He Killed a Man Who 'Pleaded for His Life' 26 Years Ago — And Was Caught After Husband Secretly Helped Police

Mar. 15, 2025

Crime scene tape.Photo:Getty Images

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A California man has pleaded guilty to the murder of a man who was last seen leaving a gay bar with him in Missouri 26 years ago, authorities say.

In the meantime, Stephenson moved on with his life, eventually marrying one Joseph Ginejko in California and raising a pair of twin girls with him, according to theKansas City Star.

Stephenson told his husband that “he shot Oliphant, how Oliphant pleaded for his life, how Stephenson shot him again and killed him, and how Stephenson disposed of Oliphant’s body in Benton County, Missouri,” the probable cause warrant states, per the outlets.

The case remained dormant until Ginejko filed for divorce in 2020 and requested a protection order against Stephenson for domestic violence, SF Gate reported.

It was not immediately clear if Ginejko is the one who eventually turned him in, but he did assist police after the investigation was revived in 2021, SF Gate andKansas City Starreported, citing unspecified court documents.

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In April 2021, following a DNA investigation, Ginejko met with Stephenson while wearing a hidden mic and in that conversation, Stephenson reportedly gave several “conflicting” statements to Ginejko, per theKansas City Star.

Stephenson initially denied having told Ginejko about killing Oliphant, the probable cause warrant shows, per theKansas City Star.

He then said that he had made up the story to “scare” Ginejko, per investigators, and at one point, blamed an ex-lover for the crime, SF Gate and theKansas City Starreported.

In December of that year, Stephenson was arrested in California, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said in anannouncementlast week.

He was indicted on second-degree murder charges in 2022, theKansas City Starreported.

source: people.com