Independence police probe killing of man inside his home

Independence police continue to investigate the killing of Charles E. Stephens, 66, inside his home Friday.

His 49-year-old wife left their home in the 800 block of South Jones Road about noon Friday to drop her son off at work, neighbors said. Her adult son lived with them, neighbors said.

She returned about 6:30 p.m. after running some errands and visiting a casino, neighbors said, and found Stephens dead in bed. She ran to a neighbor’s house for help.

“She came here pounding on the door,” Virgil Bybee said. “She said all the lights were on in her house, and she thought her husband was dead.”

Police spent the weekend collecting evidence from the home. They allowed relatives back in Sunday morning.

Investigators did not say how Stephens died, other than to say it was a homicide.

Stephens retired after working as an exterminator, Bybee said. He recently worked at a hardware store.

“He’d do anything for anybody,” Bybee said. “In bad snowstorms, he would come check on us.”

Stephens and his wife married in 2005. He had two sons from his first marriage.

This story was originally published March 9, 2014 at 3:28 PM with the headline "Independence police probe killing of man inside his home."