ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — Behind closed doors and on quiet streets domestic violence can happen anywhere. And sometimes, it can be deadly.
WATCH: From violating a protective order to murder in 24 hours
Earlier this month, in a tucked away neighborhood along Huntsmans Run, that was the reality for 47-year-old Amethyst Stephenson, a mother and stepmother to four children.
But could a notification that her estranged husband, now accused of the crime, had been released from jail only hours prior have changed things?
Legal clinic director with House of Ruth Maryland Deena Hausner says it’s difficult to say if one thing alone would have prevented the situation entirely, but a notification may have been helpful.
“It’s really hard, and the reality is that their safety isn't 100%,” she said. “There can be a world's worth of protections in place and still, as in this case, where the abusive partner was intent on inflicting the ultimate harm.”
There is no formal method, either through the courts or law enforcement, that requires such a notification. A third party, Vine Link, does provide this service using information from the National Crime Information Center, but people must sign up for notifications in advance.
Early on Sunday, February 8 investigators say, Amethyst’s son awoke to his stepfather, Alexander Stephenson, stabbing her to death.
Just days prior, the courts had finalized her protective order against him, the same one he had been arrested for violating the night before.
House of Ruth:
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24/7 Hotline at (410) 997-2272.24
The pair had been going through a divorce. Hausner says it appears Ameythst had taken many of the steps advocates advise victims to take.
“It’s the worst kind of news to get. It's a really, really tragic situation and we're of course heartbroken for the family of the victim, especially her children,” Hausner said.
A neighbor who spoke to WMAR-2 News off camera said the police had been called to the house numerous times, though Howard County Police could not confirm an actual number citing privacy reasons.
A rapidly declining situation
Public records chronicle how the situation quickly became dangerous in just 24 hours. Beginning with a fight among Alexander and his two children while driving in Carroll County.
His son told state troopers that his 53-year-old father appeared to be intoxicated and when he attempted to call his stepmother Amethyst, to inform her of his state, his father grabbed the cellphone and “threw it out of the vehicle while in motion."
The fight, which extended to a High’s parking lot where they pulled into, alerted an employee who called police.
Stephenson was later arrested on a slew of charges, including assault and violating the protective order, because Amethyst told investigators that he had tried to call her twice, against the "no contact" provision.
His attorney argues it wasn't actually him making the calls.
The following day, on Sunday February 8, he appeared before Carroll County District Court Commissioner Kotoshia Ade-Oni, who agreed with his attorney Angela Holloway that he posed no danger to himself or others.
“Lawfully, you did not do what was right, and you knew that and you knew the laws and rules. But I don't believe that you are a danger, I believe that you are capable enough to listen to the rules and get yourself together,” Ade-Oni said.
Under Maryland law, she would not have been able to grant pre-trial release if he had been charged with abuse or threatening to abuse while the order was in place.
The 24 year army veteran had served two tours in Afghanistan and another in Iraq and reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before retiring in 2019. The Commissioner mentioned his service as a reason why he should understand that he should follow the protective order, no matter what.
During the hearing, Stephenson remained calm and collected.
But hours later, Amethyst was gone. The murder suspect reportedly cutting his wrists and fleeing the scene, and later turning himself into police.
Dropping the ball
“I think dropping the ball is, is putting it mildly,” Carroll County Sheriff Jim DeWees said. “I’ve been doing this for 37 years, and I've taken people in front of a District Court Commissioner, and I have walked away shaking my head going, why did you let that person go?”
DeWees wonders why the assaults and other actions that led to Stephenson’s arrest didn’t seem to factor into the Commissioner’s decision.
When it comes to a notification, DeWees told WMAR-2 News it appeared Stephenson was not signed up for Vine Link.
But Hausner says it’s a tool, but one of many, like moving locations, a protective order, and more.
She says it’s important to work with victims to formulate a specific plan that works for them.
“It’s really important that we listen to survivors because they are really the best people who can predict their risk,” she said.
She says, there will likely be a domestic violence fatality review of the case, which convenes to determine if there is a lesson to be learned or a systemic problem at play.
That won't happen though, until the criminal case concludes.
Stephenson's next court date is March 6, 2026.