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Astra, Sanofi RSV Drug Approved in US for Use in Infants
Astra, Sanofi RSV Drug Approved in US for Use in Infants
AstraZeneca Plc and Sanofi’s drug for RSV in infants was approved in the US, the first-ever preventive intended
2023-07-18 00:57
Luxury Group Lalique Acquires Sauternes Vineyard Near Bordeaux
Luxury Group Lalique Acquires Sauternes Vineyard Near Bordeaux
Swiss luxury firm Lalique Group SA is adding the Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey vineyards in the Bordeaux region to its
2023-11-02 00:18
Taylor Swift: Australia to host academic conference on pop icon
Taylor Swift: Australia to host academic conference on pop icon
The event will explore the megastar's impact on culture and the music industry.
2023-09-21 15:46
Buster Murdaugh breaks silence on Stephen Smith killing – and insists his father is innocent
Buster Murdaugh breaks silence on Stephen Smith killing – and insists his father is innocent
Buster Murdaugh has broken his silence to deny any involvement in the mysterious killing of gay teenager Stephen Smith – and insist that he still believes his father is innocent of the murders of his mother and brother. Alex Murdaugh’s only surviving son spoke out in his first TV interview since his family was propelled to national attention, for the new three-part FOX Nation documentary “The Fall of the House of Murdaugh”. In the interview, Buster slammed rumours that he too could have been involved in a heinous murder – that of 19-year-old Smith in July 2015 – and offered an alibi for his whereabouts on the night the teenager was killed. “I never had anything to do with his murder, and I never had anything to do with him on a physical level in any regard,” he said in a clip from the documentary, due for release on 31 August. Smith, a nursing student, was found dead on a road in Hampton County, South Carolina, in the early hours of 8 July 2015 – not far from the prominent Murdaugh family’s estate where Alex Murdaugh murdered Maggie and Paul six years later. Despite Smith suffering blunt force trauma to the head and there being no skid marks or vehicular debris on the road, officials ruled his death a hit-and-run at the time. Smith’s mother long questioned this official account and, for years, the Murdaugh name continued to crop up in connection to the case. Buster and Smith were classmates and there were unsubstantiated rumours that the two had been in some sort of relationship around the time of his death. Smith’s mother Sandy Smith named Buster as the prime suspect in her son’s murder in a letter begging the FBI to get involved in the case back in 2016. In June 2021 – mere days after Maggie and Paul’s murders – SLED announced that it was opening a new investigation into Smith’s death. This April, the agency then finally announced that Smith’s death was being investigated as a homicide and his body was exhumed for a private autopsy. No one has ever been charged over Smith’s death and law enforcement have never announced anything linking Buster to the killing. In the FOX Nation documentary, Buster for the first time offered an alibi for the night of Smith’s death saying that he was at his family’s Edisto Beach house with his late mother and brother. Hitting out at the rumours that continue to swirl, he said it was “a terrible thing” to be accused of. “I don’t want to be rude here, but have you ever been accused of murdering somebody?” he asked. “Well, let me tell you, this is very, very, very, very, very, it’s a terrible thing to place on somebody with absolutely no fact. I mean, it has harmed my reputation. I mean, people perceive me as a murderer.” In the interview, Buster also doubled down on his father’s innocence in the murders of Maggie and Paul – even after a jury of 12 peers convicted him back in March and he was sentenced to life in prison on the charges. Maggie and Paul were found shot dead on the family’s 1,700-acre Moselle estate back on 7 June 2021. Alex Murdaugh had called 911 claiming to have found their bodies. When asked if he ever thought it possible that his father might have killed their loved ones, Buster insisted no. “No, because I think that I hold a very unique perspective that nobody else in that courtroom ever held. And I know the love that I have witnessed,” he said. The 29-year-old went on to say that he thinks there are a lot of questions that still need to be answered about the murders. “My biggest thing that I want people to realise, that there are always two sides of the story. Now, they can pick which one they want to believe,” he said. “But I think there’s a heck of a lot that still needs to be answered about what happened on June the 7th.” He said that prosecutors presented a “crappy motive” and that the case was not “fair”. “I do not believe it was fair,” he said. “I was there for six weeks studying it, and I think it was a tilted table from the beginning. “And I think, unfortunately, a lot of the jurors felt that way prior to when they had to deliberate. It was predetermined in their minds prior to when they ever heard any shred of evidence that was given in that room.” Buster said that he believed the police were under “an awful lot of pressure” to come up with a suspect in the killings and so “the route that they decided to go with” was to charge his father. He also blamed the media coverage of the case which he said left jurors going into the process with their minds already made up. “Because of everything they had the ability to read prior to the trial,” he said. “I think that people get overwhelmed, and I think that they believe everything that they read. And I think it took advantage of a jury pool in a very small town in a very small county.” Now, with his father behind bars, he said he fears that the real killer is still walking free. “I think I set myself up to be safe but yes, when I go to bed at night, I have a fear that there is somebody that is still out there,” Buster added. Throughout the high-profile murder trial, Buster stood by his father, attending each day of the court’s proceedings with his family members. Buster also testified in his father’s defence saying that Murdaugh had been “destroyed” and “heartbroken” in the aftermath of the deaths of his mother and brother. But despite continuing to insist his father’s innocence even now, Buster did not deny that his father may be a psychopath. “I’m not prepared to sit here and say that it encompasses him as a whole, but I certainly think there are characteristics where you look at the manipulation and the lies and the carrying out of that such, and I think that’s a fair assessment,” he said. When asked if he worries he might be like his father, Buster also had some harsh words for his father’s character. “No, I do not worry, because I am not a thief. I am not a liar. I’m not a manipulator,” he said. “In those regards, I am nothing like him, but, in other regards, I believe that I do hold some of his more admirable traits, which I am quite proud of.” Murdaugh, 54, was sentenced to life in prison for the murders and is serving his time in the maximum security facility McCormick Correctional Institution in South Carolina. He is also facing a slew of financial fraud charges for stealing millions of dollars from his law firm clients and his dead housekeeeper’s family and over a botched hitman plot where he claims he paid an accomplice to shoot him dead. As well as Smith’s death, Murdaugh’s high-profile conviction also shone a spotlight on some other mystery deaths tied to the South Carolina legal dynasty. An investigation was also reopened into another mystery death connected to the Murdaugh family – that of their longtime housekeeper Gloria Satterfield. She died in 2018 in a mystery trip and fall accident at the family home. Murdaugh then allegedly stole around $4m in a wrongful death settlement from her sons. At the time of his murder, Paul was also awaiting trial for the 2018 boat crash death of Mallory Beach. Read More Alex Murdaugh set to plead guilty to federal financial charges Alex Murdaugh’s friend gets jail sentence for scheming to steal millions from dead housekeeper’s family New Alex Murdaugh jail call audio reveals awkward interaction with surviving son Buster
2023-08-31 00:33
'Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me': Fans sob over Playboy model's tragic secrets revealed in Netflix documentary
'Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me': Fans sob over Playboy model's tragic secrets revealed in Netflix documentary
After Netflix released the documentary, fans were saddened by the tragic 'hidden truths' about Anna Nicole Smith's life
2023-05-17 00:35
Jamie Dimon warns of a commercial real estate downturn
Jamie Dimon warns of a commercial real estate downturn
Economists are concerned about the $20 trillion commercial real estate (CRE) industry and so is JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.
2023-05-23 19:48
Trump news – live: Giuliani accused of pardon scheme as Trump rages at Russia probe after Durham report
Trump news – live: Giuliani accused of pardon scheme as Trump rages at Russia probe after Durham report
Donald Trump has lashed out what he described as “cockroaches” in Washington, DC, following the release of the Durham report. The 300-page report – from an investigation led by Trump-appointed special counsel John Durham – railed against the FBI for opening a probe into alleged ties between Mr Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Russian government. “THEY ARE SCUM, LIKE COCKROACHES ALL OVER WASHINGTON, D.C.,” the former president frothed on Truth Social in response to the findings. Meanwhile, Mr Trump’s name has cropped up in a bombshell $10m lawsuit brought against Rudy Giuliani, the ex-New York City mayor and his former personal attorney. Mr Giuliani’s former aide Noelle Dunphy is suing him over sexual harassment that she alleges took place between 2019 and 2021 while she worked for him as a business development manager and public relations consultant. Mr Giuliani has strongly denied the claims. In the lawsuit, Ms Dunphy also claims that she was told that her employer and then-president Mr Trump were offering to sell presidential pardons for $2m apiece. She further claims that she was forced to give Mr Giuliani oral sex while he was on speakerphone to Mr Trump. Read More Trump slams ‘cockroaches’ in DC following release of Durham report DeSantis criticizes Trump for implying Florida abortion ban is 'too harsh' Wounded man who invaded Senate with knife sentenced to prison for Capitol riot Yes, creeps like Trump and the allegations against Giuliani really, really matter Durham report takeaways: a 'seriously flawed' Russia investigation and its lasting impact on the FBI
2023-05-17 16:24
Rice Soars to Highest Since 2008 on Rising Threats to Supply
Rice Soars to Highest Since 2008 on Rising Threats to Supply
Rice prices soared to the highest in almost 15 years in Asia on mounting concerns over global supplies
2023-08-09 17:24
Analysis-Germany to face EU ire over Huawei supplies ahead of China talks
Analysis-Germany to face EU ire over Huawei supplies ahead of China talks
By Sarah Marsh, Supantha Mukherjee and Andreas Rinke BERLIN/STOCKHOLM The European Union is set to urge Germany to
2023-06-14 00:54
Japan government panel to decide whether to ask court to revoke legal status of Unification Church
Japan government panel to decide whether to ask court to revoke legal status of Unification Church
Japan’s government is convening a religious affairs council to decide whether to seek a court order to revoke legal status of the Unification Church
2023-10-12 14:00
Harry Maguire receives unlikely support from Tom Holland after England calamity
Harry Maguire receives unlikely support from Tom Holland after England calamity
England defender Harry Maguire has got the unlikely backing of Hollywood actor Tom Holland after his horror own goal. On 12 September, Maguire scored an unfortunate own goal in the international team’s friendly against neighbours Scotland, which finished 3-1 to England. Ahead of the international break, many questioned manager Gareth Southgate’s decision to include 30-year-old Maguire in the line-up, given his lack of minutes played for club side Manchester United. The defender was jeered after he was substituted on at half-time and matters only became worse when his deflected own goal in the 67th minute blemished England’s 2-0 scoreline at the time. Amidst the abuse Maguire is facing, an unlikely celebrity has come to his defence as actor Holland called him an “asset” to England. In an interview with Sky Sports, Holland said: “Look, I think being a professional athlete is incredibly tough, you’re under pressure every time you step onto the field. I admire the fact that he steps on there no matter what people are saying. He tries his best, he plays his best game. “I think he’s a great player, he’s been a huge asset to England over the years,” the actor continued. “Yes, he made a mistake last night but he had to put his foot out, he can’t let a ball like that come through the box. Those things happen in football. I really admire Harry, he seems like a really nice guy.” His mother, Zoe Maguire, has also condemned the abuse being aimed at her son in a lengthy statement, suggesting that “others may not be able” to handle what he is currently facing. In an Instagram story, she wrote: “As a mum, seeing the level of negative and abusive comments in which my son is receiving from some fans, pundits and the media is disgraceful and totally unacceptable to any walk of life never mind someone who works his socks off for club and country.” She continued: “I was there in the stands as usual, it’s not acceptable what’s been created over nothing. I understand that in the football world there are ups and downs, positive and negatives but what Harry receives has gone far beyond ‘football’. “For me seeing him go through what he’s going through is not ok. I would hate to have to see other parents or players go through this in future, especially young boys and girls breaking through the ranks today. “Harry has a massive heart and it’s a good job he’s mentally strong and can handle it as others may not be able too [sic]. I wish this sort of abuse on nobody!” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-09-14 18:51
Carmakers owe compensation for emissions cheating devices, German court rules
Carmakers owe compensation for emissions cheating devices, German court rules
(Reuters) -Carmakers must pay compensation for diesel vehicles fitted with illegal emissions controlling devices, Germany's highest federal court ruled on
2023-06-26 19:06