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Steven McQuay, a 58-year-old single father from Arkansas, was found beaten to death in the backseat of his pickup truck on September 8, 2019. He was found after authorities received a strange phone call from a man who was simply referred to as Dan. McQuay's autopsy revealed that he didn't just die of blunt force trauma but also had a tumor on his liver which ruptured as well as a large amount of meth in his system.
The ensuing investigation revealed details of the events that occurred before the victim was found dead. This included a drug-induced gathering and a vicious fight over a backpack which led to McQuay's brutal murder. William Weston Moon, McQuay's friend, and owner of the truck in which the latter's body was found confessed to the murder.
The Murder Tapes on ID chronicles the beating death of Steven McQuay in an episode titled The Body in the Truck. The synopsis states:
"In Jonesboro, Ark., authorities investigate the death of Steven McQuay after his badly beaten body turns up in the back of a pickup truck; when the results of the victim's toxicology report arrive, the entire investigation plunges into a tailspin."
The upcoming episode will air on the channel the Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at 11 pm ET.
Steven McQuay was bludgeoned to death and found in the backseat of a pickup truck
Authorities found the badly beaten dead body of Steven McQuay at around 4 am on September 8, 2019. They found the pickup truck near the Samantha Drive home of a man named Dan, who claimed to have found the man unresponsive inside the truck.
McQuay was brutally beaten, especially in the head and abdomen area. Other bruises and marks on his body suggested a fight. The autopsy revealed that he had a massive lung tumor that ruptured during the attack. It also showed that he had meth in his suicide when he died. The report confirmed that the victim died of blunt force trauma to the head.
Authorities also found a backpack and several tools, including a screwdriver, crowbar, tire iron, and a hypodermic needle inside the truck. However, the lack of blood indicated that the crime occurred someplace else.
Upon questioning Dan, the man who allegedly found the body, the police learned that the truck belonged to a man named William Weston Moon. Dan further revealed that they allegedly found McQuay's body in a roadside ditch. They then loaded the body into the truck and drove home to call 911.
Dan's confession revealed that Steven McQuay was beaten to death by William Weston Moon during a fight
After Dan's statement about William Weston Moon, authorities tracked the latter down to a local convenience store. While William told them that the victim was his best friend, he refused to further cooperate. The investigation seemingly entirely relied on Dan's confession. He eventually disclosed the events leading up to McQuay's death.
Dan reportedly confessed that Steven McQuay and Moon were together the afternoon before Steven's murder. He said that the two bought some blue Xanax pills and then gathered at a house in rural Craighead County, Arkansas. There, McQuay and Moon got into a fight over the latter's backpack. McQuay first attacked Moon with a screwdriver which resulted in a fistfight.
Moon punched McQuay before hitting him with something he picked up from the truck. The former then continued kicking the latter in the face and body, which ruptured his tumor and resulted in his death. Dan and Moon then placed the victim's body in the backseat of the truck and drove to their destination where they made the 911 call.
Reports state that William Weston Moon eventually confessed to the crime and pleaded guilty to manslaughter. He even confessed to injecting a very unconscious Steven McQuay with meth in hopes of waking him up, but to no avail. Moon was given ten years in prison and was released on parole in May 2022.
ID's The Murder Tapes will further delve into the case on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at 11 pm ET.
