Kansas man gets life for killing girlfriend with an ax because she accused him of slashing her tires

TOPEKA, Kan. (TCN) -- A judge sentenced a 61-year-old man to life in prison for beating and killing his girlfriend with an ax outside her home, then giving part of her body to dogs to eat.

In a statement shared by Law and Crime, the Shawnee County District Attorney's Office announced Jon Ewing's sentencing Friday, Dec. 6, saying he will serve life in prison, plus 344 months after he was convicted last year of reckless second-degree murder, first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated burglary of a dwelling, criminal threat of violence, and interference with law enforcement for the death of Deborah Stephens.

On April 27, 2021, at 5:30 p.m., Shawnee County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a home on the 800 block of Southwest 57th Street for a death investigation and found Stephens deceased inside. Deputies initially arrested Ewing for voluntary manslaughter, then upgraded the charges as the investigation progressed.

According to the affidavit cited by WIBW-TV, Ewing approached Stephens from behind as she sat in her car with the door open. After she screamed, he pushed her to the ground and hit her with a flashlight several times. He reportedly dragged her toward her trailer and told her he would kill her. They reportedly struggled on the stairs up to her home, and when they got inside, he grabbed an ax "and strikes her about the head area several times." The district attorney's office said Stephens sustained "trauma wounds to her face, abdomen, and arms."

Later, Ewing reportedly looked "very calm" as he wandered in and out of her trailer.

After his arrest, Ewing reportedly told investigators he attacked Stephens because she accused him of slashing her tires.

The Topeka Capital-Journal, which also cites the arrest affidavit, reports Ewing said he left Stephen's house on April 27, 2021, at around 10 a.m., drove to Osage County, bought whiskey, dropped off his dog, and returned to her trailer. He contacted an off-duty Osage County official, who then reached out to someone from Shawnee County. When investigators arrived, they reportedly found Ewing smoking a cigarette next to Stephens' body.

According to KSNT-TV, Stephens was missing some flesh from her face, and investigators found dogs on the property eating it.

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