Patrick Wilson discusses Stephen Smith to Murdaugh with the CC News Network
CC News Network©: Exclusive Interview with Patrick Wilson from Hampton County, SC
This is the 1st of 4 articles that we will be posting for the next 4 weeks on Patrick Wilson and our exclusive interview.
In an exclusive interview with the CC News Network, Patrick Wilson opened up to the CC News Network for the first and only time to any news outlet about his legal troubles and his connection to the Stephen Smith case. During the early August 2024 interview, Wilson discussed his interactions with law enforcement, his version of events surrounding Smith’s death, and his longstanding friendship with the Murdaugh family and many of the 2019 boat crash victims.
Patrick Wilson also addressed his 2024 arrest in Greenville County for assault. Employed as a maintenance man at a local hotel, Wilson explained that he acted in self-defense after being confronted by an aggressive guest. “They called me one night to go to the room, and the guest pushed me. I felt threatened and struck back in self-defense,” Wilson recounted.
When asked about his connection to Stephen Smith‘s death, Patrick Wilson vehemently denied any involvement. In Wilson’s opinion, he alleges that law enforcement had tried to coerce him into making false statements during a convened Grand Jury. “Creighton Waters tried intimidating me and tricking me into saying things that weren’t true,” Patrick Wilson exclusively told the CC News Network. “He showed me all kinds of pictures of Stephen, asking me what I thought about them. I said I felt sorry for him,” Wilson told us.
In 2023, South Carolina authorities made what they thought was a pivotal breakthrough in the unsolved 2015 murder of 19-year-old Stephen Smith, a case long shrouded in mystery and rumors, many of which involved the notorious Murdaugh family. Two individuals—Patrick (Pat) Wilson and Shawn Connelly, both 25 years old at the time, now 26—were identified as key persons of interest first reported by FITSNews. Despite being implicated early on, their involvement was not deeply pursued until recently, when new revelations emerged, intensifying the focus on their potential roles in the crime.
The Initial Investigation: A Troubling Oversight
Stephen Smith, a nursing student from Hampton County, was found dead in the early hours of July 8, 2015, on Sandy Run Road, just a few miles from the Murdaugh family’s sprawling 1,700-acre Moselle estate. His body showed signs of severe trauma, particularly to the head, but investigators initially ruled his death a hit-and-run—a determination that baffled many, including Smith’s family, as there were no signs of vehicle debris, skid marks, or any obvious indications of an accident.
The case garnered little attention at first, despite oddities in the investigation. Even Lieutenant Thomas Moore of the South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP), one of the first officers on the scene, expressed doubts. He publicly stated his belief that Smith had been murdered, and that the crime scene had been mishandled. His concerns were largely ignored at the time.
This oversight became more glaring when, five months after Smith’s death, a tip emerged that could have shifted the investigation much earlier.
The Williams Tip and Murdaugh Connection: Exclusive Quotes from Patrick Wilson
In November 2015, Darrell Williams, who was described as Patrick Wilson’s stepfather, approached local authorities with a critical piece of information. According to Wilson, “Darrell is not my stepfather; he just had two kids with my mother.” Williams stated at the time to then Hampton police officer, Nick Ginn, that Wilson had tearfully confessed to him that Shawn Connelly was driving a vehicle that struck and killed Stephen Smith.
Williams also alleged that Randy Murdaugh, the elder brother of Alex Murdaugh, encouraged him to relay this confession to investigators. Randy Murdaugh’s name has frequently surfaced in connection with the case, adding fuel to widespread suspicions that the Murdaugh family had deeper ties to the incident. However, according to Wilson, Williams lied to Ginn, and Wilson said he never made such a confession to Williams.
Wilson further alleged in our exclusive interview, “At the time, Darrell was working for Randy Murdaugh, doing construction work at Randy’s house.” Wilson also alleges that in his opinion, Williams was battling drug use.
As for Hampton police officer Nick Ginn, Patrick Wilson stated that Ginn contacted both he and Connelly early in the investigation when their names came up. Ginn expressed interest in seeing Connelly’s truck and its side-view mirror. Wilson said, “We (Wilson and Connelly) drove to the Hampton Restaurant where officer Ginn was eating with other officers.”
Wilson continued, “Nick came outside, looked at the mirror, and took pictures of it. A few weeks before Stephen’s death, I accidentally shot the mirror out with a high-powered 9mm rifle.” Patrick went on to clarify, “The glass wasn’t shot out of the mirror—no glass on the mirror was broken. It was just a piece of plastic that broke off when it got shot.” The photos of the sideview mirror that Officer Ginn allegedly took, have not been published or seen anywhere publicly. We reached out to now former Hampton police officer Ginn for a comment, and we received no reply.
When asked if he regularly shot rifles out the window at that time, Wilson replied, “Yes, we’d go out shooting hogs at night on roads, old dirt roads and fields.” When asked how many hogs he had shot in his life, Wilson responded, “Hundreds.”
Interestingly, Randy Murdaugh’s involvement went beyond merely passing along a tip. At the time of Stephen Smith’s death, Randy had represented Smith’s father, Joel, in a workers’ compensation case. Sandy Smith, Stephen’s mother, has long believed that Randy and Alex Murdaugh’s presence at the crime scene—just hours after Stephen’s body was discovered—was more than coincidental.
On the CBS TV show called 48 Hours, Sandy alleged that Randy offered to help the family pro bono in their search for justice, though she remained skeptical of his motivations. Randy Murdaugh denies being at the scene, along with Alex, but Sandy Smith remains steadfast in what she believes she saw.
The Murdaugh family’s name carried immense weight in Hampton County at the time. Their influence extended to the local legal system, and the fact that neither Wilson nor Connelly was thoroughly investigated following Williams’ tip raised eyebrows. Despite the alleged confession, the case was closed with a ruling of hit-and-run.
The Unraveling of the Murdaugh Family’s Grip on Hampton County and a Reopening of the Smith Case
The Murdaugh dynasty’s fall from grace began in earnest following the June 2021 murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, Alex Murdaugh’s wife and younger son, at the Moselle estate. The high-profile case drew unprecedented national attention, especially after Alex Murdaugh was later charged with their murders and sentenced to life in prison in March 2023.
In the wake of the Murdaugh scandal, numerous cold cases in the region, including Stephen Smith’s, were reopened. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) officially reclassified Smith’s death as a homicide in 2021.This new attention culminated in the focus shifting back to Patrick Wilson and Connelly.
Shawn Connelly and Patrick Wilson: Renewed Scrutiny in 2023
Patrick Wilson and Shawn Connelly were teenagers at the time of Smith’s death, both living just miles apart, right in-between from where Smith’s body was found. Connelly, in particular, had a troubled past. His history with local law enforcement included having open alcohol tickets, and numerous traffic violations. Records obtained by CC News network revealed that Connelly had also been involved in a number of other legal issues over the years, including hunting violations, criminal trespassing, fishing without a license, and one where he unlawfully killed an antlerless deer.
Despite the numerous infractions, neither Connelly nor Wilson were seriously pursued by investigators during the initial investigation. However, when SLED reopened the case, their names quickly resurfaced. Investigators took a fresh look at the tip from Darrell Williams.
Stay tuned for more of the Patrick Wilson interview with the CCNewsNetwork.com for a weekly release of the Patrick Wilson interview.
This is the 1st of 4 articles we will be posting right here!
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