The McDaniels, who live near Stone Mountain, are devout churchgoers. Glenda and Stephen’s father, Mark, were married in May 1977, nearly 34 years to the day Stephen would graduate from law school.
Their daughter, whom Glenda McDaniel says battled a crack-cocaine problem -- which led to a number of arrests -- couldn’t take care of her children, and that’s why she and her husband took them in. Now the family faces the accusations against Stephen. It has weighed on the children.
“Wednesday morning,” she says, “my 6-year-old, Asher, woke up crying. And I asked him what he had dreamed about. He had dreamed about Stephen. ... He said, ‘Mommy, I need to go to Macon.’ I said, ‘Why, darling?’ He said, ‘
I want to go to Macon so I can help find her body, because her family is so sad.’ ... To think that a 6-year-old would have that much compassion and worry over something like that.”
After Stephen was charged with murder, she told the kids so that they wouldn’t hear about it on the TV news or in conversations grown-ups might have around the house.
Glenda McDaniel says she told them, “The Bible says, ‘All God’s promises for good he keeps.’ ... And Stephen belongs to God, and we are gonna claim those promises and we are gonna trust God. And my 8-year-old said, ‘Satan is trying to steal Stephen.’ I said, ‘Yes, dear, he’s trying to steal Stephen. He’s trying to steal our testimony. He’s trying to steal our faith in God. He’s trying to steal our peace, and we’re not going to listen to Satan.’ And the 10-year-old said, ‘Well, Satan is powerful.’ I said, ‘Yes, Satan and his demons are powerful. And one day they will be chained forever.’”
