1 Man Flagged Down Deputy In Middle of Highway
NBC News reported that a sheriff’s deputy saw Jay Albert Stevens, 52, at about 1 a.m. on Sept. 8 in the middle of Central Highway near the area of McNeal in southern Arizona, sheriff’s spokesperson Carol Capas said. Stevens waved down the deputy, then said he had shot and killed his stepfather, Mark Kilbourne, 61.
Stevens said he got into a verbal altercation with Kilbourne about “reading the Bible” and shot his stepfather twice, once in the chest, the authorities said.
2 Man Confessed to Sister First
“Then he took some time, dropped off his animals at his sister’s house and asked her to call the police because he killed someone,” said Capas. “He then walked out into the street, and that was when he flagged down our deputy.“ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb
3 Argument Over Bible Reading Blamed
Stevens took deputies to a home where Kilbourne, 61, was found dead. The two men got into an argument on Wednesday afternoon, when Kilbourne accused Stevens of never having read the Bible or understood it, the sheriff’s office said.
After the men argued in the garage of their shared home, Stevens went to his bedroom, where he “stewed” for several hours. Ultimately, he confronted Kilbourne with a .40 caliber handgun in the living room, the authorities said.
4 “Major Dislike” For Stepfather
Stevens had known Kilbourne for more than 20 years, the sheriff’s office said. About four years ago, at Kilbourne’s request, Stevens moved from Washington to Arizona to help care for his mother before her death. Stevens told detectives he viewed his stepfather with “major dislike” and had spent “a lot of years putting up with his [stuff],” authorities told NBC News.
5 Suspect Held on $1 Million Bond
Stevens was arrested early Thursday and charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of abandonment or concealment of a dead body, the Cochise County Attorney’s Office said. He is being held on a $1 million bond. NBC News reported that Stevens’ attorney, Sara Xochitl Orozco, had no comment. Stevens is expected to be arraigned in two weeks, but the official date is still pending.
