Bio 

Steve Henley was born on November 25, 1953, in Tennessee. Some memorial records identify him as Steve Morris Henley. By 1985, Henley had family connections in Jackson County, Tennessee. Fred and Edna Stafford lived on Pine Lick Creek Road, a short distance from property owned by Henley’s family. Henley’s grandmother also lived nearby.

Henley knew the Staffords. According to testimony from his co-defendant, Terry Wayne Flatt, Henley believed the Staffords had owed his grandparents money or had wronged them in the past. That alleged dispute became part of the prosecution’s theory of motive, though Henley continued to deny killing the couple.

On the day of the murders, Henley and Flatt had been driving together. Court records state that they had consumed beer and taken drugs referred to in the record as Dilaudids. Henley later obtained a .22 rifle, loaded ammunition into it, and filled a plastic jug with gasoline.

The case against Henley depended heavily on the testimony of Terry Flatt. Flatt pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and received a 25-year sentence, along with concurrent sentences for robbery and arson. He later served about five years before release. Henley maintained his innocence until his execution.

Murder Story

On July 24, 1985, Fred and Edna Stafford were at or near their home on Pine Lick Creek Road in Jackson County, Tennessee. They lived near land owned by Steve Henley’s family. Earlier that day, Henley had visited his grandmother’s property. Terry Wayne Flatt was with him. According to Flatt’s testimony, Henley said the Staffords had owed his grandparents money or had done them wrong years earlier. Henley said he wanted to collect money from them.

Henley retrieved a .22 rifle and loaded more shells into it. He also filled a plastic jug with gasoline from a five-gallon can in his truck. He and Flatt then drove toward the Stafford home. When they reached the Staffords, Fred and Edna were standing near the road looking at construction work around a small bridge. Henley stopped the truck, got out, and demanded money. He told them that if they did not give him money, the man in the truck would kill him.

Fred Stafford offered Henley about $80 or $100, but Henley forced the couple toward their house at gunpoint. He ordered Flatt to bring the rifle and later told him to bring the gasoline. As they neared the porch, Henley began shooting. He shot Fred Stafford first, then turned and shot Edna Stafford. While Edna was on the floor, still alive and moaning, Henley took out a pistol and shot her again.

Henley and Flatt then poured gasoline inside the house. When Flatt could not finish lighting it, Henley struck the match himself. The house caught fire, and the two men fled in the truck. The Stafford home burned to the ground. The bodies of Fred and Edna Stafford were found in the ashes. Fred Stafford died from a gunshot wound to the chest that passed through his heart. Edna Stafford had been shot, but medical evidence showed that she died from burns and smoke or noxious gas inhalation, meaning she was still alive when the fire began.

Steve Henley and Terry Wayne Flatt were indicted in Jackson County on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of felony murder, two counts of armed robbery, and one count of aggravated arson. Flatt accepted a plea agreement and testified against Henley. In February 1986, Henley was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated arson. He was acquitted of felony murder and robbery. The jury sentenced him to death for the two murder convictions, and the trial court imposed a 20-year sentence for aggravated arson.

The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed Henley’s convictions and death sentences in 1989. Later post-conviction and federal habeas appeals were denied. Steve Henley was executed by lethal injection at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee, on February 4, 2009. He was pronounced dead at 1:33 a.m. In his final statement, he said he hoped the Stafford family would find peace but again denied killing Fred and Edna Stafford.