"Here's somebody I'm about to kill. I'm about to kill this guy right here. This old dude."
These were the words uttered by Steve Stephens in the Facebook video before he walked up to 74-year-old Robert Godwin and allegedly shot him in the head.In the video uploaded to Stephens' Facebook page, Stephens is seen holding up a gun pointed at the head of Godwin. Seconds before the shooting, Stephens asked the victim to say the name of a woman believed to be associated with the suspect.
"She's the reason why this is about to happen to you," Stephens said according to a report by CNN.
In the CNN report, the video was posted about 2 p.m. Sunday, but it was reportedly taken down by Facebook two hours later.
Before the murder, Stephens reportedly spoke to his mother, Maggie Green and told her that this was "The last time (she) was going to see him."
She quoted him as saying: "If you see me again, it'll be a miracle."
After the shooting, Stephens made a Facebook Live video rambling about the explanation for the execution.
He claims he "snapped" and claims to have killed 13 people but authorities have not confirmed any deaths.
This has thrown the live streaming service by Facebook into another crisis, following a trend of similar horrific videos that have been live streamed through Facebook. Here are just some examples of horrifying live videos that have made it onto Facebook:
- A suicide by a student.
- A gang-related shooting involving a toddler.
- Two journalists being shot and killed during a broadcast.
- An accidental live-streaming of deaths due to a car accident.
