Stacey Steward, a 43-year-old Black woman, was killed during a violent confrontation inside a Gilbert, Arizona, home during the early-morning hours of October 11, 2015. Steward shared the residence, located near Lindsay and Ray roads, with 35-year-old Matthew Crain. Also inside were Steward’s teenage daughter and the daughter’s boyfriend, 17-year-old Alex Tamborski, who was visiting that night.
Shortly before 3 a.m., Gilbert police received a report of a verbal dispute at the house.
The confrontation escalated before officers arrived. Investigators said Crain opened fire, fatally shooting Steward and Tamborski. Both were found dead at the scene from gunshot wounds. Steward’s daughter escaped the house without being killed and alerted authorities, providing police with information about what had happened and identifying Crain as her mother’s roommate and the suspected gunman. Investigators did not publicly establish a detailed motive immediately after the killings, describing the violence as arising during a dispute at the shared residence.
Crain fled before officers reached the property, prompting a search through the surrounding Gilbert neighborhoods. Police warned residents that the suspect might be armed and dangerous. Several hours later, officers located a man matching Crain’s description near a canal and park area around Val Vista Drive and Williams Field Road. Police ordered him to stop, but authorities said he failed to obey their commands. Crain moved his hands toward the waistband of his shorts and extended an arm in a manner officers perceived as threatening. Two officers opened fire, striking him multiple times. He was transported to a hospital in critical condition and remained there while recovering from his wounds.
The firearm believed to have been used in the killings was not recovered during the initial search. Nearly two weeks later, a neighbor reportedly discovered a gun while gardening in a backyard. Gilbert police said the weapon was likely connected to the double homicide, although it had to undergo ballistics testing before investigators could formally confirm its role. After Crain recovered sufficiently to leave the hospital on December 7, 2015, he was taken into police custody and booked into jail.
Prosecutors charged Crain with two counts of first-degree murder, along with aggravated assault, burglary and misconduct involving weapons. He initially pleaded not guilty during his January 2016 arraignment. On May 4, 2016, however, he changed his plea and admitted guilt to both first-degree murder counts and the three additional felony charges, eliminating the need for a trial.
On June 10, 2016, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge sentenced Crain to two natural-life prison terms for the murders, meaning the life sentences carried no possibility of release. He also received an additional 10½ years for the related offenses. The convictions and sentences brought the criminal prosecution to a close, with no other suspects publicly identified or arrested in connection with Steward’s killing. Crain remained in the custody of the Arizona Department of Corrections until August 3, 2026, when the department announced that he had died at the age of 45 while incarcerated at the Arizona State Prison Complex–Eyman.
