SAN ANTONIO – A pretrial hearing for a man charged in connection with a brutal attack on his ex-wife and two young daughters took place on Friday.
Stephen Clare is accused of shooting Mariah Gardner and stabbing his daughters, Rosalie and Willow Gardner, back in April 2023.
Willow, an 11-month-old, didn’t survive her injuries.
Clare is charged with capital murder of a child, attempted capital murder of a child, aggravated assault with a weapon, and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, jail records indicate.
In court, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Investigator Anita Seamans testified about an interview she had with Clare at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center.
Seamans said that she spoke with Clare at the jail for approximately an hour in a conversation that was recorded.
According to Seamans, Clare was visibly upset and crying significantly in the interview.
Clare allegedly told Seamans that he couldn’t remember anything from the day of the attack.
The gun used by Clare to allegedly shoot Mariah in the April 2023 attack was also discussed in the conversation at the jail.
A detective had previously told Seamans that the gun was not found at the crime scene and that they were looking for it.
In a September 2024 hearing, the state revealed the gun had since been recovered and was being tested at the Bexar County Crime Lab.
If found guilty, Clare could face the death penalty. A firm start date for his trial has not been set.
More coverage of this story on KSAT
Copyright 2024 by KSAT – All rights reserved.