MINERAL POINT, Mo. – A Missouri man convicted for the 2011 murders of his sister and brother-in-law died Wednesday at Potosi Correctional Center in Mineral Point.
Gary Stevens was pronounced dead just after 1:35 p.m. on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Missouri Department of Corrections. Stevens died of apparent natural causes. He was 72.
Stevens was serving a life sentence for two counts of second-degree murder. He was originally charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Mary Lewis, 50, and Dennis Lewis, 57. Stevens agreed to plead to lesser charges to avoid a death penalty trial.
Stevens admitted to shooting Dennis and Mary with a .22 caliber rifle on March 1, 2011, at the couple’s Dent County home. Their daughter, who is disabled, was home at the time of the murders.
He pleaded guilty on May 2, 2012, and arrived at Potosi Correctional Center on May 7.
