The horrifying story of the search of Steve Stephens, the suspect wanted for live broadcasting a murder on social media platform Facebook, finally ended as he has committed suicide, CNN reports. They have it:
“Steve Stephens, the Cleveland murder suspect accused of posting video of the killing on Facebook, was found Tuesday in Erie County, Pennsylvania, state police said on Twitter.
“After a brief pursuit, Stephens shot and killed himself,” Pennsylvania State Police said.
[Previous story, published at 11:31 a.m. ET]
The nationwide manhunt for Steve Stephens has led to a spate of dead ends, forcing authorities to scour abandoned buildings and plead for the public’s help in turning in the murder suspect.
Stephens, 37, is wanted for the death of Robert Godwin — a self-taught mechanic and grandfather of 14 who was shot while walking home from an Easter meal in Cleveland. Video of the killing was posted on Facebook.
More than 400 tips have funneled in from as far away as Texas, Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams said Tuesday. Many were reported sightings that turned out to be false.
So authorities have embarked on the dangerous task of searching Cleveland’s abandoned buildings while hoping a $50,000 reward will spur anyone with information about Stephens’ location to come forward.
Through their tears, several of Godwin’s children said they hold no animosity against the suspect.
“Each one of us forgives the killer, the murderer,” Godwin’s daughter Tonya Godwin Baines said. “We want to wrap our arms around him.”
Son told victim, ‘OK, enjoy your Easter’
Godwin taught his children the value of hard work. He taught them how to love God and fear God, and how to forgive, his children said.
“They don’t make men like him anymore. He was definitely one in a million,” said another daughter, Debbie Godwin.
The police chief said Stephens apparently chose Godwin at random.
Stephens’ mother, Maggie Green, said her son stopped by her house Saturday and gave her a cryptic message.
“He said this (was) the last time I was going to see him,” Green said.
They spoke briefly the next day, his mother said. Before Green’s phone died, Stephens told her he was “shooting people” because he was “mad with his girlfriend” of about three years, his mother said.
Later Sunday, Stephens uploaded a video to his Facebook page showing a gun pointed at a man’s head.
Seconds before the shooting, Stephens asked the victim to say the name of a woman believed to associated with the suspect.
“She’s the reason why this is about to happen to you,” Stephens said.
Then, the gunman fires the weapon. The victim recoils and falls to the ground.
Stephens is a black male who is 6-foot-1 and weighs 244 pounds. He was last seen wearing a dark blue and gray or black striped polo shirt. He was driving a white Ford Fusion with temporary license plates, Cleveland police said.”
If you see Steve Stephens dial 9-1-1. If you have tips about the crime or his whereabouts please call the FBI tipline 1-800-Call FBI
— Cleveland Police (@CLEpolice) April 17, 2017
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