LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — A Lancaster County man accused of shooting and killing another man with a shotgun in 2020 was scheduled to plead guilty in Lancaster County Court on Tuesday, court documents show.
Stephen John Jones, of Denver, had a hearing before Lancaster County Judge Donald R. Totaro at 9 a.m., according to court documents.
He was charged with the shooting death of 68-year-old Steve Walker on August 9, 2020.
Walker was found dead of a gunshot wound in a vehicle on Cats Back Road in West Earl Township. A shotgun found about 25 feet away from the vehicle -- with a spent shell casing stuck in the chamber -- was traced to Jones by investigators, who used transfer records and interviews with previous owners to determine the gun belonged to him.
The Lancaster County District Attorney's Office confirmed that Jones pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, robbery, person not to possess a firearm, and receiving stolen property.
Totaro sentenced Jones to a prison term of 35 to 80 years, the DA's Office said.
Testimony at Jones' preliminary hearing in August 2020 revealed Jones was sold the shotgun about three years ago. Police determined Walker was shot through the open driver’s side window of his vehicle.
Evidence presented at the preliminary hearing last year included testimony from multiple witnesses and surveillance footage from a Sheetz store in Ephrata, where Jones was seen entering the store with a shotgun and demanding gas. He is then seen driving away in a black pickup truck, according to testimony.
Several surveillance cameras on the path to and from the shooting scene showed the black pickup truck pass by.
A detective testified there were no passengers in the vehicle, according to prosecutors.
Two witnesses – a motorist and bicyclist -- also told police they saw a black pickup truck driving from the shooting scene, according to testimony.
Police eventually searched the pickup truck – a Chevy Silverado – and found two shotgun shells inside the cab, according to testimony.
