3 shocking details about Steven McQuay's murder

In September 2019, Steven McQuay's death in Arkansas caught the attention of the community due to it's strange circumstances. McQuay, a 56-year-old father, was found beaten to death inside a pickup truck. An investigation then unraveled shocking details about the potential involvement of drugs.

One of the victim's friends, William Weston Moon, reportedly beat him to death over a backpack and then with the assistance of another friend lied to authorities about what happened before confessing to the crime. Moon pleaded guilty in connection with the murder, but has not been released from prison.

An upcoming episode of ID's The Murder Tapes further delves into the details of Steven McQuay's killing. The episode titled The Body in the Truck will air on the channel this Tuesday, April 11, at 11:00 pm ET.

Here's what the synopsis for the episode says:

"In Jonesboro, Ark., authorities investigate the death of Steven McQuay after his badly beaten body turns up in the back of a pickup truck; when the results of the victim's toxicology report arrive, the entire investigation plunges into a tailspin."

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Steven McQuay's murder: Three quick facts to know about the death of the Arkansas father

1) A strange 911 call was made to report Steven McQuay's murder in the early morning hours

Authorities, upon receiving a strange 911 call from someone named Dan in the early hours of September 8, 2019, found the badly beaten dead body of Steven McQuay at around 4:00 am in the backseat of a pickup truck. The man who made the call initially claimed to have found the victim inside a truck owned by William Weston Moon.

Reports state that Dan then told authorities Moon was at a nearby convenience store before claiming that they found the victim in a roadside ditch.

As per them, they also loaded him into the truck and only made the 911 call after reaching his house. But once authorities tracked down Moon, he told them that the victim, McQuay, was a close friend.

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2) McQuay died of blunt force trauma to the head and also had a ruptured lung tumor

Steven McQuay was found dead with blunt force trauma to the head and a ruptured lung tumor (Image via Faith Funeral Homes)

McQuay's brutally beaten body suggested a fight between him and the attacker. Authorities realized that he sustained most of the beatings to the head and abdomen area. Meanwhile, other bruises and marks centered mostly around his face with scratches on his arms. An autopsy revealed a massive lung tumor that likely ruptured during the attack along with a large amount of meth in his system.

Police found a backpack along with several tools, including a screwdriver, crowbar, tire iron, and a hypodermic needle in the truck. They also noticed a lack of blood inside the vehicle or in the nearby surrounding area, which suggested that the killing occurred in a different place.

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3) Dan's confession revealed the true happenings from the night Steven McQuay was murdered

Upon rigorous interrogation, Dan admitted that he, McQuay and William Weston Moon were together the afternoon before the mother. The three men bought some blue Xanax pills before gathering at a house in rural Craighead County, Arkansas, where McQuay and Moon got into a fight after the victim tried to walk away with the other's backpack.

Dan claimed that McQuay first attacked Moon with a screwdriver before a full-blown fistfight broke out between the two. Moon reportedly punched McQuay to the ground before beating the latter with something he picked up from the truck and knocking him unconscious. Both Dan and Moon were then asked to leave the house after which they loaded the body into the truck and reached the destination where the police found the body.

Moon later confessed to the killing and told authorities that he even tried to inject Meth into McQuay's body thinking that it might wake him up.

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The Murder Tapes on ID will shed further light on Steven McQuay's murder this Tuesday.