Washington: The man known as the ‘Facebook Killer’ was found dead after a brief police pursuit in the US state of Pennsylvania, authorities said on Tuesday.
Steve Stephens had been the object of a multi-state manhunt since Sunday, when he murdered an elderly man in Cleveland, Ohio, and then posted video of the crime on Facebook, Efe news agency reported.
The 37-year-old shooter, who appeared to choose his victim at random, also posted that he had killed 12 people in all and vowed to continue killing. “‘Facebook Killer’ Steve Stephens was spotted this morning by PSP members in Erie County. A traffic stop was attempted and, after a brief pursuit, Stephens shot and killed himself,” the Pennsylvania State Police said on Twitter.
Erie County is in the northwestern corner of the state, roughly 100 miles (160 km) northeast of Cleveland. Police said that Stephens was found dead in the same vehicle he was driving when he shot and killed Robert Godwin, 74.
The FBI joined state authorities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, and New York in the search for Stephens, offering a reward of $50,000 for information leading to the suspect’s apprehension.
Before murdering Godwin, Stephens had written on his Facebook page that he wanted to kill someone out of rage toward his ex-girlfriend. Authorities have found no evidence of other victims besides Godwin.
AFP