In the summer of 2000, the quiet community of Edgewood, Kentucky, was unsettled by the violent death of 38-year-old Stephen Laird 'Steve' Craven. On July 12, the male resident was found deceased in the basement of his home. The scene was one of brutal violence; he had been bludgeoned approximately twelve times with a blunt object and then shot three times in the head with a. 38-caliber handgun.
What initially may have been considered a random act of violence quickly unraveled into a meticulously planned murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by his own wife.
Investigators soon uncovered a love affair between Stephen's wife, Adele Craven, and a handyman named Rusty McIntire. The two had conspired to have Stephen killed so they could be together and collect on his life insurance policy. Adele convinced McIntire to find someone to carry out the murder, and he enlisted the help of a construction worker named Ron Pryor, promising him $15,000 for the job.
On the morning of the murder, with the Craven children away from the home, McIntire and Pryor went to the residence. While Pryor hid in the basement, Adele lured her husband downstairs, where Pryor attacked him with a crowbar. When Stephen Craven was still alive after the initial assault, Adele provided Pryor with a. 38-caliber firearm, and he proceeded to shoot Stephen three times. In an attempt to cover their tracks, McIntire disposed of the bloody clothes and the murder weapons.
The investigation led to the arrests of Adele Craven, Rusty McIntire, and Ron Pryor. McIntire confessed to his role in the murder and implicated the other two. His confession led police to the discarded, blood-stained clothing, and DNA testing confirmed the blood was Stephen's. Ballistics tests also matched bullets found by police to those recovered from the victim's body. Though the murder weapon and the gun were never found, the evidence against the trio was substantial. Following their arrests, all three were convicted for their roles in the brutal slaying of Stephen Craven, a crime that stemmed from a clandestine affair and the desire for financial gain.
