Carlos Stephens: Ex-Athlete Named as UAB Murder Suspect

A former football player at the University of Alabama at Birmingham has been arrested and charged with capital murder after a nursing student was shot to death on campus last week, police say.

Birmingham police announced on Monday, December 21, that Carlos Londarrius Stephens, 22, is charged in the killing of Destiny Washington, 20, of Trussville, Alabama. They say Stephens shot and killed the nursing student on December 17 around 9:40 p.m. just outside of the Hill Student Center at University Boulevard and 14th Street South.

KIRO7 reported that Washington was shot “during a botched sale of AirPods.”

Stephens, an Alabaster native, turned himself in on Saturday, December 19, the Birmingham Police Department said.

“We are devastated that tragedy hit the UAB family overnight when a student lost her life after being shot in the parking lot outside the Hill Student Center,” UAB officials said in a statement obtained by AL.com. “Police believe this occurred during a meeting arranged to sell headphones.”

KIRO7 said Washington was taking classes at Lawson State through UAB’s Joint Admission program and was slated to graduate as a registered nurse in May 2021.

“Though initially she wanted to work in neonatal care, she had changed her mind and planned on becoming a traveling nurse,” the station reported.

Stephens is being held in the Birmingham City Jail pending formal warrants, Birmingham police said on Twitter. He will be transferred to the Jefferson County Jail where he will be held without bond, the department continued.

Here’s what you need to know:

Stephens Played Football at UAB During His Freshman Year & Is Still a Student, According to Local Media

According to AL.com, Stephens was a “standout football player.” He played at Thompson High School before transitioning to UAB’s team for his freshman year, the outlet reported.

“UAB officials confirmed Stephens was a student athlete in 2017 and said they continue to support Birmingham police in the ongoing investigation,” AL.com said.

Stephens played for UAB for seven games in 2017, according to his profile on the football team’s website. His biography states that he was born on January 21, 1998, and has three siblings.

AL.com added that Stephens is still a student at the university but no longer plays football there.

Family Members Told Local Media That Washington & Her Boyfriend Were Trying to Sell a Pair of AirPods to Stephens for $100

According to Washington’s family, the nursing student and her boyfriend set out to meet Stephens on December 17 to sell him a pair of AirPods for $100, AL.com said.

Things took a turn for the worse when the boyfriend “realized the money was fake and began to drive off,” the outlet reported.

“The transaction soured, and as Washington and her boyfriend returned to their car, the man allegedly opened fire, striking Washington,” KIRO7 reported.

The boyfriend then drove Washington to the Children’s of Alabama hospital nearby, where she was later pronounced dead, AL.com continued.

“I feel like my life will change forever and I’m sure everybody surrounding me feels the same way. I’ll never be the same. It’s not real,” Brandee Crenshaw, one of Washington’s older sisters, told AL.com. “You don’t know how many lives you changed forever over some AirPods. I’m trying to be strong, but this hurts. It’s a different type of hurt.”

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