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Charles "Steve" Stephenson, of Walton, Kentucky, was found guilty of beating a 67-year-old Aurora, Indiana, mother, and grandmother named Leigh Jennings to death with a skillet and a pepper grinder in March 2012. After a trial in July 2013, he was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
According to sources, Stephenson assaulted Jennings in the kitchen of her Aspen Drive home on March 29 to steal money to clear a debt he owed to his aunt. Papa John's pizza box bearing his name plus blood and DNA evidence discovered on the two murder weapons was sufficient evidence to convict him.
Stephenson was convicted on two charges of murder and robbery and is currently serving time at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.
Murder in the Heartland on ID will revisit Leigh Jennings' murder this Thursday, February 2, 2023. The episode, titled Fear Travels Fast, re-airs at 7:00 pm ET.
The synopsis for the episode reads:
"In Aurora, Ind., the townspeople are horrified when beloved mother and hairstylist Leigh Jennings is killed in her own home."
In 2013, Charles "Steve" Stephenson was found guilty of murder and robbery in Leigh Jennings' Aurora murder
Charles "Steve" Stephenson, who killed Leah Jennings of Aurora, will spend the rest of his life in prison after a jury found him guilty of murdering the grandmother and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
According to authorities and evidence found at the crime scene, Jennings, 67, was beaten to death in her kitchen on March 29, 2012, in her Aurora apartment by Stephenson, who used a pepper grinder and a skillet. About a week later, neighbors discovered her death at a grisly and bloody crime scene. She passed away from a broken skull brought on by head trauma with blunt force.
Investigators alleged that Stephenson attacked the victim after she refused to give him the money he needed to clear a debt with his aunt, who was legally pressuring him into returning the money. Jennings had already lent him a huge sum of money and refused to give him any more. He was behind on due payments and reportedly admitted to authorities that he was "that he was desperate to get the money."
Leigh Jennings, who grew up in Florence, reportedly met Charles "Steve" Stephenson while working at Young's Barber Shop. Her family only knew him as Steve, with whom she had invested a few thousand dollars.
Charles "Steve" Stephenson was convicted based on evidence, including his DNA, found at the crime scene
Charles "Steve" Stephenson was charged with murder and robbery after authorities found compelling evidence, including DNA found on two murder weapons, a Papa John's pizza box at the crime scene with his name on it, and text messages exchanged between him and Leigh Jennings, which stopped on the day she was murdered.
During his 2013 trial, prosecutors alleged that his motive was to steal money from the victim to repay his debt, given that investigators also found blood in her bedroom safe where she kept the money. They claimed that an "unknown" sum of money was stolen from the safe. The following morning of the murder, Stephenson turned in a $1,000 money order.
Stephenson's defense argued that the prosecution failed to investigate other potential suspects in the case and that he had no reason to murder his friend. His older children were made to take the witness stand, where their son Farly stated that he "respectfully disagreed with the verdict," while his daughter Sarah told the jury that her father was "a very kind person."
Where is Stephenson now?
Charles "Steve" Stephenson maintained his innocence after the guilty verdict, and his defense confirmed that they would be appealing his conviction, although no timeline for the appeal has been established. To date, he remains a convicted killer who is currently serving his lengthy sentence at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, Indiana.
