On June 17, 2016, authorities in Richmond, Indiana, discovered the body of 38-year-old female Stacey Leah Mosier inside her residence on South 19th Street. Officers arrived at the home shortly before 8:00 a.m. after receiving a report concerning her welfare. Upon entering the property, they found Mosier deceased from a single gunshot wound to the head.
She was discovered lying in a pool of blood in an upstairs bedroom, though investigators noted a lack of blood on the bed or bedding itself, a detail that would later prove critical in dismantling the suspect's defense. An expended bullet was located near her body, and forensic analysis later matched it to a firearm found in a vehicle associated with the suspects.
The investigation quickly focused on Mosier’s boyfriend, Stephen A. Via Jr., who had been living with her at the residence. Detectives learned that the couple had a volatile relationship marked by domestic discord. Witnesses and text message records indicated that Via was upset with Mosier for staying out all night prior to the incident. Following the discovery of the body, law enforcement tracked Via Jr. and his father to a Super 8 Motel in Centerville, Indiana. On June 18, 2016, Wayne County Sheriff’s deputies and Centerville police executed an arrest operation at the motel, taking both men into custody. Stephen A. Via Jr. was booked on suspicion of murder, while his father, Stephen A. Via Sr., faced charges of obstruction of justice and possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon.
During the subsequent legal proceedings, prosecutors presented evidence that Stephen A. Via Jr. had knowingly and intentionally killed Mosier, contradicting his claims that the shooting was an accident. Via asserted that the gun had discharged inadvertently while the couple fell onto the bed, but forensic evidence regarding the bullet's trajectory and the absence of blood on the bedding discredited his version of events. Furthermore, testimony revealed that Via had welding skills and knowledge of firearms, which the state argued he used to alter the weapon in an attempt to conceal the crime.
In March 2017, a jury found Stephen A. Via Jr. guilty of murder. The trial court subsequently sentenced him to sixty-five years in the Indiana Department of Correction. Via appealed the conviction, arguing that the evidence was insufficient and that the court erred in admitting evidence of his prior bad acts, including previous threats and abuse directed at Mosier. However, in a memorandum decision filed on March 20, 2018, the Court of Appeals of Indiana affirmed the conviction and sentence, upholding the jury's verdict based on the totality of the evidence presented.
