More details are beginning to come to light about the Barrie man accused of murdering a local senior on Saturday night at their shared home in the city’s north end and the events that led up to it.
Sonny Conrad Stephens, 46, has been charged with second-degree murder after allegedly attacking his 75-year-old roommate at their home at 317 Grove St. E., near Duckworth Street, on July 13.
Court documents obtained by BarrieToday identify the victim as Eric Beecroft.
Stephens made his first court appearance on Monday and is due back in court again today.
None of the allegations have been tested in court.
Barrie police say their investigation revealed Stephens had been involved in an altercation in the backyard of the home with Beecroft just after 10:30 p.m. Police say Stephens fled the scene prior to officers arriving at the home.
Police located Beecroft, who was unconscious with injuries to his head and face. Despite the life-saving efforts of police and paramedics, Beecroft died from his injuries.
Shortly after 6 a.m. on Sunday, Stephens was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
A third roommate, who lives at the home with the two men, told BarrieToday on Sunday morning that he witnessed Stephens beating Beecroft with his hands and feet. He then called the police. The man described the scene as “an ugly thing to witness” and “disgusting.”
A fourth roommate, similar in age to the victim but who declined to give his name, was also a witness to the attack that left Beecroft dead.
In an interview Wednesday at the home, the roommate told BarrieToday he was in his bedroom at the time of the killing, “sitting on the edge of my bed about to go to sleep,” when Stephens entered his room without knocking. The man said Stephens had never done that before.
He says he told Stephens to get out of his room.
The roommate claims Stephens then left the room, proceeded downstairs to the main floor, and then out onto the backyard patio, where he attacked and killed Beecroft.
The roommate said he had called Beecroft immediately after he told Stephens to get out of his room, as he was concerned about what had transpired. When Beecroft answered the call, the roommate heard the struggle, along with him shouting for him to help him, while on the line.
When he went downstairs and went to the backyard through the kitchen patio door, it was too late. He said Beecroft was lying on the ground adjacent to the step beside a patio table and chairs. The elderly man was covered in blood.
The roommate said he held Beecroft’s head in his hands. When the paramedics arrived, he said, he continued holding Beecroft as they tried to save him.
On Wednesday, a pool of blood remained on the patio stones, along with a pack of cigarettes and a lighter nearby. A paramedic’s disposable airway tube was also on the ground.
The roommate said Beecroft had purchased a blue Honda in the last few months. He alleges Stephens stole it immediately after the attack and fled the scene. At about 6 a.m. the following morning, he returned and surrendered to police at the house.
The roommate acknowledged he’s “pretty traumatized about the whole thing. It could have been me he killed.”
He said police gave him contacts for counselling, and he will likely reach out for help.
Both surviving roommates said there had been troubling incidents and behaviour by Stephens leading up to the attack over the past few months.
Speaking to both of the roommates together on Tuesday, they said Stephens would be calm one minute and then snap the next.
“It was like a switch,” said one of the men.
They said they did not know if he was on any kind of medication.
The older roommate, who was friends with Beecroft, claims he once saw Stephens in the backyard pacing around and arguing with himself “or with someone who wasn’t there.”
Both men said they witnessed Stephens “ranting” and waving at vehicles passing by their home, shouting at them to slow down. He would also sometimes hit the vehicles with his hands, they said.
They said they were concerned about the accused killer’s behaviour and were going to call the police about it, but had not.
At the nearby plaza at Grove and Duckworth streets, a business owner recalled interacting with Stephens in the past.
“Sonny, unfortunately, he was messed up,” he told BarrieToday, claiming Stephens had addiction issues. “He was a Leafs fan, and in the playoffs, he came in and, after a couple of drinks — and I think he was already in the sauce — (I told him) no more."
The business owner, who described Stephens as "arrogant," said he only visited his establishment a couple more times and then he never saw him again.
At a bar in the same plaza, one patron said he knew Stephens well when they were kids. They are the same age and used to live on the same street.
“He was a good hockey player and a good kid when I grew up with him,” the man told BarrieToday. “I had known him for 25 or 30 years. He was a good student.”
More recently, the man said he had seen Stephens walking around the same plaza.
“I was like, ‘Sonny, how’s things?’ and he said, ‘Not good,’ and he just kept walking.”
