Police: woman urged man to strike murder victim in head with table leg
A heated argument in a Springfield kitchen turned deadly after one man hit another in the head with a table leg. A woman involved in the case was also charged with murder after police say she egged the aggressor on, according to authorities.
Richard Page and Ivey Johnson are charged with murder.
Police were called to the home of Richard Page and Ivey Johnson at 6:30 a.m. for a disturbance. When they got there, a resident led them to Eric Stephenson, 52, who was in the kitchen with a “severe injury to his head,” according to the Springfield Police Department. Police say officers performed first aid on the victim, who was unconscious. He was taken to Baystate Medical Center, where he later died.
Police say the victim was arguing extensively with Page and Johnson. The argument began the evening before and continued into the early morning on Thursday.
“This argument turned extremely violent and the victim was struck in the head with a table leg by the male suspect as the female suspect provoked and urged him on to do it,” said police.
After Stephenson was struck, the suspects fled the scene, said police.
Detectives spent all day Thursday following leads and secured murder warrants for the two suspects. At 7 p.m., police tracked down and arrested the suspects as they walked down a street.
Page, 57, and Johnson, 53, were charged with murder and assault with intent to murder.
Police Commissioner John Barbieri praised the officers for their quick investigation. Stephenson’s death is the sixth homicide in the city of Springfield this year.
The pair were held overnight in police lock-up and will be arraigned in Springfield District Court.
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