In the late hours of a Saturday night in Cullman, Alabama, an argument within a vehicle took a fatal turn, ending the life of 56-year-old Herndon Self Jr. Known to his loved ones as 'Junior,' he was a Hanceville resident described as a man with a big personality who loved big and lived loud. On September 12, 2020, while inside a car with three other individuals, a dispute escalated, and Self was stabbed. After the assault, the suspect exited the vehicle at a red light. Herndon Self Jr.
was rushed to the Cullman Regional emergency room, where he was pronounced dead.
The Cullman Police Department quickly identified a person of interest, Nathan Winston Stephens, a 43-year-old white male with a bald head and sleeve tattoos. An unsettling revelation soon came to light: Stephens had been released from prison just two days before the fatal stabbing. He had been denied parole in August 2020 but was released under a 2015 mandatory release law for convicted felons. His criminal history was extensive, including convictions for burglary, assault, and drug-related offenses, and he was a registered sex offender. This history prompted Self's grieving family to publicly call for a change in the state's mandatory early release law.
Following an investigation by the Cullman Police Department, Nathan Winston Stephens was apprehended and charged with the murder of Herndon Self Jr. The case proceeded to trial, where prosecutors from the Cullman County District Attorney's office presented their case. In October 2023, a Cullman County jury found Nathan Winston Stephens guilty of murder. After the two-day trial, he was remanded into custody to await sentencing for a crime that cut short the life of a beloved father, grandfather, son, and brother.
