Sandy MaloneButler Township, OH – The man who was wanted for the murder of four people in a Montgomery County neighborhood on Friday and was captured by authorities in Kansas on Saturday had posted a video explaining what he was going to do just before the killings (video below).
Butler Township Police Chief John Porter said officers responded to a call of shots fired just before noon on Aug. 5, CBS News reported.
Responding officers found four people suffering from fatal gunshot wounds at “multiple crime scenes” in the same Butler Township neighborhood.
All of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, CBS News reported.
Authorities quickly identified the suspect in the shootings as 39-year-old Stephen Marlow, CNN reported.
“Stephen Marlow remains the primary suspect,” Butler Township police said in a statement on Aug. 6. “We have no current information to make us believe others were involved in these horrific acts.”
“Following the shootings, it appears Stephen Marlow drove to Interstate 70 and headed west,” the statement read. “At this time, we believe that he has left Ohio. Law enforcement agencies in multiple states have been made aware of this and are on high alert.”
Montgomery County court records showed the Marlow was released from probation in February in connection with a conviction for aggravated burglary and aggravated menacing in the Dayton suburb of Vandalia in July of 2019, CBS News reported.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) quickly put Marlow on its “most wanted” list and authorities warned he was armed and dangerous, CNN reported.
Marlow was apprehended by authorities 640 miles away in Lawrence, Kansas on Saturday night.
Murder suspect Stephen Marlow has been arrested by local police in Lawrence, Kansas. Thanks to the Butler Twp. community for all of their support and assistance during this investigation. pic.twitter.com/24LB04bXVP
— FBI Cincinnati (@FBICincinnati) August 7, 2022
Lawrence police said in a statement posted to social media that an officer on patrol spotted the suspect’s vehicle and followed it as he called for additional officers.
The suspect was taken into custody after he pulled into a parking lot and got out of his vehicle.
LKPD can confirm that just before 9:00 pm Saturday, we arrested Stephen Marlow, who was wanted in Ohio in reference to a quadruple murder. pic.twitter.com/7iAY2rwZ1U
— Lawrence Police (@LawrenceKS_PD) August 7, 2022
Police have not released any details about what Marlow’s motive may have been, but in a video the suspect posted to social media shortly he committed the murders, the man expressed delusional beliefs and conspiracy theories.
“This is the first violent crime in this neighborhood in recent memory,” Chief Porter said. “We are working to determine if there was any motive to this horrible tragedy or if mental illness played any role.”
In the video, Marlow said people’s thoughts were being monitored and an entity was using mind control and he was doing what he was doing to protect his family and for their future.
“When the world realizes what has happened, there will be justice,” Marlow said in a video referenced by the police chief during the press conference.
“But I cannot sit by and be a victim any longer,” he continued in the video. “And I refuse to sit by and do nothing while my nieces and nephews and the rest of my family are operated on with mind control.”
“I will be launching the first counter-attack against mind control in human history,” Marlow explained.
“I want to be very clear. This will not be an active shooting event. I will be executing some of the people responsible for activating shooters,” the future gunman said.
Marlow said in the video that he would “gladly die to expose this and fight back against telepathy.”
Wendy Chapman, a neighbor of one of the victims, told WKEF that she was angry and felt “violated” by the killing spree in her usually quiet neighborhood.
“I would have never, even in this neighborhood, I would never expect anything, never,” Chapman said.
Butler Township police said the incident remained an ongoing investigation, WKEF reported.
The township has just 8,000 residents and is located about nine miles north of Dayton.
Watch the gunman’s video here below:
This is so sad. 🥺
Stephen Marlow might have been extremely mentally ill. He recorded this shortly before he killed 4 people on August 5th. The FBI is now leading the search. pic.twitter.com/kDTe2RAuWX— Rose (@901Lulu) August 7, 2022
Holly Matkin
