Murder of Tynesha Stewart

Tynesha Stewart was a 19-year-old first-year civil engineering student at Texas A&M University. She was murdered on March 15, 2007, by Timothy Wayne Shepherd, her 27-year-old former boyfriend, after she returned home for spring break having begun a new relationship at college. Stewart was the niece of former NFL players Aaron Glenn and Jason Glenn.

According to the investigation, Shepherd killed Stewart at his apartment in northwest Harris County, Texas, and prosecutors believe he disposed of her body by burning it over several days on his balcony. A neighbor, Dionne Whitaker, later reported seeing him remove the grills afterward. A cousin testified that Shepherd had said he "could get away with killing someone."

When police initially questioned Shepherd for ten hours regarding Stewart's disappearance, he declined to discuss it. He later spoke with community activist Quanell X, who is credited by officers with helping obtain a confession by informing Shepherd that forensic evidence would be sought if he was involved. Shepherd became emotional during the conversation and led Quanell X and a detective to a trash container where he said he had left the body; when no body was found there, he confessed to the murder. Shepherd was held in Harris County Jail on a $250,000 bond.

Jury selection for Shepherd's trial began September 29, 2008. At trial, Stewart's younger sister described Shepherd as "controlling" and recounted an incident in which he physically shook Stewart after she answered a phone call. Shepherd's defense attorney, Chip Lewis, argued that Shepherd's confession should be suppressed because his right to counsel had been violated, but the judge ruled Shepherd had waived his rights, allowing the confession into evidence.

Shepherd was convicted on October 9, 2008, after four hours of jury deliberation, and received the maximum sentence of 99 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. During the punishment phase, Shepherd stated he had pressured Stewart to reveal her new relationship, that she grabbed a knife and swung at him, and that he then choked her to death out of anger and fear.