A distant cousin and former client of convicted killer Alex Murdaugh was released from jail and placed under house arrest Monday for his alleged role in a botched assisted suicide scheme.
Curtis “Cousin Eddie” Smith — accused of trying to shoot the disgraced legal scion on a rural road in Hampton County just three months after Murdaugh killed his wife and son — was granted bond following claims of declining health, Law & Crime reported.
“My sugar is off the chart, blood pressure is off the chart,” Smith, 61, argued. “I got titanium rods and screws in my back, and I have not been able to get any medical treatment for my pain for eight months.”
Smith claimed he gained roughly 55 pounds since being incarcerated in June 2022, which Colleton County Judge Clifton Newman agreed resulted in a visible difference since his last court appearance.
Even prosecutors testified on Smith’s behalf, stating he was completely cooperative with officials during the Murdaugh murder trial and deserved to have his bond reinstated.
Smith was initially awarded a $250,000 bond after he was charged in the suicide-for-hire plot, but was jailed again after he violated the terms of his house arrest by visiting grocery stores and private residences.
“He fully cooperated with us throughout this process and was willing to testify if called upon,” prosecutor John Meadors said. “Based upon my years of experience, I believe he would have testified truthfully.”
Smith’s bond was reinstated with strict conditions — he cannot leave the designated parameters of his house arrest and cannot have any guns in his home, among other conditions, or he will be thrown back behind bars.
Smith has long denied shooting Murdaugh as part of an attempt to leave his cousin’s surviving son, Buster, insurance money.
Murdaugh shot himself in the head in an attempt to frame Smith as a deranged drug dealer and killer, making it easier to pin him for Maggie and Paul’s murders, Smith alleges.
“Since the beginning of this series of events, the innuendo – the implication – has been that Mr. Smith somehow had something to do with those tragic deaths,” Smith’s defense attorney T. Jarrett Bouchette said.
“When Mr. Murdaugh took the stand, he in no way implicated Mr. Smith. The state, after a year – year and some change – and putting forth a six-week trial, never implicated Mr. Smith. All evidence points to the fact that Mr. Smith had nothing to do with those tragic events.”
In addition to the shooting, Smith also faces numerous drug and money-related charges and is accused of being a conspirator in Murdaugh’s alleged money laundering scheme.