In the late summer of 2015, the quiet community of Waterloo, Alabama, was shaken by an act of violence that claimed the lives of two people. On September 11, 50-year-old Michael Nicholas Linville, a male, and 25-year-old Margurite Victoria Garcia were shot at a residence on County Road 87 in the Stewartsville area.
The incident unfolded with a grim swiftness. Garcia was killed at the scene of the shooting. Linville, gravely wounded, was rushed to Huntsville Hospital for emergency medical treatment. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, he succumbed to his injuries. The Lauderdale County community was left to grapple with the reality of a double homicide in their midst.
Law enforcement responded quickly to the violent crime. Within two hours of the shooting, a suspect was apprehended. Steven Chase Stanfield was taken into custody and subsequently faced serious charges for his alleged role in the deaths of Linville and Garcia. Initially, Stanfield was charged with capital murder, a reflection of the gravity of the crime.
As the case proceeded through the legal system, it concluded not with a lengthy trial, but with a plea agreement. In June 2018, Steven Chase Stanfield opted to plead guilty to reduced charges of murder for the killings of both Michael Nicholas Linville and Margurite Victoria Garcia. By doing so, he avoided a trial on the capital murder charges. As a result of his guilty plea, Stanfield was sentenced to 25 years in prison for each murder, with the sentences to be served concurrently.
