Homeless man sentenced for killing friend who put a roof over his head in Gulfport

Robert Walters’ friendship with a homeless man’s estranged wife and a dispute over drugs led to Walters’ death.

It was first-degree murder, a Harrison County jury decided Wednesday while finding 36-year-old Stephen Redmond guilty in the April 4, 2017, killing of Walters.

Circuit Judge Roger Clark sentenced Redmond to life in prison, District Attorney Joel Smith said.

Walters was 48 and lived on Skye Court in the Gulfport’s Hidden Oaks subdivision, where he was shot in the chest.

Walters had allowed Redmond to stay at his home a few days earlier, and the two had used meth along with Redmond’s wife, Smith said.

The night before the shooting, Redmond had an argument with his wife at Walters’ home and Walters asked him to leave.

The next day, Redmond returned to Walters’ house with a gun and laid in wait for him in the backyard, Smith said. Walters returned home with Redmond’s wife, and Redmond followed him inside and shot him.

Redmond told the jury he had gone back to Walters’ house to confront him about his relationship with his wife, Smith said.

However, a Gulfport police detective testified Redmond had told him he had gone to the house to get meth from Walters.

Here’s a recap of the testimony jurors heard on Tuesday and Wednesday.

• A few days before the shooting, Stephen Redmond and his wife, along with a man named Christopher Weaver, partied at Walters’ home. All four were using meth and marijuana and were drinking.
• Weaver and Redmond planned to go on a day trip to New Orleans to celebrate Weaver’s birthday. Walters planned to take Redmond’s wife to visit her children in Stone County.
• At some point, Redmond stole Walters’ gun, a .22-caliber Ruger, from Walters’ truck.
• Redmond went to the house with a gun. Weaver saw him, and warned Walters when Walters returned home with Redmond’s wife.
• Weaver testified that Walters and Redmond argued before the gun went off. Walters was shot.
• The wounded Walters ran to his bedroom. Stephen Redmond’s wife followed, Weaver said.

• Walters died in a hospital about an hour later.

• Redmond ran away. Gulfport police found him in the neighborhood hours later.
  
  

• Walters was shot from a distance of three to four feet, according to crime lab tests and a medical examiner’s testimony.

Stephen Redmond’s attorney did not dispute the fact of the shooting. Instead, attorney Theressia Lyons claimed the jury should be able to consider a charge of manslaughter, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

ADAs Mitch Owen and Patti Simpson prosecuted the case.

SunHerald reporter Anita Lee contributed to this report.

This story was originally published September 19, 2018 at 5:31 PM.