which includes his crazy long three years and counting home detention. At this point, there are no scheduled court dates for Eddie Smith. Keep following me for more Murdoch content like this and be sure to, like, subscribe. Turn on your notifications to Criminally Obsessed because we will continue to be covering these Murdoch updates. Now, exciting news, if you didn't already know, we're going to be at Crimecon in Las Vegas at the end of this month. That's in less than two weeks. There are still tickets available and we are going to have a live panel with Blanca Trubiate Simpson. She is the former Murdoch housekeeper and and one of Maggie's closest friends and confidants. She's going to be talking to us in this live session, which is going to be incredible. If you want to go, you can get tickets at the Crimecon website. Just type in crimly obsessed, one word, it's in the promo code and you'll get 10% off. I can't wait to see you there.