The Murder of Tynesha Stewart
Warning, this case discusses murder and dismemberment.
For this case, I watched an episode of Murder in the Heartland. It’s season 9 episode 4, titled ‘Spring Breaking Up.’
A young college student disappears in her hometown during spring break.
Background
Tynesha Stewart grew up in the small town of Bordersville, Texas, which is located in Harris County. She graduated from Chester W. Nimitz High School and earned a scholarship to Texas A&M University to study civil engineering.
Tynesha was the niece of NFL players Aaron and Jason Glenn, who also attended Texas A&M. Tynesha was very close to her entire family, but was reported to have bumped heads with her stepfather quite a bit.
Tynesha was described as a girly girl and as being very prim and proper. Her sister and friends said Tynesha never went anywhere without her cell phone or charger.
Tynesha Stewart
The Disappearance
Tynesha returned to her hometown during spring break of her freshman year in March 2007. She was supposed to be going to get her hair done and attend a Beyonce concert. She never made it to either of these events.
On March 16, 2007, Tynesha’s family filed a missing persons report. They immediately felt as if the police were not taking them seriously. They began their own search party and reached out to Quanell X, a community activist for help.
By March 18, the Harris County Sheriff’s Department began to take a closer look at those closest to Tynesha. This included several of Tynesha’s exes and her stepfather.
The Suspect List
The police learned that Tynesha had been in a relationship with a man named Mark at the time of her disappearance. She had also been in contact with her ex, a 27-year-old named Timothy Shepherd.
At first, Mark didn’t respond to any of the attempts by the police to reach out to him. He eventually was interviewed and said he had gone to South Padre Island on March 17.
The police found it odd that Mark had fled the area after Tynesha disappeared. Mark said he had tried to get into contact with her but she wasn’t answering. He said he had already been in South Padre when he heard about her disappearance.
Tynesha had met Timothy Shepherd after she broke up with her boyfriend from high school. They met while working at a pizza restaurant and dated for a few years.
Timothy told the police that Tynesha had been at his apartment but left and walked home. He said she hadn’t been truthful about a phone call she had received. The phone call was believed to have been from Mark. This phone call led to an argument but Tynesha left on her own.
The police were able to quickly rule out Tynesha’s boyfriend from high school. They also learned that Tynesha had been having issues with her stepfather. He was controlling and they often fought even while she was at school.
The police interviewed Tynesha’s stepfather. He told them that he had been with Tynesha’s mom at the time. She verified his alibi.
The 911 Call
While the police were interviewing their suspects, they learned about a 911 call from March 16, 2007.
It was reported that a fire had started in an apartment on Red Oak Drive. The apartment belonged to Timothy Shepherd. However, when the fire department got there, there was no sign of a fire or smoke.
The fire department entered the apartment just to make sure it was clear. Timothy told them that he had been using his barbecue pit on his balcony. This wasn’t unusual as he was often seen grilling outside.
One of the firemen recalled seeing something odd in Timothy’s bathtub as he was leaving. He said he saw pieces of meat in Timothy’s bathtub. Timothy had said he was thawing out meat to grill. It was odd but it wasn’t criminal so the fire department left.
The Confession
The police were still suspicious of Mark and Timothy. But after they received the tip about the fire, they leaned more towards Timothy.
On March 21, 2007, Quanell X went to meet Timothy Shepard. He confessed to killing Tynesha.
Timothy said he went to pick Tynesha up from a friend’s house around 4 am on March 15. Timothy said he had asked about Mark. Tynesha told him that they were just friends.
Timothy said they got into an argument and he choked her. He said Tynesha had swung at him and came at him with a knife. After killing her, he realized what he had done and had to get rid of the body He put her in the bathtub, dismembered her, and put her body into several bags. He then threw the bags into the dumpster. It’s also believed that he barbecued Tynesha over the grill.
Timothy was said to have made several statements about being able to get rid of someone and how he would “boil and eat someone up.”
Quanell X said Timothy never showed any remorse for what he had done.
Mark and Tynesha’s stepfather were finally eliminated as suspects.
The Conviction
On October 9, 2008, Timothy was convicted of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to 99 years plus a $100,000 fine.
Timothy Shepherd
FINAL THOUGHTS
Timothy was so angry at Tynesha that their relationship was over. I believe had a dark side but it came out when Tynesha told him she wanted to be with Mark or to just be his friend. Tynesha trusted Timothy and most likely never believed he would hurt her. It’s heartbreaking that Tynesha’s family had to learn about her death and what happened to her. Tynesha’s sister said their mom died of a broken heart.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Tynesha_Stewart
