In the winter of 2016, a 45-year-old Black man, Maurice Jones, was found slain in his Brooklyn apartment. On the afternoon of January 11th, police responded to a call at his Sumpter Street residence in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. Upon entering, they discovered Jones with multiple gunshot wounds to his neck, back, and shoulder. He was rushed to Kings County Hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the death of Maurice Jones quickly led detectives to a
suspect, 48-year-old Harry Steadman. Investigators learned that Steadman had a significant criminal history, including a prior homicide conviction for which he had already served 25 years in prison. Believed to be fleeing to California, Steadman was tracked down over 600 miles away from the crime scene. Just two days after Jones's death, the U.S. Marshal's Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team apprehended Steadman at a Greyhound bus stop in Dayton, Ohio.
Following his capture, Steadman was extradited back to New York City to face charges for the murder of Maurice Jones. He was charged with second-degree murder. The case against him was built upon a combination of witness statements and forensic evidence gathered by the New York Police Department. If convicted, Steadman faced the possibility of a sentence of 15 years to life in prison.
