Walker: A better article about it:

https://people.com/crime/all-about-stephen-smith-mysterious-death/

Excerpts:

A detailed timeline of the events immediately following Smith's death done by FITSnews revealed that authorities initially believed Smith had suffered a gunshot wound to the head. South Carolina Highway Patrol officers stated that "there was a possible gunshot wound to the victim's head" and that the "death appeared to be a homicide."

Smith's case file stated that, at the scene of the incident, Hampton County Coroner Ernie Washington referred to Smith's head wound as a "gunshot wound," pointed to the bullet's entry point and referred to the death as a homicide. The deputy coroner present, Kelly Greene, also verbally affirmed that it was a homicide to the SCHP officers present.

In August 2015, Coroner Ernie Washington - who was present on the scene when Smith's body was found - told lead investigator Todd Proctor that he did not agree with the autopsy findings, according to FITSnews. Proctor's case notes from the conversation detailed that Washington said "he does not agree with the pathologist that the victim was struck by a motor vehicle."

Proctor, who no longer works for the SCHP, later echoed similar doubts about the hit-and-run to Fox News in June 2021.

"Nothing about this case from the very beginning pointed towards it being a hit and run," Proctor said.
He continued: "As any investigator, you go off of the evidence - there was no evidence that pointed towards this being a hit and run, or a vehicle even being involved in it. It looked like it was more staged. Like possibly the body had been placed in the roadway."