SHUTTING DOWN LANES.. OF A POPULAR HIGHWAY... FOR MORE THAN A WEEK. WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT.. IN THE COMING DAYS. A FAMILY .. RAISING MONEY TO HELP SOLVE THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH.. OF A TEEN BOY... CONNECTED TO THE MURDAUGH FAMILY. PLUS .. FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP... SAYS HE'LL BE ARRESTED IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS. THE LAST- MINUTE WITNESS.. SET TO TESTIFY TODAY. THANKS FOR STARTING YOUR DAY WITH WJCL 22 NEWS. GOOD MORNING - - I'M EMMA HAMILTON. AND I'M FRANK SULKOWSKI. METEOROLOGIST JONATHAN MYERS IS JOINING US NOW .... NOW, HERE'S YOUR STORM TRACKER RADAR... TODAY SUNNY, WITH A HIGH NEAR 60. NORTH WIND 6 TO 8 MPH. TONIGHT MOSTLY CLEAR, WITH A LOW AROUND 38. NORTH WIND 3 TO 6 IN HOURS.. LANES OF A BUSY HIGHWAY IN CHATHAM COUNTY.. WILL CLOSE FOR CONSTRUCTION. OUR NIKIYA CARERRO JOINS US LIVE NEAR HIGHWAY 80 THIS MORNING. NIKIYA.. THIS COULD IMPACT A LOT OF DRIVERS MORNING COMMUTE. THAT'S RIGHT GUYS. I'M HERE NEAR HIGHWAY 80 AND LAZARETTO CREEK BRIDGE... WHERE THE CLOSURES ARE SET TO START THIS MORNING AT EIGHT-30. CREWS ARE WORKING ON A PROJECT.. THAT WILL REPLACE BOTH THE LAZARETTO CREEK BRIDGE.. AND BULL RIVER BRIDGE. TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS SAY ALL LANES ON HIGHWAY 80 SHOULD REOPEN BY FOUR THIS AFTERNOON. AND THEN CONTINUOUS CLOSURES WILL START TOMORROW MORNING.. FOR THE NEXT *NINE DAYS. RIGHT NOW THE ROADS ARE CALM.. BUT OFFICIALS ARE URGING DRIVERS TO BE CAUTIOUS AND LOOK OUT FOR DELAYS. BACK TO YOU. THANKS NIKIYA. THE FAMILY OF A TEEN .....WHOSE DEATH IS CONNECTED THE MURDAUGH FAMILY.. SAYS THEY WILL EXHUME HIS BODY.. AND PERFORM AN INDEPENDENT AUTOPSY... AFTER THEY RAISED MORE THAN 60 - *THOUSAND DOLLARS. IN HOURS ...STEPHEN SMITH'S FAMILY WILL HOLD A NEWS CONFERENCE... TO TALK MORE ABOUT THEIR FIGHT TO GET AN INDEPENDENT AUTOPSY. AUTHORITIES SAY THEY FOUND SMITH'S BODY ON A HAMPTON COUNTY ROAD ... BACK IN 20- 15. THEY INITIALLY RULED HIS DEATH.. A HIT AND RUN BUT INVESTIGATORS REOPENED SMITH'S CASE... BASED ON WHAT THEY FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION INTO PAUL AND MAGGIE MURDAUGH'S MURDERS. OUR RILEY MILLER SPOKE TO THE FAMILY'S ATTORNEY .. ABOUT THEIR FIGHT FOR JUSTICE. SOT MIKE HEMLEPP, SMITH FAMILY ATTORNEY: "ULTIMATELY... THE TRUTH IS GOING TO COME OUT." FOR ALMOST EIGHT YEARS... FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF STEPHEN SMITH HAVE BEEN ASKING - WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM THE NIGHT OF JULY 8TH 2015? THEY WERE ORIGINALLY TOLD STEPHEN DIED FROM A GUNSHOT WOUND... THEN THEY WERE TOLD HE WAS BEATEN... THEN - A HIT AND RUN. SOT HEMLEPP: "AT THE VERY BEGINNING, LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DID A VERY POOR JOB ON THIS CASE. A VERY POOR JOB ON THIS CASE. EITHER IT WAS A GROSS LEVEL OF INCOMPETENCE, OR THEY WERE MOTIVATED BY OTHER PURPOSES." JUNE 23RD, 2021 - SLED ANNOUNCED THEY WERE OPENING THEIR OWN INVESTIGATION INTO STEPHEN SMITH'S DEATH... BASED OFF INFORMATION GATHERED IN THE MURDAUGH INVESTIGATION. THE SMITH FAMILY ATTORNEY, MIKE HEMLEPP SAYS - THEIR MISSION IS SIMPLE. THEY WANT ANYONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN STEPHEN'S MURDER OR COVERING IT UP TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. SOT HEMLEPP: "IF THAT INVOLVES THE MURDAUGH'S, LET THE TRUTH BE TOLD. IF IT DOESN'T, THAT'S FINE. WE'RE GOING TO LET THE FACTS DICTATE THAT. WE'RE NOT OUT ON A WITCH HUNT ON ANYBODY." SLED NEVER SAID WHAT THE INFORMATION WAS THAT REOPENED STEPHEN'S CASE... NOR HAVE WE GOTTEN ANY UPDATES SINCE. HOWEVER, HEMLEPP SAYS IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ... SOUTH CAROLINA PROSECUTORS REVEALED HOW THEY PLAN TO MAKE *SURE ALEX MURDAUGH.. WILL *NEVER GET OUT OF PRISON. MURDAUGH IS CURRENTLY APPEALING HIS DOUBLE MURDER CONVICTION.. IN THE DEATH OF HIS WIFE AND SON. ATTORNEY GENERAL ALAN WILSON ..AND DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL GREIGHTON WATERS SPOKE WITH OUR ABC AFFILIATE IN CHARLESTON.. ABOUT MURDUAGH 99 PENDING FINANCIAL CRIME CHARGES. THEY SAY ... THREE ADDITIONAL CONVICTIONS OF THE BREACH OF TRUST CHARGES ..WILL KEEP MURDUAGH IN PRISON FOREVER.. UNDER THE STATES' "THREE STRIKES LAW." HAPPENING THIS WEEK.. WE'LL LEARN IF A MOTHER.. ACCUSED OF MURDERING AND DUMPING HER SON'S BODY... WILL BE ABLE TO BOND OUT OF A CHATHAM COUNTY JAIL. LEILANI SIMON IS CHARGED WITH THE MURDER OF HER ONE YEAR OLD SON.. QUINTON SIMON. AUTHORITIES FOUND HIS BODY IN A SAVANNAH LANDFILL BACK IN NOVEMBER.. WEEKS AFTER LEILANI REPORTED HE WENT MISSING FROM THEIR HOME. HER BOND HEARING IS SCHEDULED THIS THURSDAY. WE'VE FOLLOWED THIS CASE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.. AND YOU CAN STAY UP TO DATE BY CHECKING OUT OUR TIMELINE.. ON OUR WEBSITE. JUST SCAN THE Q-R CODE ON YOUR SCREEN.. OR VISIT WJCL DOT COM. HAPPENING TODAY... ANOTHER FORMER ATTORNEY FOR FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP IS SET TO TESTIFY BEFORE A GRAND JURY. TRUMP IS CLAIMING AUTHORITIES PLAN TO ARREST HIM TOMORROW... AND IS CALLING FOR AMERICANS TO PROTEST. AS ABC'S ANDREW DYMBURT REPORTS.. LAWMAKERS ARE URGING PEOPLE *NOT TO LISTEN TO HIM. THIS MORNING, HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY IS URGING CALM - SAYING PEOPLE SHOULD NOT PROTEST IF FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP IS INDICTED. REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY // (R) HOUSE SPEAKER: "I DON'T THINK PEOPLE SHOULD PROTEST THIS, NO." TRUMP HAS CLAIMED HE WILL BE ARRESTED TOMORROW.. IN THE MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S INVESTIGATION... INTO ALLEGED "HUSH MONEY" PAID TO ADULT- FILM ACTRESS STORMY DANIELS BEFORE THE 20-16 ELECTION. PROSECUTORS ARE LOOKING INTO WHETHER TRUMP "FALSIFIED BUSINESS RECORDS" - TYPICALLY A MISDEMEANOR IN NEW YORK. BUT LEGAL EXPERTS SAY D-A ALVIN BRAGG COULD BUMP THE CHARGE UP TO A FELONY IF CAMPAIGN- FINANCE LAWS WERE BROKEN.. REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY // (R) HOUSE SPEAKER: "LAWYER AFTER LAWYER WILL TELL YOU THIS IS THE WEAKEST CASE OUT THERE ... AND DOING IT AFTER A PERSON FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES." TRUMP ATTENDED A WRESTLING MATCH IN OKLAHOMA OVER THE WEEKEND... AFTER CALLING ON HIS SUPPORTERS TO "PROTEST" WHAT HE CLAIMED IS HIS "IMMINENT" ARREST. SOURCES SAY TODAY THE GRAND JURY WILL HEAR FROM AN ADDITIONAL WITNESS - BOB COSTELLO. HE'S AN ATTORNEY AND LONGTIME TRUMP ALLY, WHO - AT ONE POINT - REPRESENTED TRUMP'S FORMER FIXER, MICHAEL COHEN. AARON KATERSKY // ABC NEWS SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: "THIS ADDITIONAL WITNESS MAY OR MAY NOT BE THE LAST ONE, SO IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE TIME FOR ANY POSSIBLE INDICTMENT. THE WHITE HOUSE THOUGH, DID SAY IT IS ON ALERT FOR ANY POTENTIAL VIOLENCE." BRAGG IS NOT SAYING WHETHER HE'LL CHARGE TRUMP, BUT HE EMAILED HIS STAFF THIS WEEKEND, SAYING: "WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTEMPTS TO INTIMIDATE OUR OFFICE." SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN // (D) MASSACHUSETTS: "NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW, NOT EVEN THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES." GOV. CHRIS SUNUNU // (R) NEW HAMPSHIRE: "THIS IS LIKELY SOME SORT OF MISDEMEANOR ON AN ISSUE SEVEN YEARS AGO." ANDREW DYMBURT