Cleveland Facebook Killing: Search Expanded To Michigan, Midwest

CLEVELAND, OH — The search for an “armed and dangerous” Cleveland homicide suspect accused of posting a video to Facebook showing the killing of a 74-year-old man has expanded to Michigan and other Midwest states, Cleveland police said. The killing was said to be of a victim chosen at random, according to police.

Steve Stephens allegedly attacked Robert Godwin Sr., 74, shot him dead and then proceeded to upload the video of the killing to Facebook. According to police, the suspect claimed to have committed multiple other homicides, though that has not been verified. As of early Monday, April 17, police say they have not found any additional victims or incident connected to Stephens. The FBI is assisting Cleveland police with the investigation.

During a press conference Monday, Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams said the search for Stephens has expanded beyond Cleveland and into the entire Midwest. Residents in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, and Indiana are being asked to call police if they spot Stephens or his vehicle. A spokesperson for the FBI said Stephens “could be far away, could be near, or anywhere in-between.”

“We want Steven to turn himself in, but if he doesn’t we will find him,” Williams said.

Williams said all investigative tools will be employed in the search.

“The FBI is assisting CPD on the active investigation involving suspect Steve Stephens,” a spokesperson for the FBI in Cleveland told Patch. “The FBI will provide additional personnel, investigative techniques and various resources to this ongoing situation.”

Stephens is black, just over 6-feet tall and bald with a full beard. He is wearing a dark blue and gray or black striped polo shirt. He was driving a white Ford Fusion with a temporary tag. Police are warning residents not to approach Stephens if you see him and to call 911.

“This is a horrific crime and we do not allow this kind of content on Facebook,” a Facebook spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Patch. “We take our responsibility to keep people safe on Facebook very seriously, and are in touch with law enforcement in emergencies when there are direct threats to physical safety.”

Police said Stephens broadcast the murder on Facebook live, however, according to a Facebook spokesperson, a video of the murder was uploaded to Facebook after the fact and the alleged killing was not live streamed on the social media site. Stephens did post a live video at one point.

Williams said that Cleveland Police Department detectives made contact with Stephens via cell phone early in the investigation. However, they were unable to convince Stephens to turn himself in. At an evening press conference on April 16, city officials said there had not been an official sighting of Stephens since the murder occurred at around 2 p.m.

“We're not putting the city on lockdown,” Williams said. “People just need to be careful and watch out for one another. There has not been an official sighting of him since this happened.”

Williams added that police had checked hundreds of leads since the murder happened.

“We want to communicate to Stephens that we know who he is and he will eventually be caught,” Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said at the press conference. “He need not do any more hard to anybody, any innocent people. Any concerns or problems he’s having, we’re here to have a conversation with him.”

Police have since released a photo of Stephens’ car and are asking anyone who sees it to call 911.

Williams and Jackson held a joint press conference discussing the investigation into the shooting and urging Stephens to turn himself in. You can watch that conference below.

Written by Feroze Dhanoa (Patch National Staff) with additional reporting by Chris Mosby (Patch Staff).

Patch will update this breaking news story.

Image via Cleveland Police