Authorities continue search for murderer who uploaded video of killing to Facebook

[midian182]

Police are hunting for a man who uploaded video of a murder he committed to Facebook. 37-year-old Steve Stephens randomly chose 74-year-old (some reports say he was 78) Robert Godwin Sr. as his victim, fatally shooting him as he shopped in Cleveland at 2 pm yesterday.

It was originally thought Stephens had broadcast the incident on Facebook Live, but the social media site has since clarified that it was a pre-recorded upload. Stephens did appear on the livestream section of the platform at some point during the day, boasting that he had killed over a dozen people, though the police have not been able to verify his claims.

In the 57-second video, Stephens is driving along while narrating. He is addressing a woman, whom he blames for what he is about to do. “I found somebody I’m ’bout to kill,” he says, opening the door. “I’m ’bout to kill this guy right here, the old dude.”

He approaches the elderly man and demands he repeat the woman’s name, “Joy Lane,” while pointing the gun at him. “I don’t know nobody by that name,” pleads Godwin, before Stephens shoots him. The camera moves away at the moment of the shot, but the victim is shown lying in a pool of blood when it pans back.

“That motherf–ker dead because of you, Joy,” Stephens says to the camera. Joy Lane has since appeared on CBS News, where she admitted to being Stephens’s longtime girlfriend. “I am sorry that all of this has happened,” she said. “Steve really is a nice guy.”

In two Facebook Live broadcasts following the incident, Stephens said: "I'm going to kill as many people as I can." Adding that "innocent people are about to die today."

Actual photo of Steve Stephens, homicide suspect's, actual vehicle. Please call 9-1-1 if seen. Plate not yet available. pic.twitter.com/hn8a8nQEAP

— Cleveland Police (@CLEpolice) April 16, 2017

Facebook has now removed the videos of Stephens, which were up for several hours and viewed and shared by thousands of people. He is currently the subject of a manhunt by federal and state authorities, who believe he may have crossed state lines into Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana, or Michigan.

While the actual murder wasn’t streamed on Facebook Live, it wouldn’t have been the first act of extreme violence broadcast on the platform. The shooting of a toddler, sexual assaults, and tortures have all been livestreamed on the site.

I just spoke with a man and woman who said the man killed in the FB live video was their 78 year old father @cleveland19news pic.twitter.com/Gpf3EUafLM

— Shanice (@ShaniceDunning) April 16, 2017

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/68970-authorities-continue-search-murderer-who-uploaded-video-killing.html

 

[davislane1]

Steve randomly guns down strangers. "I'm going to kill as many people as I can."

Steve's ex, to reporters: “Steve really is a nice guy.”

I can't even.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

“Steve really is a nice guy.”
Her definition of "nice guy" differs wildly from the accepted definition. Maybe she too has a warped sense of reality.
This is a creepy article and that freak is far from a genius, proving that by video recording everything, he cannot hope to get away with it. Why is it taking the cops so long to locate him, take him outside, make sure there are no witnesses about and then kneel down him down, put a bullet in the back of his head and say he was violently resisting arrest, then tried to flee after being told a few times to surrender forcing suicide by cop? It'll save the poor victim's family the stress and burden of a trial, not to mention taxpayers money.
My heartfelt sympathies to Robert Godwin SR family and his loved ones.

 

[Rippleman]

Watch BLM defend this guy when he is caught and/or killed by police. Brace for the riots.

 

[Uncle Al]

Oh, they can eliminate all the worry about riots, just accidentally run over him several times in an unmarked car ... where the officer may have been texting while driving, trying to get a lead on where to look for him ..... you know, make it a plausible lie instead of a blatant one.

 

[davislane1]

Oh, they can eliminate all the worry about riots, just accidentally run over him several times in an unmarked car ... where the officer may have been texting while driving, trying to get a lead on where to look for him ..... you know, make it a plausible lie instead of a blatant one.

We need to bring back the DOA bounty system. He's on film admitting to murder and performing the act. No trial necessary.

$50,000 DOA.

 

[Trillionsin]

Oh, they can eliminate all the worry about riots, just accidentally run over him several times in an unmarked car ... where the officer may have been texting while driving, trying to get a lead on where to look for him ..... you know, make it a plausible lie instead of a blatant one.

We need to bring back the DOA bounty system. He's on film admitting to murder and performing the act. No trial necessary.

$50,000 DOA.

Well... but, hmm.... Yup. No complaints here!

Oh, they can eliminate all the worry about riots, just accidentally run over him several times in an unmarked car ... where the officer may have been texting while driving, trying to get a lead on where to look for him ..... you know, make it a plausible lie instead of a blatant one.

Texting a driving?! Hell they are PCing and driving. They got a laptop and all sorts of distractions going on inside those cruisers. lol

 

[Kenrick]

Someone shared the clip in a forum. That was a senseless murder

 

[seefizzle]

Oh, they can eliminate all the worry about riots, just accidentally run over him several times in an unmarked car ... where the officer may have been texting while driving, trying to get a lead on where to look for him ..... you know, make it a plausible lie instead of a blatant one.

We need to bring back the DOA bounty system. He's on film admitting to murder and performing the act. No trial necessary.

$50,000 DOA.

Why in the world would we need to bring back the bounty system? We already pay our law enforcement billions of dollars every year to do this job. This guy will be caught or shot within 72 hours guaranteed. The thought of hyped up vigilantes and gun nuts running around trying to shoot someone for cash is a ridiculously terrible idea. You didn't really think very hard before commenting.

 

[davislane1]

Why in the world would we need to bring back the bounty system? We already pay our law enforcement billions of dollars every year to do this job. This guy will be caught or shot within 72 hours guaranteed. The thought of hyped up vigilantes and gun nuts running around trying to shoot someone for cash is a ridiculously terrible idea. You didn't really think very hard before commenting.

My post was 2/3 hyperbole 1/3 serious. For the serious part...Licensed bounty hunters. Yeah, I'd support that.

Nobody is afraid of cops. They're conspicuous (and therefore easily avoided, as evidenced by this guy disappearing into the wind.) Make him into a pay day and suddenly the ballgame is different. Remove liability (not needing to prove self-defense) and it becomes an entirely different paradigm.

As fate would have it, someone from law enforcement read this thread. They issued a $50,000 reward for him. If it were a DOA bounty, a random could just blast him and bring back the body. It would reduce police spending.

 

[seefizzle]

My post was 2/3 hyperbole 1/3 serious. For the serious part...Licensed bounty hunters. Yeah, I'd support that.

Nobody is afraid of cops. They're conspicuous (and therefore easily avoided, as evidenced by this guy disappearing into the wind.) Make him into a pay day and suddenly the ballgame is different. Remove liability (not needing to prove self-defense) and it becomes an entirely different paradigm.

As fate would have it, someone from law enforcement read this thread. They issued a $50,000 reward for him. If it were a DOA bounty, a random could just blast him and bring back the body. It would reduce police spending.

You seem deranged. Do you really just want to kill someone? Perhaps you should join the military. They let you kill people in the military.

 

[get r done]

What they need to do since this cry baby wants to lose his mind and kill innocent people over a girl and because he lost his stuff because of gambling which is noones fault but his own what they need to do which would save tax payers money take him throw him in a lions cage and tell him there take your frustrations out on the lion and see who comes out walking cuz I bet it wont be you saves taxpayers money plus feeding the animals all at the same time for free its a win win situation

 

[davislane1]

This guy speaks in the same way a soy latte tastes. This is speculation, of course. I've never had a soy latte. But I imagine that, if I ever had one, it would taste like this reads:

You seem deranged. Do you really just want to kill someone? Perhaps you should join the military. They let you kill people in the military.

I think people who kill at random should be put down expediently. This has been an agreeable position for thousands of years.

 

[Athlonite]

Apparently he's now dead himself according to my local news

"A traffic stop was attempted, there was a brief pursuit, at which time Stephens shot and killed himself," Pennsylvania State Police communications director Ryan Tarkowski said.