Man sentenced to prison for stabbing his girlfriend two dozen times, killing her
A West Virginia man told police in 2018 he woke up next to his dead girlfriend — on Monday, he admitted to stabbing her 24 times leading to her death.
“I just plead mercy,” Harley Gray told a Horry County judge, who sentenced him to 30 years in prison after Gray pleaded guilty to murder.
In June 2018, Gray called police at 5 a.m. and said he wanted to turn himself in, assistant solicitor Thomas Terrell said. Gray told the officers that he and his girlfriend, Lindsey Stegner, took drugs and he “freaked out,” Terrell said. The murder happened on Pleasantdale Road in the Green Sea area.
“She was stabbed 24 times in the upper chest and arm area,” Terrell said.
Defense Attorney James Stanko said Gray started to remember details of the crime and that is why he wanted to plead guilty. Stanko added the case has also ruined Gray’s life and impacted his family.
Shandra Wentz, who was Stegner’s cousin, said the two grew up like sisters. She said Stegner had issues, but didn’t deserve to be murdered.
“Regardless of her troubles, nobody expects to die being stabbed 24 times,” Wentz said.
Stegner’s daughter was 4 year olds at the time of the killing, and she is going to have to grow up without her mother, Wentz said.
This story was originally published August 19, 2019 at 5:00 PM.
