What did Stephanie Ward do? Mississippi woman found guilty of beating a man to death 

Stephanie Ward, a 47-year-old Mississippi woman accused of fatally beating a man in 2017, was given a life sentence on Saturday, August 19. According to Fox, State prosecutors claimed that Ward and a companion bludgeoned Navy veteran, Roger Lee Scruggs to death. She allegedly claimed to be Scruggs' wife after the murder in an effort to receive spousal benefits from a veteran affairs officer.

Trigger warning: This article concerns homicide, the reader's discretion is advised

Stephanie Ward will serve a life sentence without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder. She has also received 5 years for hindering the prosecution. The sentences are set to run consecutively. Fox News reported that her accomplice in the killing, John Henry May, has also pled guilty to the slaying.

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The timeline of the homicide allegations against Stephanie Ward

WAPT reported that on November 22, 2017, Stephanie Ward and John Henry May lured Roger Lee Scruggs Junior to a remote area near Wildwood Road. Subsequently, Ward and May are said to have beaten the man to death, before hiding the body in May's truck for a week.

On December 1, 2017, Stephanie Ward and John Henry May transported the body to a bridge near Wildwood Road. They reportedly lay the body out near the bridge in an attempt to make the death appear like an ATV accident. On December 2, 2017, the pair returned to the crime scene and reported the death to the Yazoo County Coroners. In the phone call, Ward identified herself as the victim's brother.

On December 4, 2017, Stephanie Ward went to the Veterans Affairs office, where she claimed to be Roger Lee Scruggs' widow. As a result, she received a benefits check which she would eventually use to obtain a Ford SUV, which was registered under the name of John Henry May.

Realizing that the circumstances behind the victim's death were suspicious, officials from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation began to probe the case. Upon assessing the scene of what was initially believed to be the ATV crash, they determined that the victim had been killed elsewhere, and then moved later on.

Eventually, they detained John Henry May, who would reveal the pair's involvement in the killing. After Ward was implicated in the killing, authorities used cellphone records that indicated she was at the scene of the crime. Leter, she was detained at the Yazoo County Correctional Facility.

Initially, officials had difficulty confirming Ward's identity.

They said:

“They still don’t know much about her. She seemed to give a different answer every time she was asked the same questions."

According to WLBT, officials discovered that Ward was allegedly a seasoned fraudster who frequently used several fake names. She had also filed approximately 20 insurance claims in the past. Investigators ultimately determined that Ward's motive for the killing was financial.