Stephen Stanko’s life was seemingly derailed after he failed to earn an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy after high school. This failure triggered a change in his behavior where he soon resorted to petty crimes which eventually escalated to rape and murder. The reason for his sudden leap to kill remains somewhat of a mystery - Stanko refused to testify and his defense team tried to reason that Stanko’s brain was “defective,” hoping to convince the jury to rule in favor of an insanity plea. Stanko currently sits on death row at Broad River Correctional Institution in South Carolina.

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RESOURCES
https://public.doc.state.sc.us/scdc-public/inmateDetails.do?id=%2000006022
https://utrgv.academia.edu/GordonCrewsPhD
https://violenceresearch.wvu.edu/executive-board/research-associates/gordon-crews
https://www.wistv.com/story/5267895/stankos-trial-in-murder-case-focuses-on-insanity-question/
https://wpde.com/news/local/son-of-murder-victim-questions-why-stephen-stanko-needs-a-new-trial
https://www.wmbfnews.com/2019/01/29/i-was-shocked-brother-death-row-inmate-stephen-stanko-takes-stand-day-two-hearing/
https://gabnewsonline.com/latest-appeal-denied-for-death-row-inmate-stephen-stanko-p4826-170.htm
https://www.postandcourier.com/georgetown/news/stanko-loses-appeal-in-conway-murder/article_21e1943a-7f64-59a5-9360-dc4b45337dc5.html
https://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/stanko-stephen.htm
http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc%20405/serial%20killers/Stanko,%20Stephen.pdf
https://www.wistv.com/story/6592267/teen-who-watched-rapist-strangle-mother-speaks-to-wis/

54. Stephen Stanko