Parolee beat homeless woman to death with rock, left her in dumpster
08/31/2026 7:00 pm PDT
TARRANT COUNTY, Texas (TCN) -- A 48-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years in connection with the 2025 death of a woman he beat to death with a rock and left in a dumpster.
On July 9, 2025, Steven Black killed 50-year-old Susan Watkins by throwing her to the ground, stomping on her head with his foot, and beating her face multiple times with a piece of asphalt, Law & Crime reports. He then left her body in a dumpster. Watkins died in the hospital five days after she was beaten, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported at the time.
Police said Black was on parole at the time of Watkins’ death, according to Audacy.
NBC Dallas Fort Worth reported at the time of Black’s arrest that Watkins was homeless. Watkins’ daughter said, “Despite her situation, she was still the light of my life; she was still someone who made me laugh. She was still someone I loved dearly. … She just cared about others more than that I’ve ever seen anybody ever care about someone else, ever.”
According to Law & Crime, Watkins’ family members believe she and Black had never met.
Black was found guilty of murder and sentenced on Aug. 28, according to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office. In court, prosecutor Grayson Ezzell showed the piece of asphalt used to kill Watkins and said in his closing arguments that Black bashed her brains in, according to Law & Crime.
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