Stephen Strumpf. inset, allegedly repeatedly stabbed his father in the neck and set his body on fire in a garage of a Columbia, Missouri, home. Fire crews found the body after knocking down the blaze. (Scene photo: KMIZ/YouTube; Mug shot: Boone County Jail)
A man allegedly stabbed his father several times in the neck and then poured gasoline on the body before lighting him on fire.
Stephen Martin Strumpf, 31, is facing charges of first-degree murder, arson and fraudulent use of a credit card. He’s accused of stabbing his father to death. His father’s name is redacted from the probable cause arrest affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime.
The Columbia, Missouri, Fire Department responded to a fully involved structure fire at 12:01 a.m. on Friday in the 3900 block of Deerfoot Way. Firefighters did not see any cars in the driveway and began battling the blaze. After they put out the fire, they found a dead man in the garage.
A fire marshal determined the fire began in the garage and a police dog on scene alerted officers to an accelerant near where firefighters found the body, according to the affidavit. Officers talked to the victim’s girlfriend who said the victim picked up his son, Strumpf, at the Amtrak station in Kansas City on Wednesday. The victim’s girlfriend said Strumpf had been staying with his father at the Deerfoot Way home.
Neighbors told detectives they saw Strumpf moving items out of his father’s garage about seven hours before the fire and into a dark-colored sedan. The victim’s girlfriend also said she incurred a fraudulent charge on the credit card she shared with the victim. The charge was for over $200 at a Columbia hotel. Investigators went to the hotel and reviewed surveillance camera footage which allegedly showed Strumpf renting the room around 4 a.m. Friday, about 4 hours after the fire.
Cops found Strumpf in a blue Toyota Corolla around midnight and took him into custody on the fraudulent use of a credit card charge. When they asked if he had any weapons, Strumpf allegedly said there was a knife in the car. The knife had suspected blood on it. Officers also reportedly recovered the victim’s driver’s license and credit card.
While at police headquarters, Strumpf allegedly said: “I killed an ally instead of an enemy because I can’t see what I’m doing.” He allegedly said he stabbed his father “several times in the neck area,” the affidavit said. He also allegedly said the knife found in the car was the murder weapon.
Officers took Strumpf to the Boone County Jail where he is being held without bond. Cops said Strumpf has no criminal record in Missouri but has a warrant out for his arrest in Colorado.
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