True Crime with Kimbyr - Evil Minds: The Bright Young Woman Whose Life Was Stolen by Darkness: Part 2

Episode Date: May 21, 2025

In Part 2 of this gripping case on True Crime with Kimbyr, Kimbyrleigha unpacks the disturbing unraveling of Sarah Louise Caffer’s life. As the investigation unfolds, shocking behaviors and sinister signs begin to emerge—painting a chilling picture of betrayal and obsession. How did someone so close to Sarah become the center of suspicion? Kimbyrleigha walks you through the red flags that were missed, the eerie interactions, and the devastating turning points that will leave you breathless. This is where the mask begins to slip... and the true evil is revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah did get a job as a bar and gaming attendant at a hotel in Melden about 15 minutes away from her home and back is March. And things seemed to be going well. But she and Chris got back in contact. And they did end up hanging out with each other following her week in rehab. And I hate to say this. But I think you already know, Sarah relapsed just a month after she had gotten clean. It makes me so upset. It just really does. It's like I know that this woman wanted to do. to change. I know for a fact reading her words. Those were her words. We know what was in her mind and heart. So I hate addiction so much. And I also hate Chris so much. But the tendrils of her past relationship with Chris still lingered. And while she was working on herself, he was working on trying to pull her back

into his toxic orbit. And there's nothing that upsets a possessive man more than seeing their ex living their best life. So when Chris realized that Sarah wasn't just happy without him that she was actually thriving, he decided to take her down a few notches. She again confided in her mom about backsliding. But once again, she committed to getting back on track. Eventually, the relationship with Chris finally ended in late October, and Sarah was planning on re-entering the detox facility and trying again with Chris out of her life. But he would not let her go. Instead, in September, Chris began stalking Sarah, but not in person. Instead, he enlisted. He enlisted. He enlisted. He was not in person. He the help of a friend to do his dirty work for him. A guy named Stephen. Now Chris told Stephen,

he needed to teach his ex a lesson. He asked Steven to go visit her while she was working and threatened that if she didn't get back together with Chris, something bad would happen to her and her family. Wow. How did he think that that would actually work? It's not really that romantic, it's pretty disgusting. It's like you can't force someone to love you or to be with you. You can't threaten someone into doing that. But Chris's plan to to have Sarah intimidated when Haywire when Stephen walked in and saw Sarah. First of all, she was strikingly beautiful, but beyond that, Sarah was a genuinely nice human being. As Stephen sat and watched Sarah at work, he realized he couldn't work up the nerve to be cruel to her.

Instead, he struck up a conversation with her, instead of scaring Sarah and forcing her to run back to Chris, Stephen told her that she needed to stay far away from Chris. He was bad news. Sarah had actually seen Stephen before. He'd been part of the same circle of friends that her and Chris hung out with, but he was more of an acquaintance. And if he wanted to be, Stephen could look pretty scary.

He was fully tattooed, tall, muscular, and much older than Sarah. He was 47, she was 22. But this also made him much more mature than Chris. And he felt like he could impart some fatherly advice to Sarah. So that's what he did. Sarah was grateful and she kept in touch with Stephen through adding him on her Facebook.

He could relate to her, he could relate to her breakup, because he had recently experienced one himself. And soon, the two of them formed a platonic friendship. You see, Sarah couldn't confide in many people about what she was going through, but Stephen didn't judge her. And she also appreciated the fact that she felt safe around Stephen.

He didn't try to control her like Chris did. And rather than threatened to hurt her, he promised to protect her. Stephen assured Sarah that nothing bad would happen if he was around. So if she ever needed anything, just let him know. And as they kept in touch, they met up in their common friend group.

They mostly spent their weekends getting together and drinking and partying with friends. Stevens' home was a safe place where Chris couldn't hurt her or bother her. So Sarah and her friends ended up going over to Stevens and hanging out. Sarah and Stephen also bonded over their shared love of animals. Stevens' Facebook page was filled with his post sharing his love for his tiny little golden chihuahua, who he affectionately referred to as his baby girl. I saw so many cute posts he made about this little chihuahua. One said, quote,

playing with my baby before work and wondering, how can I possibly leave her for a three-day rock climbing trip next weekend? End quote. Another one said, quote, thinking of my baby all day, so good to get home for cuddles. They say it's puppy love, it really is, end quote. Cheesy, but super cute. So in the early days of November,

things between Chris, Stephen, and Sarah had actually reached a breaking point. Because ever since Stephen told Sarah that her ex had asked him to intimidate her, the men were at each other's throats over their different perspectives of Sarah and the fact that Stephen had made friends with her instead of threatening her. Chris's plan had backfired on him and now Chris wanted Sarah back. But she didn't want to be with him after everything he put her through. The thing is, Sarah was a kind person who wanted to see the best in Chris, and yet he showed his true colors every single time she would post anything about her

new lease on life, or when she would put pictures up of her hanging out with her friends, especially if Stephen was there. Chris would reply with vile comments about her being a junkie, or some other derogatory comment. She was very sensitive about anyone referring to her as a junkie. That was something that really, really bothered Sarah. It was something that really got under her skin because she was trying hard not to be. Sarah even had to explain to Chris that she didn't want to be with Stephen.

It's true, at least not in a romantic way. He was 25 years older than her. She saw him as a father figure, but Chris wasn't having any of it. This put her right between the two men, and even though she told her friends, she would never go back to Chris. It was looking like her feelings toward him were softening, and he was working his way back in once again.

But then on November 4th, Sarah posted a picture of herself, eating or maybe I should say, licking one of those big, spruly rainbow lollipops on Facebook. And okay, it could be looked at as sexual, but Sarah didn't see it that way. She was just trying to be cute. Well, when Chris saw this picture and then read the comments, he was furious, especially when he saw that Stephen was being kind toward Sarah, and maybe even flirting with her. I'm going to read you what these posts say, but you can also look at the screen if you are watching. That might be easier for you to understand how it went. Stephen commented saying, quote, love the pics, good-looking heartbreaker, L.O.L., end quote.

To which Sarah responded, quote, he-he, miss your presence, pal with a smiley face, end quote. Now, Stephen commented back with, quote, catch up when you got free time. There better be a beverage handy, L-L, see a mate, end quote. In this thread, it appears as though Chris, may have commented something back, but then it was deleted. But Sarah's response is still there. She said, quote,

unlike the way your mind works, not everyone else operates on a sexual basis. Mature people of the opposite sexes are able to have a friendship based on genuine interest and care for each other. Stop being immature over Facebook, please, I've had enough. I will delete you if you're unable to be civil, end quote. Now, I think that was in reference to Chris, because right under that, Stephen comments and says,

quote, ah, Chris, you're a funny guy, end quote. So clearly there is animosity between these men. Sort of like Stephen had broken brocode and sided with Sarah and Chris was pissed. Sarah still had plans to re-enter rehab on November 12th, especially after her boss at the hotel she was working at, fired her on November 8th for being unreliable. However, they did say she could come back and get rehired if she could get her life together. That was her plan.

and instead, her life was going to end. And Sarah had no idea the evil lurking behind smiles, empty promises, and fake pretences, which is truly frightening. With Sarah's mother's help, she was able to secure a spot for treatment in that same detox facility. And since she knew she was going to be readmitted to that facility on Monday, November 12th, she wanted to have fun, relax,

hang out with some friends and visit before having to go to detox again. I kind of likened it to starting a diet. You know that you're going to eat right, and work out. So before you do, you just have that one final, like big cheat meal to get it out of your system. I feel like that is what Sarah figured she would do that weekend before she was set to begin her journey of getting clean again. Well, over the next couple days, while anticipating return to rehab, Sarah hung out with her friends. She spent the night at their homes, went out to bars, having a good time. By Friday, November 9th, Sarah was back at home and back as Marsh. And Sarah's

normal routine on weekends was to usually go out on the town on Fridays. So her mom anticipated seeing Sarah dolled up that night and going out. But when she saw that Sarah wasn't dressed up for a night out, it appeared as though she was going to have a quiet night in. However, Noel was going out that night. So before she left, she told Sarah she was leaving, please make sure she cleaned up after herself, and that she would see her later over the weekend. Now it's true. Sarah wasn't planning a night out on the town, but she had made plans to go over her ex-boyfriend Chris's house. She wanted to discuss the breakdown of the relationship. And yes, I know what you might be thinking. And I was thinking it too. Why? Well, maybe for closure. Even Stephen had told her it wasn't a good

idea. But Sarah had made up her mind and she went. Now, it wasn't uncommon for Sarah to be gone over the weekend spending the night with friends. But Noel expected her to be back in time to get into that rehab on Monday. But Sarah didn't show up back at home. And that's worried her. So she called her daughter again and again, but Sarah didn't answer. So Noelle decided to reach out to Sarah's friends to ask if Sarah was over their houses, but none of them answered either. So at that point, Noelle now distraught. It's Monday her daughter hasn't shown back up. They're supposed to be in rehab, setting her up for this other detox program. She decides to go straight down to

the local Blackus Marsh police station and report Sarah missing. Noelle explained to a deputy that the last time she saw her 22-year-old daughter was on Friday night and she hadn't heard from her since. Meanwhile, friends began receiving Noel's messages that Sarah hadn't turned up over the weekend and they thought that was really odd. So they began posting Sarah's picture all over social media asking if anyone had seen her. And that's when Sarah's best friend Ashley became aware that Sarah was missing. She saw Sarah's picture pop up on a Facebook post next to the caption that read, has anyone seen this girl? And Ashley was stunned.

She was confused and she thought to herself, is this a joke? But then she realized it wasn't. And she too tried reaching out to Sarah but got no answer. She was frustrated at this point. She texted Sarah saying, you're scaring people. You need to come home. This isn't funny anymore. But she never got a reply. Not only was it out of character for Sarah not to keep in touch with her mother and her close friends, but she also required regular medications for her severe breathing issues.

And those medications were still in Sarah's bedroom. It didn't take long for the media to get a hold of this story, and by Tuesday a news report came out asking the public for help. Not only was Sarah missing, and in need of her medication, her car, a silver 2001 hold an Astras sedan, was nowhere to be found either. Well, of course, Chris was one of the first people that police wanted to speak with, obviously,

since he was her most current partner, and Noel knew of her daughter's issues with him. Also, several friends and family members had shown the disturbing posts on Sarah's Facebook page from Chris to the police. Many of his comments were offensive, they were derogatory, and they even threatened her. But when they tracked him down to interview him, he said that he hadn't seen Sarah since Friday. He explained that Sarah had dropped by his place on Friday evening to just talk, and that she left on good terms around 10 p.m. and he hasn't seen or spoken to her since. Well, that's kind of suspicious. If Noel had seen

and Sarah before she left to go see Chris, he may have been the last person to see her before she went missing. Because at this stage, no one knew when Sarah had truly disappeared. Could have been any time after her mom saw her. They couldn't immediately rule Chris out, even if he had an alibi because they didn't know the timeline yet. So he remained a person of interest as the investigation progressed. Friends began coming forward with information about when they saw Sarah last. One of her girlfriend said that on Wednesday, November 7th, she and Sarah had gone over to Stevens house to hang out, and she admitted that they did GHB and meth that night, and they ended up crashing over Stevens. She also mentioned that Sarah told her that she felt like she was just

a junkie. So it seemed like maybe Sarah's mental health had taken a hit. But we know that she was seen on November 9th by her mom, so they needed to keep digging. Police went to local businesses and asked them if they could pull up any surveillance footage, and that is when they got their first big break in this case. Sarah was spotted on CCTV on Saturday, November 10th, at a local foodwork supermarket at 1.56 p.m. on Bennett Street and Beckus Marsh. She could be seen buying some alcohol, and in this still shot, Sarah is smiling as the little girl walks right past her near the front entrance. She doesn't seem to be in any distress. She actually looks very happy. Sarah appears to be carrying a handbag and her keys.

in her right hand. She's wearing sandals, a maroon miniskirt, a colorful tank top, and a lavender jacket with her hair pulled up in a bun. Of course, this information was distributed to the public along with the description of Sarah as a Caucasian female with fair complexion, five foot five inches tall, with a thin build, black shoulder-length straight hair and green eyes. The days were passing, and everyone was worried. They were scouring through their text messages from Sarah, being their own detectives and trying to piece together her last known whereabouts and her movements. And that is when a business owner, David Bushel, came forward. He was the owner of Young and Maine Hotel off of Young and Main Street in Backus Marsh. It's a well-known establishment

that has pool tables, a bar, restaurant, and event space, and a nice beer garden outside. He told authorities he saw Sarah there on Saturday afternoon. She was a regular and he recognized her right away from the media. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary. She was there with friend just casually sitting in the beer garden, chatting with a number of people and drinking, before leaving with a man that she had arrived with earlier. They hadn't stayed very long, but everyone appeared to be getting along just fine. When asked for a description of the man that Sarah was seen leaving with, the owner said he was a bit older, muscular, and not someone he was familiar with, even though he had seen him there before. The timeline was starting to come together. Now they know,

Sarah's accounted for late in the afternoon on Saturday, November 10th. And they had a description of a man that she left with. And it sounded a lot like Stephen. But of course, they didn't have his name yet. Instead, they asked friends and Sarah's mom if they had any information about this guy. Noelle said that Sarah had mentioned Stephen in the past, but she wasn't very familiar with him. All Newell knew was that Sarah texted her saying, quote,

If anything happens, Ali knows where he is and where he lives, end quote. Ali is one of Sarah's closest friends. When she was contacted by the police, Ali told them that Sarah had been hanging out with Stephen a lot recently, and she was even able to provide them with Stephen's phone number and point them to where Stephen's condo was in Backus Marsh. Police then texted Stephen asking to speak with him. They also wanted to gather more information about when the last time he saw Sarah was.

Nearly 24 hours after this text was sent, Stephen got in touch with them and left a message with the Backus Marsh Police Department, When they finally did speak to him, he said that he didn't know where Sarah was, that they did hang out on Saturday afternoon at the Young and Main pub. Then they walked back to his place, which is only about 500 feet away from the pub. He said they drank some alcohol, they hung out for a bit, but then he had to take care of some business, so he told Sarah he had to go. She wanted to stay behind, so he gave her a set of spare house keys in case she needed to lock up,

and he told her to text him later. Stephen didn't return until the next day on Sunday, and Sarah wasn't there, and she hadn't been responding to any of his calls or text messages. It was already pretty late that night when police actually spoke to Stephen, and he said he wasn't home at the moment because he was actually in the middle of moving to a new residence in a place called Point Cook, which is about 45 minutes away. And he was busy doing that, going back and forth and moving things. So officers just decided to go take a look at Stevens' condo nearby Backus Marsh.

That was the last place he said he saw Sarah. So maybe there would be a clue to her. whereabouts. So they drove over to the multi-tenant building around midnight that night on Wednesday, November 14th, and they saw nothing out of the ordinary except there was a dog that looked like he was in distress alone inside the property, just barking over and over again. It was too dark for them to see anything through the windows, even with their flashlights, and it was too late to talk to neighbors. So the very next morning, on Thursday, November 15th, officers went out to the address that Stephen gave them to his new residence in Point Cook. Now, this was a very next morning.

a brand new development. Very nice upscale homes, including the one Stephen was renting. They knocked on the door, but they got no answer. And again, they saw nothing out of the ordinary. This time they did get to speak to some neighbors who said they really didn't know the two men who had just recently moved in there. But one neighbor, Ms. Sheath, who just moved in the subdivision six weeks ago herself, recalled hearing power tools late at night, maybe around 10 or 11 p.m. recently and when she looked over she saw one of the men doing some mechanical work in the garage and she said he was just doing stuff in the garage nothing out of the ordinary and she even said i think he was just like a normal awsey bloke that's how she described him so there's not much for

police to suspect any foul play or anything like that so they kind of ruled this as a dead end but later that evening due to a tip from the public sarah's ashtra sedan was found on owen street in mary Bernag. Now this is about a 45-minute drive away from Backus Marsh, so that was very peculiar. When the news that Sarah's car had been found made its rounds on social media, friends of her started to post on her Facebook. One frame named Jennifer said, quote, I've lost hours of sleep over the week. I've been so stressed and scared. My brain is an overdrive thinking. I've cried so many tears. I've watched and read more news segments than ever before in my life. I've never felt more helpless. All of this because I care and love you.

the girl I've known since the day I was born, the girl I know with the gorgeous smile and the bubbly infectious personality, please be okay, safe and well, and home with your family and friends soon, end quote. Another friend named Kat posted, quote, I can't stop thinking about your gorgeous smile that always lights the room up. I just want to hear you're safe and okay. I love you, Sarah Bear, quote. This was a name that her friends would affectionately call her Sarah Bear. Everyone was trying to make sense of it all. There were no sense. signs of a struggle related to her vehicle. However, it was discovered that it was parked outside of a known drug dealer's home. And by now, police had also been told by those close to Sarah that

Stephen was also a local dealer. And that was the reason Sarah's ex-Christ even knew him to begin with. And they weren't really friends, but rather acquaintances. And that he was supplying Chris, Sarah, and their friends with meth, among other things. And that was the main reason Sarah hung out at Stevens, which does make perfect sense now why a 22-year-old would be hanging out with this 47-year-old man. So they began looking into Stephen a bit more. And they're trying to track him down at this point, but it seems like he has vanished, which makes him look even more suspicious. So they do label him a person of interest in Sarah's disappearance.

Suspicion continues to swirl around Stephen, especially as the investigation moved out of the control of the local police department into the hands of the Victoria Police, specifically the Wyndham crime investigation unit. Unbeknownst to the local police, this crime unit had been looking into reports of a drug ring that was operating out of both Backus Marsh and Pointe Cook. Two places where Stephen Hunter lived,

and his name kept coming up in the course of that drug investigation. So as soon as Sarah's case was handed over to them, he moved to the top of their lists of persons of interest. So they went back over to Stephen's condo and Backus Marsh to interview neighbors, and they spoke to two young girls who had been playing in the driveway near Stevens' home on the evening of Saturday, November 10th. They told police, they heard a scream, a loud scream, and the sounds of pots and pans crashing to the ground. So at this point, a search warrant for this property was requested, and by Saturday, November 17th,

that warrant was executed and officers entered Stevens Simpson Street condo. Now, I did this in another video, A lot of you liked it. So I'm going to do a short, succinct to recap right here. In case you might have been busy while you're listening, you've lost track of what's happening, and these recaps exist in cases like this, because there's so many names, there's so many places. So here we go.

And if you want to skip it, just look below in the timeline right here for the chapter markers. Sarah Kafferke was from a small suburb of Bacchus Marsh in Victoria, Australia. She grew up with her single mom, Noelle, after she and Sarah's father, Adrian, split up. Sarah was raised as the only child and was thriving, particularly in sports and was attending a small private school and flying to Queensland to visit her father a couple times each year. However,

in 11th grade, things changed when Sarah's asthma began getting severe, and by age 15, she was diagnosed with bronchiospasms, making it very hard for her to breathe. She was put on daily medications and was hospitalized a number of times, which made it impossible for her to keep up her grades. So, she was eventually homeschooled by her mother. And that, that's when she unfortunately began to experiment with substances. This was a way she could escape from her condition and the depression and loneliness it brought. She connected with a new group of friends, but they were part of the bad crowd, and Sarah's mom noticed her bubbly personality shifted. She became more withdrawn and moody. But Sarah was still doing well over the next couple years

at work and studying in college classes to become a lawyer. That is until she met Christopher Stewart, and he introduced her to meth. Sarah was hooked and Chris was toxic. He kept her her isolated from friends and sent her very nasty controlling texts, which Sarah's mother saw. That's when Sarah confided in her mom that she needed help. Sarah checked into a rehab facility and successfully detoxed. She chose to leave after just a week with a renewed sense of confidence at a number of diary entries showcasing her desire to get her life back on track and continue working hard to achieve her dream of working in the legal field. But this was all short-lived as Chris came back into Sarah's life and she began using meth again.

But this time, with her knowledge of her addiction, and that she could use detox to get clean again, she broke up with him. Chris was upset with this, so he sent his friend Stephen, who was also his drug dealer, to go harass Sarah at work. But this planned backfire. Stephen, being older than them at 47 years old, decided not to go along with the plan, and instead he made friends with Sarah and warned her to stay away from Chris.

Sarah felt safe around Stephen. He was tall, muscular, and wise, kind of like a father figure. He took her under his wing and promised to protect her from Chris. Over the next couple months, they formed a trusting platonic bond. He was one of the last people to see Sarah before she vanished, after leaving her home on Saturday, November 10th, and being seen on CCTV footage at a supermarket buying alcohol. And then later in the afternoon,

she was spotted with Stephen at a pub down the street from Stephen's condo, which is located on Simpson Street, a five-minute walk from the pub. Stephen admitted to police that he was with Sarah that afternoon, and that the last time he saw her, she was at his condo. They had a few drinks before he left to continue moving his things to his new home 45 minutes away and Point Cook. He gave Sarah a spare key to his house

and told her to keep in touch, but she hasn't responded to any of his messages. At this point, Stephen became a person of interest because he seemed to have been the last person to see Sarah. He's also known to be a local drug dealer and had been supplying Sarah. applying Sarah with meth. At this point, Stevens condo in Backus Marsh,

where Sarah was supposedly last seen, is about to be searched. So here we go. We're back on track with the story. When officers searched the condo, they found obvious signs that something terrible had happened inside. However, it seemed like whoever was involved

attempted to clean the walls and the floors, but they didn't do a very thorough job of it because blood was found in a lot of places. on the living room couch, a leather jacket, a pair of dumbbells in the garage, two bar stools that were also in the garage, a carving knife under a wooden cabinet in the bedroom, a pickax in the living room, and on a massaging device in the bedroom. In other words, there was blood everywhere, and this was not good at all. At this point, the homicide squad was called to the scene to collect and examine evidence, and Sarah's mother, Noelle, was notified about what was happening. Now, at the time, Sarah's mom just assumed that having homicide detectives on the case,

case meant they were still looking for a missing person. But in reality, they were now looking for a deceased person, her deceased daughter, who was still nowhere to be found. Two hours later, investigators entered Stevens' new rental home 45 minutes away in Pointe Cook, and as soon as they stepped foot inside, they smelled a foul smell of decay. They scoured the entire home looking for the source of the smell. And once they got inside the attached garage, the the smell got even stronger. And that's when they located a green trash bin, where they believed the smell was emanating from.

There was bloodstains near this trash bin, but they were unable to lift the lid off. On the ground nearby were empty bags of ready-set concrete and garden lime. It was clear that the lid had been cemented shut, and they weren't even able to remove or move this bin because of its weight. Clearly, someone had used mixing cement

and ported inside this bin along with lime. If you don't know, garden lime accelerates decomposition and reduces the smell of putrefaction. Lime can assist in destroying evidence of a crime. The investigators called on forensics to retrieve this bin and the next day on Sunday, November 18th, it was removed from the premises and taken to the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine where they actually had to x-ray it to determine whether their suspicions were true, that a body was inside. And sure enough, encased inside the cement at the bottom of this bin was the remains of a human being. Wow.

How devastating. Because of course, they know that this had to be Sarah. All the evidence pointed to this being her. And as you can imagine, so many thoughts were going through their minds as to how she ended up there. And now they had the difficult and heartbreaking task of breaking this news to Sarah's mom, Noel. They came into her home, sat down on her living room couch, and said to her that they found Sarah. And Noel actually responded, oh, that's good. Not aware of what they meant.

The officers just stared at her and continued saying that Sarah was in concrete. Noel just sat there confused. And the officers went on to say that she was in a trash bin. And Noel wasn't able to process what she was hearing. In the back of her mind, she was still thinking they were letting her know that Sarah was okay. She was also very confused. It just wasn't clicking for her. Meanwhile, the news was reporting that a body had been found on the Point Cook premises, and more of Sarah's friends were being notified that that body was indeed Sarah's. Her friend Ashley remembered getting that call from her

father. He didn't even have to say more than it's her. And Ashley knew what that meant, that the body in the bin was Sarah. It was so devastating to realize that this was real, that Sarah was gone. And now a nationwide manhunt was underway for 47-year-old Stephen James Hunter. And coverage of the story was broadcast across TV, radio, and print media. And investigators began looking into this man's background. To understand who's Stephen really was. Wait until you hear this. It's exactly why this is part of another evil minds video. Stephen James Hunter was born October 6th in 1965 in Melbourne, Australia. He had an extremely dysfunctional childhood, which included him witnessing significant domestic altercations

and being the target of physical altercations himself. These traumatic early experiences undoubtedly contributed to his development into an extremely violent and disturbed adult. It paints a picture of a very disturbing man who should never been allowed to walk the streets freely. And yet despite years of convictions, parole, and monitoring, Stephen was able to do just that. This is a case where the system didn't just let Stephen's victims down. It effectively handed them to him on a silver platter. As a young man, Stephen struggled with managing his anger. He couldn't sit still in class, and when something didn't go his way, he would lash out at whoever was near him.

His violent tendencies actually began to surface as early as primary school, where he exhibited aggressive behavior towards his peers and even his teachers. The dysfunction at home only made this issue worse. There was no stability, no support, and there was no one interested in helping him to manage his emotions effectively. By the time Stephen was a teenager, he also had developed a concerning opinion of women. In his mind, they only existed purely to satisfy his sexual desires. This disordered perception combined with his unresolved anger issues and his violent tendencies became the foundation for the destructive and dangerous behaviors that will later define his life.

At the age of 16, Stephen moved out so he could rent an apartment with his 15-year-old girlfriend. Moving out was the only way to ensure that this girl was completely under his control and available to him any time that he wanted. But the relationship ended soon after they moved in together. But Stephen's lust for sexual gratification and having his own way with women was only just getting warmed up. In 1983, he was convicted of burglary, theft, and criminal damage for breaking into a store and stealing a pair of gloves. Later that same year, in October, Stephen was convicted of threatening someone with a deadly weapon. He was fined $800. And then a few months later, after getting into a fight over a girl who rejected him,

he faced another conviction for unlawfully being on a premises and he received a another fine. For the next two years, Stephen appeared to turn his life around. He got into a relationship with a woman, they had a son together. Some reports actually said he was married to the woman. Others just said they were together, but unmarried. Either way, Stephen was working three jobs to pay the rent on their mobile home they purchased at West Meadows Caravan Park, and he was doing his best to support his new family. In his spare time, Stephen even coached a girls football team. And from the outside looking in, it seemed like he was finally leading a stable life and staying out of trouble. But beneath the surface, Stephen's violent tendencies and unresolved issues towards women kept

going. Despite the outward appearance of a reformed life, he was a man on the edge. Stephen got less than two hours of sleep a night and he was a heavy drinker. He also used speed and other drugs regularly to stay awake. So with little sleep, the drug use, the alcohol, and the stress of maintaining the appearance as a changed man, it's no wonder that Stephen developed a very wicked temper. He began to dish out the same violence that he experienced as a child, particularly when he didn't get his way. No one was safe from Stephen, not his partner, not his child, not his colleagues, and not even his friends.

Stephen was on the edge of inevitable disaster. It was just a matter of time. When Stephen was 21 years old, he began working as an assistant manager at Safeway Hypermarket in Gladstone. One of his co-workers was an 18-year-old girl named Jacqueline Cecilia Matthews, who was in her final year of high school. She was a pretty, petite, vibrant, and outgoing young woman with a bright future. That was, until she had the misfortune of crossing paths with Stephen Hunter.