Tommy Stephens was charged separately with murder, violating a protective order, and two counts of sexual battery. (Mugshot: Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office)
A murder suspect who allegedly killed a woman unprovoked is now charged with sexually assaulting other female victims in separate incidents, including in a cemetery tomb.
Cops in St. Petersburg, Florida, allege Tommy Gene Stephens, 52, stabbed Jona Waller, 34, 20 times and abandoned her body in an alley on 37th Street North. Someone discovered her on the day of the murder, March 17, 2023, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Arrest affidavits dated Monday and Tuesday detail Stephens’ newest legal challenges, this time for separate cases of sexual assault.
On April 18, 2022, he allegedly followed a victim into an encased tomb at the Royal Palms Cemetery, threw her to the ground, and sexually assaulted her until she managed to distract him and escape. The redacted affidavit termed this sexual battery upon a person 12 or older.
Then, on Feb. 16 of this year, he allegedly entered a woman’s bedroom without invitation and while naked. The redacted affidavit describes a sexual assault, and Stephens allegedly threatened the woman. The document labeled this a sexual battery upon a person 18 or older.
