When a lovely college student Stacie Pannell, 18, of Ripley, is discovered dead in her dorm room on October 8, 1985, the police investigate a crime scene where nothing is as it seems. One of Stacie Pannell’s suitemates, Stephanie Alexander, became a suspect after several months. She confessed under duress. However, she has since recanted her statement. Alexander, now Louden, was found guilty of manslaughter in the heat of passion at the conclusion of his 1987 trial. She was given a 20-year prison sentence.
When 18-year-old Stacie Pannell was found slain in her dorm room in 1985, there were many unanswered questions about the circumstances of her death and who was to blame. Stephanie Alexander’s life was turned upside down over a year after she confessed to killing her roommate, Stacie, at Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville, Mississippi.
‘Crime Scene Confidential: Speaking for Stacie‘ on Investigation Discovery focuses on what happened in the teen’s case and includes an interview with Stephanie. She has proclaimed her innocence & disavowed her statement over the years. So, if you’re interested in learning further about Stephanie Alexander and where she is now, you’ve come to the right place.
Recommended: Stacie Pannell Murder Case – Who Killed Her and Why?
Stephanie Alexander, Who is She?
At the time of the murder, Stephanie Alexander shared a dormitory with Stacie. Amy Wheeler, Stacie’s roommate, couldn’t get into the room around 2:30 a.m. on October 8, 1985. So she went to Stephanie’s house and knocked on her door, who appeared to be sleeping at the time.
Stephanie then opened the door for Amy to use the common bathroom. The finding of Stacie’s partially naked body alarmed Amy, who notified campus security. The investigation was stuck for nearly a year until Steve Rhoads, an Illinois law enforcement officer, was called in to help. During the inquiry, he discovered Stephanie had not been telling the truth, and after a few hours, she confessed to the murder.
In September 1986, Stephanie signed three different statements. She also wrote Randy Price, the guy she was dating at the time, a letter in which she detailed what transpired on the night in question.
Stephanie had been completing her homework in her room on October 7, 1985, and had taken codeine tablets between 9 and 10:30 p.m. to relieve the pain from an infection. Stephanie fell asleep after that, only to be awoken at 2 a.m. by a couple of friends bringing in an inebriated Stacie.
Stephanie claimed she went to Stacie’s room to talk because she couldn’t sleep, and the subject turned to Stacie’s boyfriend at the time, Tommy Osborne. Stephanie claimed Tommy was “OK” when Stacie inquired how she felt about him.
Stephanie claims that this enraged Stacie, who told her to keep away from Tommy. She went on to say that the conversation became physical when Stacie slapped her and Stephanie smacked her back.
“I’d better not see you were hanging around him,” Stacie informed her suitemate, according to the confession. I’m going to murder you. “Do you hear what I’m saying?” Stacie then smacked Stephanie again and choked her, according to Stephanie. Stephanie then claimed to have hit Stacie with the drill gun many times.
Stephanie went on to say that because of the affects of codeine, she wasn’t sure what she was doing. She cut the screen off of one of the drawers with a steak knife after locking the door. In the bathroom, she burnt a piece of the screen as well as her bleeding T-shirt. Stephanie then pulled down Stacie’s pants and staged the scenario to make it appear as though she had been raped. She gradually drifted back to sleep, only to be awoken by Amy a few hours later.
What happened to Stephanie Alexander and Where Is She Now?
Stephanie Alexander claimed she was hypnotised after being charged, claiming that the investigator planted the concept in her head. The confession, on the other hand, was accepted as evidence in court. As a result, Stephanie was found guilty of manslaughter in the heat of passion in January 1988, despite the defense’s claim that no physical evidence linked her to the murder. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison, serving around 10 of them before being freed.
Stephanie has claimed her innocence throughout, claiming that she was forced to confess because the detectives were fed up with the unsolved case. However, Stephanie Louden, as she is now known, appears to be doing much better.
She owns and operates her own music business and enjoys spending time with her family. Stephanie appears to still reside in Mississippi and run her business from there.
