Facebook Live Murder Suspect Kills Himself During Pursuit

[polychronopolous]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The man who randomly killed a Cleveland retiree and posted video of the crime on Facebook shot himself to death on Tuesday in Pennsylvania, police said.

Pennsylvania State Police said Steve Stephens was spotted Tuesday morning in Erie County, in the state’s northwest corner. Authorities say officers tried to pull Stephens over and, after a brief pursuit, he shot and killed himself.

He was wanted on an aggravated murder charge in the shooting death of a 74-year-old man who was picking up aluminum cans on Sunday after spending Easter with his family.

Stephens posted a video of himself killing Robert Godwin Sr., a former foundry worker who had 10 children, police said. In it, he said, “I snapped, I just snapped.”

Stephens, 37, shared a recording on Sunday of himself announcing his plan to kill someone, then two minutes later posted another video of himself shooting and killing Godwin, Facebook said. A few minutes after that, he went live and confessed, the company said.

The company said it disabled Stephen’s account within 23 minutes of receiving the first report about the video of the fatal shooting and two hours after receiving any report.

Facebook has since announced it was launching a review for reporting harmful content.

Police would not speculate on what was behind the killing, but videos Stephens posted showed him talking about losing everything he had to gambling and trouble with his girlfriend.

Stephens filed for bankruptcy two years ago despite holding down a job as a counselor helping young people develop job skills and find employment. The behavioral health agency where he worked said an extensive background check before he was hired turned up nothing worrisome.

In one video posted on Facebook, Stephens said that he gambled away everything and that he and his girlfriend had planned to marry but did not, without saying why.

In the video of the shooting, Stephens told Godwin the name of his girlfriend and said, “She’s the reason that this is about to happen to you.” Godwin did not seem to recognize the name.

The woman Stephens spoke of, Joy Lane, said in a text message to CBS that “we had been in a relationship for several years. I am sorry that all of this has happened.”

Investigators said that Godwin was the only victim so far linked to Stephens, despite his claim on Facebook that he killed over a dozen people.

Officers searched dozens of places around Cleveland without finding Stephens or any other victims before expanding the manhunt. Detectives spoke with the suspect on Sunday by cellphone and tried to persuade him to surrender, police said.

Within a day, authorities expanded the search nationwide and offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to his capture and prosecution.

Law enforcement officials said on Monday that his cellphone was last tracked Sunday afternoon in Erie, Pennsylvania, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Cleveland

https://www.yahoo.com/news/videos-show-desperation-suspect-facebook-045912881.html

[wes]

I fear for his..................... ..............Did he died?

[Princess L]

I fear for his..................... ..............Did he died?

Is it time for new glasses or has dementia set in?

CLEVELAND (AP) — The man who randomly killed a Cleveland retiree and posted video of the crime on Facebook shot himself to death on Tuesday in Pennsylvania, police said.

[Sokolsky]

That's not Wiggs. 

[stuntmovie]

How much money is not spent (saved) within the legal system when such an individual kills himself?

[Strongmanfan]

That's not Vince Goodrum CSN MFT.

[polychronopolous]

[wes]

Is it time for new glasses or has dementia set in?

Probably both!  LOL 

[BB]

How much money is not spent (saved) within the legal system when such an individual kills himself?

Cleveland pays about $25,000 per prisoner, per year. Life expectancy is 76 for males, he was 37, so you've got 25,000 x 39 = $975,000. Plus  the trial cost would be cover by the state, so that's probably a good amount too.

[El Diablo Blanco]

Good riddance.  The family of the guy who he killed gave forgiveness for him.  WTF?  piece of shit doesn't deserve forgiveness.  He deserved what he got in the end.

[_bruce_]

Kali Muscle won't recover.

[Simple Simon]

who fucking cares...

[viking1]

[Rudee]

Good riddance.  The family of the guy who he killed gave forgiveness for him.  WTF?  piece of shit doesn't deserve forgiveness.  He deserved what he got in the end.

His Daughter certainly didn't forgive him.  This is what she had to say today:

"I hate that he killed himself, because I wanted the police to put about 100 bullets in him."

[TheShape.]

Side walk crackin' bon bon poop butt mothafukka

[wes]

He claimed to have killed 12 other people also.

[dj181]

never heard of him, what's he bench?

[DroppingPlates]

who fucking cares...

X2, he killed another brew

[Rudee]

He claimed to have killed 12 other people also.

It was bullshit.  Was just the one.

[Tapeworm]

No plan.  No strategy.  No objective.  No preparation.  No body count. 

Srsly you'd do in more people throwing a handful of coins off a skyscraper than these 'psychos' who talk all kinds of mad shit about how much damage they're going to do. They sure don't make mass murderers like they used to.

[Chadwick The Beta]

Was he saved?

I have to give him an A+ on the beard of course.