Cleveland Man Who Posted Video of Murder on Facebook Kills Self

Steve Stephens had allegedly shot dead an old man & posted a video of the murder online, sparking a manhunt. (Photo: Abhilash Mallick/The Quint)

The man who allegedly posted a video of himself on Facebook killing an elderly man shot himself dead after a "brief pursuit" by Pennsylvania State Police officers on Tuesday, police said.

Steve Stephens was accused of shooting Robert Godwin Sr on a Cleveland pavement on Sunday before fleeing in a car. He reportedly uploaded a video of the murder to Facebook, becoming the subject of a nationwide manhunt.

Officials in Cleveland said they looked for Stephens in connection with the case, but had found no evidence to support what police said was a claim he made in the video of having killed more than a dozen other people.

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Late on Sunday night, Cleveland police issued an aggravated murder warrant for Stephens and warned that he could have crossed state lines into Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana or Michigan.

Police said Stephens used Facebook to post the video of him killing Godwin. Stephens is not believed to have known Godwin, police said.

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The world's largest online social network, used by more than 1.2 billion people every day, condemned the accused killer's action.

“This is a horrific crime and we do not allow this kind of content on Facebook,” said a spokesperson for the company. “We work hard to keep a safe environment on Facebook, and are in touch with law enforcement in emergencies when there are direct threats to physical safety.”

It is not the first time a serious crime has been posted on Facebook.

In January, four black people in Chicago were accused of attacking an 18-year-old disabled white man and broadcasting the assault on the service while making anti-white racial taunts.

A month later, the suspects pleaded not guilty of assaulting the man.