Per reports, the 91-year-old man may have been force fed ‘a liquid’ before being beaten and burned to death in his home, said an assistant medical examiner during a hearing. “It would have to come through the mouth,” Dr. Kesha testified in 36th District Court. “The victim could have drank it or had it put into his open mouth while he was unconscious.”
The elderly man, Paul, was reportedly found with a fifth of a cup of a by-product of an accelerant similar to gasoline in his autopsy, says Dr. Kesha. He said the teen suspect may have forced the victim to consume it. A female family member of the 91-year-old victim gasped while listening to the explicit details of the victim’s murder. Dr. Kesha reportedly testified on the first day of the initial examination that over 80 percent of the victim’s body was burned, ranging from first to fourth degree. He also said that Paul’s head injury alone was enough to kill him.
Per reports, the elderly man may have been force fed gasoline before being beaten and burned to death in his home. According to the court documents, the suspect, Steward, was summoned to stand trial in the case, and is charged with first-degree murder, felony murder and burning a dwelling. The suspect reportedly entered the victim’s home looking to rob him and then an attack soon followed. Steward ended up buying gasoline at a local gas station to set the house on fire, covering up his tracks.
A gas station worker testified Steward purchased 50 cents’ worth of gasoline and a lighter on the morning the victim was killed and set aflame. Some relatives of Steward also testified last month they recognized him as their relative from a surveillance footage from the gas station. Steward pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Judge Callahan sentenced the man convicted in the brutal murder, to 30-60 years in prison. We are republishing this story amid recent reports of a surge in violent crime and burglaries across America during the COVID-19 pandemic.
