KY KY - William, 74, & Peggy Stephenson, 74, Florence, 29 May 2011

[Emma Peel]

A different case "coincidence". Might explain lack of early interest/lower profile for this Stephenson case.

I don't know about anyone else, but ... I found it a bit odd that this May 27th 2011 double murder (Stephenson) was not posted here as a thread at WS until 2017. And that between 2017 and 2023 this case thread is still on it's first page. I've been a member since 2008. How did I miss it? Perhaps this crime was overwhelmed by other events at the time? One event was that May 27 was the Friday of Memorial Day weekend in 2011.

But ... with a quick check ... I realized there WAS something else that had the nation's attention.

Timeline of the Casey Anthony case - Wikipedia

from wikipedia:

May 28, 2011 – Former boyfriend testifies about Casey's normal behavior on June 16, 2008. Cindy Anthony testifies that they swam that day and that Caylee could get up the ladder into the pool. She also believed Casey worked at Universal Studios Orlando Resort and had a babysitter named Zanny.[52]

May 31, 2011 – Cindy Anthony says her description of Casey's car smelling "like someone died" was just a "figure of speech." She tried to get rid of the smell by spraying Febreze household odor eliminator. She says she found the pool ladder in the pool the evening of June 16. Casey's friend Amy Huizenga talks of Casey's frustration about getting help with Caylee and reveals that on June 27, Casey texted her about a dead animal on the frame of the car.[53]

 

[dotr]

Refresher videos.
2012

''Authorities say they have the killer?s DNA in the slayings of Bill and Peggy Stephenson. The DNA is of an unknown person''

2012

''Children of William and Peggy Stephenson will ask the public for information into their parents death''.


Jul 14, 2011
''Investigators remain tight-lipped about the death of Bill and Peggy Stephenson, and some of the couple's neighbors are becoming concerned and have started moving out.''

"I didn't hear anything, see anything, but my dog was very very very very suspicious"

 

[Rush4087]

I don’t think it was a “common item”.

From the 2/28 fox19.com article: “The information points Boone County investigators toward a specific person who had a specific item.”

Also, I don’t think the truck driver they contacted would have had to “articulate good reason why that (item) may have existed” if it was a common item that many truck drivers would possess.

From the 3/2 fox59.com article: “Based on what they have right now, Cox said they don’t see a connection with the Delphi murders. However, he admits, both have very rare similarities in their crime scenes.”

So to me, the item is uncommon, rare, or very specific. Something that requires an explanation

Jmo

 

[TL4S]

Here's what I'm really curious about. If there was information to tie this specific item and specific person to Delphi, why did the tipster not send the same info to Indiana LE, rather than or besides Boone Co. KY LE? Or did they? I guess we don't know other than that CC said he sent what they collected on to ISP. Apparently, this trucker is not a suspect for Stephensons, per the Sun article, and his reason for the item's existence satisfied LE. But the cases have "parallels," so anyone arrested in Delphi will be vetted for Stephenson. That says a lot, IMO. They've basically cleared RA and the trucker for Stephenson, but that's where they stop talking. WTH.

 

[Wondergirl]

Bolding in quote above by me. IMO, bingo.

However, I don't see where Cox statements were retracted next day?
I feel Cox continued to emphasize that the investigations had POSSIBLE links that both investigations continued to investigate. MOO only.

The first article out was super confusing, and I found clarifying that same info in later interviews/articles to be helpful.

WRTV made this post yesterday, actually.

 

[Wondergirl]

Here's what I'm really curious about. If there was information to tie this specific item and specific person to Delphi, why did the tipster not send the same info to Indiana LE, rather than or besides Boone Co. KY LE? Or did they? I guess we don't know other than that CC said he sent what they collected on to ISP. Apparently, this trucker is not a suspect for Stephensons, per the Sun article, and his reason for the item's existence satisfied LE. But the cases have "parallels," so anyone arrested in Delphi will be vetted for Stephenson. That says a lot, IMO. They've basically cleared RA and the trucker for Stephenson, but that's where they stop talking. WTH.

Exactly. All of it.

 

[Emma Peel]

WRTV made this post yesterday, actually.

View attachment 406833

ah ha! I did not see that yesterday - so TYVM !

seems a repetition of what was originally stated, IMO.

 

[vls12345]

So is there a possible connection or no possible connection?

Regardless, I wish there would be movement on the Stephenson case. It's creepy and sad that there doesn't seem to be much info out there. I wonder if new dna testing/methods could turn up any possible suspects at this point?

 

[fred&edna]

So is there a possible connection or no possible connection?

Regardless, I wish there would be movement on the Stephenson case. It's creepy and sad that there doesn't seem to be much info out there. I wonder if new dna testing/methods could turn up any possible suspects at this point?

I think it's a very creepy case. I could be wayyy off base but I get the feeling there is something about the staging that is weirdly religion-related.

And, I don't really understand why forensic genetic genealogy hasn't been utilized.

ETA: *From a previous post it was stated LE has DNA from the crime but I didn't verify. I assume this is correct.

 

[Gemmie]

I think it's a very creepy case. I could be wayyy off base but I get the feeling there is something about the staging that is weirdly religion-related.

Might I add... by a non-religious person. At least that's MOO.

 

[fred&edna]

He says the crime scene was complex because something had been moved, and then staged, in each room. However, Cox says they do have evidence, and at this point, they cannot rule out that more than one person may have been involved in the murders.


Investigators revealing new information as 10-year anniversary of couple’s murder approaches

 

[fred&edna]

I'm also wondering if the Stephenson ministry was independently operated or under a larger company umbrella of "truckstop ministries"?

 

[fred&edna]

Episode 78: Bill and Peggy Stephenson

Here is a piece from the Cincinnati Enquirer about the case:

May 29, 2011, the Stephensons were slain in brutal fashion – bludgeoned and stabbed – and then, whoever killed them staged a bizarre scene. Detective Coy Cox, who’s headed the Boone County Sheriff’s investigation since Day 1, told me he’s been “guarded and careful” about the details he’s released from the start. What he will say is that the bodies had been posed. Items inside the house had been moved around. “There wasn’t one room in that house that wasn’t staged,” Cox said

 

[fred&edna]

dbm-duplicate

 

[Yemelyan]

I think it's a very creepy case. I could be wayyy off base but I get the feeling there is something about the staging that is weirdly religion-related.

And, I don't really understand why forensic genetic genealogy hasn't been utilized.

ETA: *From a previous post it was stated LE has DNA from the crime but I didn't verify. I assume this is correct.

About your DNA questions -

They have DNA:
The biggest “break” in the case came in 2012, when new DNA was discovered at the scene.
Source: Cold case: DNA, but no suspect in double murder

But a Boone County investigator said:

“The DNA is not suitable for genealogy or phenotyping at this time,” he said. “We hope in the future that changes.”
Source: Backstory: Detective vows brutal slayings of Florence couple won't go unsolved

Here's an explanation of the factors that could make a DNA sample unsuitable for investigative genetic genealogy at this point (abbreviated IGG in this quote):

Where the quantity of DNA is sufficient, success might still be impeded by other factors, including the extent of degradation of the DNA; the source of the DNA, where SNP extraction is generally more successful when performed on semen than blood or bones; and where the sample is a mixture (i.e., it contains the DNA of more than one person), the proportions of DNA in the mixture and whether reference samples are available for non-suspect contributors. Thus, it might be possible to generate an IGG-eligible SNP profile from 5 ng of DNA extracted from fresh, single-source semen, but not from a 5-year-old blood mixture, where the offender’s blood accounts for 30% of the mixture. While some samples that are currently not candidates for SNP extraction might later become candidates as the technology advances, for at least the near future, these technical issues are an important hurdle to IGG.

Source: Four misconceptions about investigative genetic genealogy

You might be wondering, well if they have the right kind/enough DNA to put it into CODIS and check against all these POIs (which we know LE has been doing), then why can't they also do investigative genetic genealogy? And you have to remember that CODIS and direct comparison of a suspect's DNA to DNA from the crime scene is based on STR (single tandem repeats) in DNA but genetic genealogy and phenotyping (such as what Parabon does) are based on a different genetic marker called SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms), so the requirements for analysis of these two genetic marker systems are different. Just because you were able to get an STR-based profile does not mean you can get one for SNPs for the same sample. One of the biggest drawbacks for SNPs is that they are very unreliable for analyzing DNA mixtures right now, so based on everything LE has said in the Stephenson case, my bet is that the sample they have is a mixture of two or more unknown contributors.

 

[fred&edna]

About your DNA questions -

They have DNA:
The biggest “break” in the case came in 2012, when new DNA was discovered at the scene.
Source: Cold case: DNA, but no suspect in double murder

But a Boone County investigator said:

“The DNA is not suitable for genealogy or phenotyping at this time,” he said. “We hope in the future that changes.”
Source: Backstory: Detective vows brutal slayings of Florence couple won't go unsolved

Here's an explanation of the factors that could make a DNA sample unsuitable for investigative genetic genealogy at this point (abbreviated IGG in this quote):

Where the quantity of DNA is sufficient, success might still be impeded by other factors, including the extent of degradation of the DNA; the source of the DNA, where SNP extraction is generally more successful when performed on semen than blood or bones; and where the sample is a mixture (i.e., it contains the DNA of more than one person), the proportions of DNA in the mixture and whether reference samples are available for non-suspect contributors. Thus, it might be possible to generate an IGG-eligible SNP profile from 5 ng of DNA extracted from fresh, single-source semen, but not from a 5-year-old blood mixture, where the offender’s blood accounts for 30% of the mixture. While some samples that are currently not candidates for SNP extraction might later become candidates as the technology advances, for at least the near future, these technical issues are an important hurdle to IGG.

Source: Four misconceptions about investigative genetic genealogy

You might be wondering, well if they have the right kind/enough DNA to put it into CODIS and check against all these POIs (which we know LE has been doing), then why can't they also do investigative genetic genealogy? And you have to remember that CODIS and direct comparison of a suspect's DNA to DNA from the crime scene is based on STR (single tandem repeats) in DNA but genetic genealogy and phenotyping (such as what Parabon does) are based on a different genetic marker called SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms), so the requirements for analysis of these two genetic marker systems are different. Just because you were able to get an STR-based profile does not mean you can get one for SNPs for the same sample. One of the biggest drawbacks for SNPs is that they are very unreliable for analyzing DNA mixtures right now, so based on everything LE has said in the Stephenson case, my bet is that the sample they have is a mixture of two or more unknown contributors.

Thank you so so much for this. (Detailed but easily digestible/understandable explanation without my eyes-crossing- which usually happens within a minute of DNA discussions)

 

[fred&edna]

Last night I listened to the "update" episode (June 2021) which again included Detective Coy Cox. I came away feeling that the killer/s were much more familiar with M/M Stephenson than I initially thought.

Initially, I thought the killer might be someone like Israel Keyes (who had weird-religious views) who scoped out the couple. But, he would have taken valuables and done other things that don't seem to apply to the Stephenson murders. Obviously, the Stephenson killer/s knew their habits and what they did every Sunday... but, I think this was fueled by something else.

 

[Puggo]

Last night I listened to the "update" episode (June 2021) which again included Detective Coy Cox. I came away feeling that the killer/s were much more familiar with M/M Stephenson than I initially thought.

Initially, I thought the killer might be someone like Israel Keyes (who had weird-religious views) who scoped out the couple. But, he would have taken valuables and done other things that don't seem to apply to the Stephenson murders. Obviously, the Stephenson killer/s knew their habits and what they did every Sunday... but, I think this was fueled by something else.

@fred&edna Thanks for linking the podcast. Listened to both JTT episodes 147 &194 about the Stephensons case.

What left an impression between the first interview #147 and the second one #194 is Det. Cox had a shift towards revealing his personal religious views.

Unsure how that fits into the picture, but if I had to guess it's a subtle appeal to the perp(s) or those closest to them.

JMO

 

[fred&edna]

@fred&edna Thanks for linking the podcast. Listened to both JTT episodes 147 &194 about the Stephensons case.

What left an impression between the first interview #147 and the second one #194 is Det. Cox had a shift towards revealing his personal religious views.

Unsure how that fits into the picture, but if I had to guess it's a subtle appeal to the perp(s) or those closest to them.

JMO

You're right... I did notice the sharing of his personal religious views. It's certainly an interesting thought that it may be a subtle nod/appeal to the killer (which definitely seemed to occur in the Delphi case). Hmmm.

 

[Emma Peel]

The Delphi Murders: The Stephenson Case and the Witnesses Against Kegan Kline

from thursday. 3/7/2023

Murder Sheet calls Det. Cox, to suss out the link of Stephenson w/ Delhi.
Also discusses the witness list's witnesses for the KK upcoming trial.

Cox, on the record: "Our statement is ... that we do not see a link at all between Stephenson and the Delphi murders. We forwarded the information we had received in the Stephenson case b/c we thought it had more to do with the Delhi murders - to the Indiana State Police. And so that's kinda where that ended up. It was a peripheral piece of peripheral information and a tip that came in that we felt it necessary to follow up on for our case but it was that was something that was really really way out on the left field just something we received. I think it makes in interesting for reporters to say oh yeah there is a connection a link between the two."

The Delphi Murders: The Stephenson Case and the Witnesses Against Kegan Kline​

We spoke with Detective Coy Cox, the Kentucky investigator looking into the Stephenson murders.

In 2011, an unknown perpetrator brutally murdered a married couple in Boone County, Kentucky. In 2023, news spread far and wide that investigators were delving into a possible link between that case and the 2017 Delphi murders. What's going on with that?

We'll talk about the murders of Bill and Peggy Stephenson, and discuss some updates in the case against Kegan Kline.