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On the morning of November 9, 2020, Stephanie Haynes, 34, of Austin, was found dead after a residential fire in Austin. Her sister, Lesley Haynes, said that at the time of the fire, Stephanie was five-months pregnant.
Chicago Police Department identified 35-year-old Victor Terrell at the 8000 block of South Houston Avenue as the offender involved in the arson and death of Stephanie Haynes almost three years ago.
According to a news release by Chicago Police Department, Victor is charged with one felony count each of murder in the first degree, aggravated arson knowing a person is present, and concealing the death of another.
Stephanie Haynes was dead before the Austin home fire
Police reported that on November 9, 2020, around 2:40 a.m., officers responded to a residential fire in the 5000 block of West Gladys Avenue in the South Austin neighborhood.
According to police, Chicago firefighters found Stephanie unresponsive, and she was declared dead at the scene.
WGN-TV reported that Stephanie Haynes was a mother of four children and was five-months pregnant at the time.
According to a report by ABC Chicago, Stephanie moved from Seattle to live with her grandmother in Chicago. Following her grandmother's death, Stephanie lived alone in the residence.
ABC Chicago reported that a neighbor of Stephanie's, Darryl Stingley, said:
"She frequently walked up and down the block, had people coming over all type of stuff, but that's about as much as I know about her."
At the time of the incident, police said they believed Stephanie Haynes was dead before the fire, and her sister Lesley also informed them of the same.
Law & Crime reported that the police did not immediately state a motive for why Victor Terrell murdered Stephanie Haynes and also did not disclose the relationship between the two.
Stephanie Haynes was going through mental health issues
ABC Chicago reported that, on the morning of the incident, Lesley Haynes mentioned that she went to her sister's residence and that she had been concerned about Stephanie for a long time.
According to ABC Chicago, Lesley Haynes said:
"I'm in shock. I can't believe it that someone would do something like that to her because she wouldn't hurt a fly."
According to Lesley Haynes, her sister, Stephanie Haynes, had a hard life and lived in shelters before moving to Austin. Lesley also mentioned that her sister was dealing with mental health issues.
ABC Chicago reported that Lesley said:
"So when she came here in November, I told her not to come up here, that the resources in Seattle are better, and so she came up here, she was pregnant, and because of her mental capacity, I feel like people take advantage of her."
In 2020, Lesley Haynes told WLS that Stephanie Haynes was pretty, smart, and a good dancer.
