42 replies to this topic

[Denise]

http://www.foxnews.c...,429746,00.html
Man Accused of Killing, Cooking Ex on Barbecue to Stand Trial

Monday, September 29, 2008

Jury selection is set to begin Monday for a Texas man accused of killing, dismembering and grilling his ex-girlfriend.

Timothy Wayne Shepherd, 28, confessed last year to strangling Texas A&M student Tynesha Stewart, 19, last year, and now faces trial for the murder, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Investigators said Shepherd admitted strangling Stewart because he was angry she had begun a new relationship. Prosecutors believe Shepherd dismembered her body and burned her remains on two barbecue pits over the course of two days, the paper said.

"We have determined through this investigation that the defendant dismembered Tynesha Stewart and . . . he burned the body parts," Harris County Sheriff Tommy Thomas said in March 2007. "There are no remaining body parts."

Despite the confession, prosecutors will have an uphill battle convicting Shepherd as investigators could not link the 30 pieces of charred bone and hair recovered from the defendant's apartment to the dead woman's DNA, the Chronicle said.

He faces life in prison if convicted.

Officials first thought that the body had been disposed in a large commercial trash bin that had since been emptied. Authorities believed her remains were scattered in several overflowing landfills, and that the search would be expensive and nearly impossible.

In the days following the arrest, authorities said they would not search for Stewart's body because there was little chance of success. The decision angered family and friends, and complaints from activists and lawmakers prompted Thomas to get emergency approval to spend up to $500,000 for a search. But the search never began.

Thomas said he knew, but could not disclose, that there were no body parts to find. He said investigators were unable to release that information to the public or to Stewart's family because of the investigation. Stewart's family has since been advised, and understands why there will be no search, Thomas said.

Stewart, a college freshman from Houston, was last seen with Shepherd on March 15, 2007, while she was home for spring break visiting her mother. Friends said Stewart and Shepherd quit dating at the beginning of that school year.

[Denise]

http://www.chron.com...nt/6033989.html

Houston man accused of burning ex-girlfriend's body

By BRIAN ROGERS Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Oct. 1, 2008, 11:50AM

Family members of Tynesha Stewart cried in court this morning as prosecutors began detailing the 22-year-old girl's grisly death and dismemberment at the hands of Timothy Wayne Shepherd, who is accused of burning her remains on two barbecue grills.

Shepherd's attorneys told jurors that a lack of specific evidence in the case would leave them no choice but to acquit Shepherd, 28, despite gruesome facts alleged to have occurred after her death.

Packed shoulder to shoulder in the front row of state District Judge Vanessa Velasquez's courtroom, members of Stewart's family wiped their eyes throughout opening statements.

When prosecutor Marie Primm said a DNA expert would testify that a tooth belonging to Stewart was found in Shepherd's garbage disposal, a woman's voice in the front row cried out briefly, punctuating the somber mood.

Shepherd could face life in prison if convicted of killing his former girlfriend, a Texas A&M engineering major whom he met when she was a 16-year-old student at Nimitz High School.

Chip Lewis, Shepherd's defense attorney, told jurors the charge against Shepherd is vague and confounding and that he expects to answer any evidence prosecutors brought forward.

Investigators have said Shepherd confessed to many of the details of the crime after leading police and community activist Quanell X to a trash bin where Shepherd said he dumped the girl's body.

After her corpse was not found, Shepherd later told police he burned the body.

The trial is expected to last about two weeks.

[Denise]

http://www.chron.com...ro/6035166.html

Slain A&M student's kin weep as grisly facts are revealed
State details case against victim's former boyfriend

By BRIAN ROGERS
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Oct. 1, 2008, 11:33PM

Timothy Wayne Shepherd could face life in prison if convicted of killing Tynesha Stewart.

Family members of a slain Texas A&M student cried in court as prosecutors on Wednesday began detailing the 22-year-old woman's grisly death and dismemberment allegedly at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, who is accused of burning her remains on two barbecue grills.

A woman's voice in the front row of a Harris County courtroom cried out briefly when a prosecutor said a DNA expert would testify that a tooth belonging to Tynesha Stewart was found in Timothy Wayne Shepherd's garbage disposal.

Packed shoulder to shoulder in the front row of state District Judge Vanessa Velasquez's courtroom, members of Stewart's family wiped their eyes throughout prosecutor Marie Primm's opening statements.

Shepherd could face life in prison if convicted of killing the Texas A&M engineering major, whom he met when she was a 16-year-old student at Nimitz High School.

Shepherd's attorneys told jurors that a lack of specific evidence in the case would leave them no choice but to acquit Shepherd, 28.

Chip Lewis told jurors the charge against Shepherd is vague and confounding and that he expects to answer any evidence prosecutors produce.

Investigators have said Shepherd confessed to many of the details of the crime after leading police and community activist Quanell X to a trash bin where Shepherd said he dumped the girl's body.

After her corpse was not found, Shepherd later told police he burned the body.

Wednesday's testimony was marked with Stewart's friends and family members detailing the last days and hours they saw her.

[Denise]

http://www.click2hou...712/detail.html

Slain Student's Friends Testify In Murder Trial

By Daniella Guzman

POSTED: 7:07 am CDT October 2, 2008

HOUSTON -- During the first day of the trial of a man accused of killing and dismembering his girlfriend, the victim's family became emotional and cried as prosecutors talked about the slaying in detail, KPRC Local 2 reported Wednesday.

Timothy Shepherd has been accused of killing Texas A&M freshman Tynesha Stewart out of jealousy.

Shepherd quietly sat between his two attorneys during opening statements, listening and frequently asking them questions.

Shepherd has been accused of strangling, dismembering and then burning his ex-girlfriend's body in his barbeque pit in March 2007.

The state called four of Stewart's friends to the stand. They testified that Shepherd was controlling and possessive.

Stewart's college roommate said Stewart cried almost every day because of Shepherd.

"He called me day and night looking for Ty. He left me angry messages. Ty was so scared of him. She cried before she went home for spring break and she never came back," said the roommate.

Shepherd's attorney's said that was not the whole story and told the jurors that they would hear another side of the story.

"Witnesses will bare out that Tynesha was in love with Timothy, and she actively pursued a relationship and Timothy reciprocated it," defense attorney Chip Lewis said.

Prosecutors called the relationship a classic case of domestic violence.

"There is no doubt she loved him, but the issue was she had a hard time being able to leave the relationship," Assistant District Attorney Marie Primm said.

[Denise]

http://abclocal.go.c...ocal&id=6434443

Testimony resumes in gruesome murder case

Monday, October 06, 2008
  By Laura Whitley

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- After a week of dramatic and disturbing testimony, prosecutors in the Timothy Shepherd trial brought physical evidence into the courtroom.

One by one prosecutor Marie Primm unsealed brown paper evidence bags and put dozens of items on display for the jury. Evidence ranged from pieces of hair to cleaning supplies and all of it was taken from Timothy Shepherd's apartment.

"What is this state's exhibit," Primm asked.

"These were items that appear to be bone fragments that were found in the drain of the kitchen," replied Deputy Gary Clayton.

Clayton said he also collected a light switch plate that appeared to have blood on it as well as a cell phone with a Texas A&M cover. The deputy also said hair and other particles were collected among charred evidence on and near the patio of Shepherd's apartment.

That included a book titled 'How to Grill.'

The sheriff has said Shepherd killed, dismembered and then burned parts of Stewart's body.

Under cross examination defense attorney Chip Lewis got the investigator to admit a key point.

"The investigator was honest enough to admit none of the evidence he had seized or tested led to a conclusion there were charred remains of a human being," Lewis said.

Lewis says despite the mountain on evidence now sitting in front of the jury, the circumstantial case does not meet the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

"Most of my focus in the cross examination of state witnesses has been to establish there is no proof that Timothy Shepherd is guilty of murder," Lewis said.

Lewis insists the suggestion his client committed the gruesome acts he is accused has not been proven.

"I think the obvious implication is we don't convict folks on possibilities here," Lewis said.

Shepherd could face life in prison if convicted.

[Denise]

http://www.click2hou...605/detail.html

Officer: Bleach Found In Slain Student's Ex-Boyfriend's Apartment

POSTED: 11:55 am CDT October 6, 2008
UPDATED: 5:41 pm CDT October 6, 2008

HOUSTON -- A police officer testified Monday that bleach bottles were found in the apartment belonging to a man who has been accused of killing, dismembering and burning the remains of his ex-girlfriend, KPRC Local 2 reported.

Timothy Shepherd is charged with murder in connection with the death of Texas A&M freshman Tynesha Stewart during spring break in 2007.

The state has insisted that Shepherd tried to cover up Stewart's death. 

Shepherd allegedly choked Stewart, took her body apart and used two barbecue grills to dispose of her body.

Prosecutors entered several bottles of bleach into evidence. One of Shepherd's neighbors previously testified that she smelled a strong smell of bleach in his apartment after Stewart disappeared.

Shepherd first led community activist Quanell X to a Dumpster, but Stewart's body was not found.

Police said Shepherd later confessed to destroying Shepherd's remains.

Shepherd's attorney has argued that he asked for an attorney before offering the confession. A judge decided that Shepherd waived his rights, making the alleged confession admissible.

Shepherd's attorneys said Stewart actively pursed a relationship with him.

If convicted, Shepherd faces up to life in prison.

[Denise]

http://ap.google.com...6ZrQTAD93N5KEO2

Man guilty of Texas student's dismemberment murder

HOUSTON (AP) — A man accused of killing and dismembering his ex-girlfriend before burning the college student's remains on two outdoor grills was convicted of murder Thursday.

Jurors deliberated for four hours before convicting Timothy Wayne Shepherd of the March 2007 murder of 19-year-old Tynesha Stewart, a Texas A&M University freshman.

Shepherd, 28, showed no emotion when the verdict was announced. His victim's family broke down in tears.

The trial was entering the punishment phase, and Shepherd faces a possible sentence of life in prison.

The case drew national attention after investigators said they would not search for the body because it may have ended up in one of several landfills. Officials later said they knew there were no remains to be found.

Police have said Shepherd confessed to choking Stewart, dismembering her and burning the remains on the patio grills. According to court records, police recovered 30 pieces of charred bone and hair from Shepherd's apartment.

During the trial, Shepherd's attorneys argued that there was not enough evidence to convict Shepherd beyond a reasonable doubt.

However, prosecutors maintained that Shepherd had abused Stewart throughout their relationship and believed he had a "license to kill" to kill Stewart because she "disrespected" him.

During closing arguments, Assistant District Attorney Kebharu Smith reminded jurors about witnesses' testimony in which Shepherd said Stewart "disrespected me" as he led authorities to the trash bin where he said her body was dumped.

[Denise]

http://www.theage.co...81010-4xrc.html

Killer grilled dismembered ex-girlfriend

October 10, 2008 - 9:07AM

A 28-year-old man was convicted today of killing his ex-girlfriend, whose dismembered remains were later burned on two outdoor grills.

Jurors deliberated for four hours before convicting Timothy Wayne Shepherd of murder in the death of 19-year-old Tynesha Stewart, a Texas A&M University student was killed in March 2007.

Shepherd who faces a possible sentence of life in prison, showed no emotion when the verdict was announced. Stewart's family broke down in tears.

Police have said that Shepherd confessed to choking Stewart, dismembering her and burning the remains on the grills. According to court records, police recovered 30 pieces of charred bone and hair from Shepherd's apartment.

The jury was to begin hearing evidence today in the punishment phase of the case, which drew national attention after investigators said they would not search for the body because it may have ended up in one of several landfills. Officials later said they knew there were no remains to be found.

During the trial, Shepherd's attorneys argued that there was not enough evidence to convict Shepherd beyond a reasonable doubt.

However, prosecutors maintained that Shepherd had abused Stewart throughout their relationship and believed he had a "licence to kill" to kill Stewart because she "disrespected" him.

[Denise]

Victim's mom weeps on stand in Houston murder trial
Student's mother says she 'cannot accept the fact that all of her is gone'

By BRIAN ROGERS Houston Chronicle
Oct. 10, 2008, 11:49AM

The mother of a 19-year-old college student told jurors today that she felt "numb and confused" after hearing the ghastly details of her daughter's death and the dismemberment and burning of her remains in two barbecue grills.

"I still did not believe it," Gail Shields said, crying as she recounted the death of her daughter, Tynesha Stewart.

Timothy Wayne Shepherd was convicted Thursday of murder in the disappearance of his former girlfriend, a Texas A&M University freshman whose body was not recovered.

Shields broke down in tears on the witness stand and sobbed as she was walked out of the courtroom by prosecutors Marie Primm and Kebharu Smith.

Testifying about the destruction of her daughter's remains, Shields said that "some part of her has to be somewhere."

"I cannot accept the fact that all of her is gone," she said. "It's just not humanly possible."

Investigators say that Shepherd confessed to strangling Stewart, cutting up her body in his bathtub and burning her remains.

A piece of a tooth with Stewart's DNA was found in the garbage disposer in Shepherd's north Harris County apartment after his arrest in March 2007.

Shields said she is in therapy because she continues to have chest pains and has problems sleeping and controlling her diabetes.

As family members in the audience began to cry with her, Shields looked at Shepherd.

"It's unbelievable that something like this would happen," she said.

Asked whether she could forgive Shepherd, she said, "You can forgive people, but people still have to pay for what they've done."

Shields' testimony continued the prosecution's case in the trial's punishment phase, which continues today.

Chip Lewis, Shepherd's attorney, said he plans to present evidence about Stewart's death, but had not decided whether Shepherd will testify.

Shepherd faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

http://www.chron.com...nt/6051149.html

[Denise]

http://www.chron.com...es/6055497.html

Shepherd tells jurors he 'snapped' before killing student

By BRIAN ROGERS Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Oct. 13, 2008, 5:24PM

Timothy Shepherd demonstrates with Assistant District Attorney Marie Primm as he testifies about strangling former girlfriend Tynesha Stewart and dismembering her body.

Timothy Wayne Shepherd admitted on the witness stand Monday morning that he choked Tynesha Stewart to death and then bought a jigsaw to dismember his former girlfriend's body.

Shepherd told jurors that he killed Stewart after she swung at him with a knife and nicked his fingers.

"I put my hand around her neck and started squeezing," he testified in the punishment phase of his murder trial.

Jurors who last week convicted Shepherd of murder will resume deliberations on punishment on Tuesday. The jury deliberated for about a half-hour late Monday afternoon.

Shepherd faces a sentence ranging from probation to life in prison.

In his testimony, Shepherd said he held Stewart by the neck with one hand and tried to get the knife out her hand with another as the two struggled in his north Harris County apartment in March 2007.

"I snapped," he said. "First, I was afraid she was going to stab me. But then, all the animosity for the argument came out."

After killing the 19-year-old woman and dismembering her body, Shepherd burned the parts in two barbecue grills, he acknowledged.

Stewart was missing for days after coming home for spring break during her freshman year at Texas A&M University.

Shepherd, 28, said he was pressuring Stewart to talk to him about a man she was seeing at college when she grabbed a knife from a table and came toward him.

"I don't know if I was holding my breath, but I blacked out," Shepherd testified. "I was conscious, but not really. It was out-of-body."

Stewart's family members shook their heads as Shepherd said he panicked and that he didn't call 911 because he didn't think anyone would believe his story.

Earlier testimony showed that the two had a history of domestic violence. Shepherd said he and Stewart had maintained a physical relationship even after she moved to college.

His attorney, Chip Lewis, didn't ask Shepherd about the events after Stewart's death, but prosecutor Marie Primm asked in-depth questions about strangling Stewart, dismembering her and burning her remains.

"I decided I had to cover my tracks," Shepherd said.

He said he went to a hardware store and bought a jigsaw, but already had other tools.

Shepherd said he undressed Stewart's body and put it in his bathtub.

"I didn't have a strategy," he said. "I just started to cut."

He said he was trying to get rid of all of the evidence and thought he should burn Stewart's remains in the barbecue grills on his patio.

Other parts went into a large plastic tote that he slid down the stairs and put in an apartment trash bin, Shepherd said.

He added that, because he was afraid of being caught through dental records, he used pliers to remove Stewart's teeth.

Shepherd said he later had dinner with a neighbor after getting rid of Stewart's corpse, so that he wouldn't seem "suspicious."

During her cross-examination, Primm had Shepherd demonstrate how he choked Stewart.

Standing in front of the jury, Primm let Shepherd put both hands around her neck.

"Is that how you choked her?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied.

Primm also asked Shepherd about laughing about Stewart's death during jailhouse phone calls recorded by prosecutors.

According to Primm, Shepherd said, "The bitch is going to make me money from the grave. I'll just write a book about it."

On the stand, Shepherd denied that he laughed or said he was going to write a book.

Jurors also saw a videotaped confession in which Shepherd admitted strangling Stewart.

Shepherd took the witness stand today after brief testimony by Harris County Sheriff Tommy Thomas, who recalled that county commissioners granted him $500,000 to search through tons of debris to find Stewart's remains.

Shepherd initially indicated that he had thrown the body into a trash bin. After he told investigators that he had destroyed the body, however, they realized that a search would be pointless.

Thomas, called to the stand by Lewis, told jurors that he and Lewis worked with then-Assistant District Attorney Kelly Siegler to quell public outcry for a search.

[Denise]

http://www.khou.com/....10c3d72d2.html

Aggie coed's killer takes the stand

05:28 PM CDT on Monday, October 13, 2008

By Rucks Russell / 11 News

HOUSTON—The man convicted of killing, dismembering and grilling his ex-girlfriend took the stand in the punishment phase of his trial Monday.

A Harris County jury on Thursday convicted Tim Shepherd in the murder of Texas A&M freshman Tynesha Stewart.

Stewart was home for spring break last year when she was killed.

Shepherd’s testimony Monday was deliberate, calm and at times chilling.

He admitted to being angry with Stewart last year because she was dating someone new.

He said they argued about it at his apartment, and Stewart took a swing at him with a knife.

Shepherd said that’s when he snapped and strangled the life out of her.  He described it as an out-of-body experience.

He said it was panic that led him to dismember her body and cook it on his patio grills, because he didn’t think anyone would believe him.

Investigators never recovered Stewart’s body, but they did find her teeth and what appeared to be bone fragments in Shepherd’s garbage disposal.

Stewart’s family attempted to remain in the courtroom for Shepherd’s testimony, but the judge eventually ordered them out. 

Shepherd’s attorneys argued their client is sick and should get supervised probation and mental help.

Prosecutors demanded the maximum sentence allowed: life behind bars.

[Denise]

http://www.myfoxhous...TY&pageId=3.2.1

Jury Deliberates Punishment Phase of Man Convicted of Charring Ex 

Last Edited: Monday, 13 Oct 2008, 7:10 PM CDT 
Created: Monday, 13 Oct 2008, 5:44 PM CDT 

HOUSTON  --  He owned up to killing his ex-girlfriend. Now the same jury that convicted him of murder, is trying to come up with the best punishment for the crime.

Timothy Shepherd took the stand for most of the day. It was the first time he publicly told his side of what happened the day 19-year-old Tynesha Stewart died. Stewart was a freshman engineering student at Texas A&M when she disappeared last year during a spring break visit to Shepherd's apartment.

Click here to see the full video story by FOX 26's Kristine Galvan.

Her recently convicted murderer told the jury he killed Stewart during an argument over her new boyfriend. Shepherd recalled how he wanted to talk about the new guy, but Stewart refused to give details. 

A late night phone call prompted Shepherd's angry questioning.  It also prompted him to block his door, when Stewart decided she wanted to leave. 

Timothy Shepherd says his ex-girlfriend then grabbed a knife and cut his finger. Shepherd told jurors he tackled Stewart, grabbed her neck with one hand, and disarmed her with the other, then placed both his hands on her neck and "blacked out."

He told prosecutors he didn't report the crime because he didn't think anyone would believe his story.

Instead, he decided  to get rid of the evidence.  Shepherd admitted on the stand he chopped up Stewart's body, burned parts of it on a smoker on his patio and threw the rest in a garbage bin.

The jury started deliberating shortly after 4 p.m. Monday afternoon. The punishment range for Shepherd's conviction is 2 years probation to life in prison.

[Denise]

http://www.ktrh.com/...article=4392467

Why Won't He Face Death?
Death sentence never an option in Timothy Shepherd trial.

By KTRH's Bill O'Neal
Monday, October 13, 2008

He’s a convicted killer—found guilty of one of the most shocking and gruesome murders Houston has ever seen. He could spend the rest of his life behind bars, but why won’t Timothy Shepherd face the death penalty for the murder of Tynesha Stewart?  According to the experts, it’s all in how the law is written. 

“Texas Law says to be eligible to receive the death penalty, the murder has to be coupled with one of the enumerated offenses—such as armed robbery or terrorism or sexual assault” said South Texas College of Law’s Gerald Treece.

Simply put, once the victim is dead, what happens next does not jump a suspect from one level of potential punishment to another—particularly when you’re talking about a crime of passion.

“The attempt to hide the body, the attempt to mutilate or destroy the body—while it goes in to the question of punishment—it does not qualify you for the death penalty” Treece said.

Treece said Texas is not unique when it comes to how the law is applied in such cases—most—if not every other state apply the law in the same basic way.

[Denise]

http://www.chron.com...ro/6058181.html

Houston jury gives 99 years in grisly murder
Victim's remains were burned on barbecue grills in 2007

By BRIAN ROGERS
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Oct. 15, 2008, 7:49AM

Timothy Shepherd was sentenced late Tuesday to 99 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, the maximum punishment for the murder of former girlfriend Tynesha Stewart, whom he strangled and dismembered before burning her remains on two barbecue grills in March 2007.

Sitting between his lawyers, Shepherd showed no emotion as he leaned back, rested his chin on his hand and listened to Stewart's mother and sister testify from the witness stand during their victim impact statements.

"You're no man," said Stewart's sister, Gayla Taylor. "You're still a scared little boy. I feel sorry for you. Your soul is gone."

Stewart's mother, Gale Shields, said she will forgive Shepherd and hopes he gets mental help.

"I have to forgive Timothy if I'm going to see Tynesha again," Shields said.

Testimony during the trial showed that the two had a history of domestic violence, something Stewart's mother and sister railed against after the verdict.

"Timothy once was a wonderful, wonderful man," Shields said. "There are always red flags and young people need to recognize the red flags."

It also was a point addressed in a short statement to reporters after the verdict.

"In the interest of the public, we hope the media coverage will pay more attention to the details regarding the nature of the relationship between Tynesha and Tim that could lead to this event and less on the events that occurred after the murder," said the jury foreman, who read the statement and declined to give his name. "An increased awareness of the indicators of domestic abuse could prevent such an event in the future."

Shepherd, 28, said the two were arguing in his north Harris County apartment about a man Stewart was dating at college when she grabbed a knife from a table and came toward him.

Shepherd testified that Stewart, 19, swung a knife at him, nicking two of his fingers.

Shepherd told jurors he held her by the neck with one hand and tried to get the knife out of her hand with another as the two struggled.

He said he "snapped" and strangled Stewart, then went to a hardware store to buy a jigsaw to cut up her body.

Prosecutor Kebharu Smith said Shepherd's testimony showed jurors that he was a "monster."

Chip Lewis, Shepherd's attorney, said he expected Shepherd to appeal the conviction.

Lewis' strategy, to compartmentalize what happened to Stewart's body after she had been killed, from the actual strangulation, was "almost impossible, given the decisions Shepherd made after Miss Stewart died."

During the guilt/innocence phase of the trial, Lewis argued that there wasn't enough evidence to convict Shepherd. At the punishment stage, Lewis argued that Shepherd was in the grip of "sudden passion," a legal doctrine that would have capped Shepherd's sentence at 20 years. The jury disagreed.

Prosecutor Marie Primm said she was satisfied with the verdict and noted that 99 years and a life sentence for murder are essentially the same.

With either, Shepherd is eligible for parole in 30 years.

[Denise]

http://www.click2hou...893/detail.html

Slain Student's Family Reacts To Killer's Sentence

By Lisa Baldwin
POSTED: 7:55 am CDT October 15, 2008

HOUSTON -- A man heard from the family of his ex-girlfriend, whom he murdered and dismembered, after he was sentenced to 99 years in prison on Tuesday, KPRC Local 2 reported.

Timothy Shepherd, 28, was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine for murdering 19-year-old Tynesha Stewart in 2007.

It took jurors about seven hours to reject the defense's claim that Shepherd killed out of sudden passion and deserved a lighter sentence.

Stewart's mother and older sister said the family was satisfied with the sentence.

"You have hurt two families," said Stewart's mother, Gale Shields, during a victim impact statement. "I feel sorry for your parents and I feel sorry for you."

Shields said she is a religious woman and has to forgive Shepherd in order to see her daughter again one day.

The jury foreman released a statement that said the jurors hoped this case will underscore the need to raise awareness about domestic violence.

Stewart's mother is establishing a foundation in her daughter's memory called "Keeping Secrets." The goal is to reach out through churches and schools to encourage recognition of "red flags" in a relationship.

Shepherd and Stewart had a history of domestic violence that different people in Stewart's circle noticed, but no one "put two and two together," Shields said.

Shepherd has filed a notice to appeal his murder conviction.

[Deborah]

Tynesha has not been located/recovered. A Memorial service was held, as no search was done for her. Our are with the family.

[Deborah]

Tynesha has not been located/recovered.

 

http://texasequusear...wartTynesha.pdf