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WBRZ Investigative Unit: How man with history of stalking was able to bond out and kill ex

BATON ROUGE - Law enforcement in East Baton Rouge Parish is still unraveling how a man with a documented history of domestic-related harassment, who was on active probation, was able to bond out of jail and kill his ex-girlfriend.

Through court records and other reports, the WBRZ Investigative Unit has established a timeline of the events leading up to the stabbing death of 23-year-old Stasy Charles. 

NOV. 4, 2025
8:50 p.m. - Baton Rouge Police officers are dispatched to Charles’ apartment due to a domestic disturbance. The officer was unable to determine who the aggressor was, so Charles was given a summons and Steven Heinrich was taken to East Baton Rouge Parish Prison and booked for Battery of a Dating Partner. 

NOV. 5, 2025 
8:37 a.m. - Assistant District Attorney Steve Danielson ran a National Crime Information Center search and found Heinrich had two arrests out of his home state of New York related to violating a protective order. 

9:11 a.m. - Baton Rouge Police submitted a preliminary report on the crime to the District Attorney’s office. 

9:40 a.m. - District Attorney’s Victims Assistance Coordinator spoke with Charles, who reported that she said there were no prior incidents of abuse and denied Heinrich stalking her.

9:50 a.m. - Commissioner Kina Kimble determines there is probable cause for Battery of a Dating Partner.

1 p.m. - During Heinrich’s bond hearing, ADA Danielson informed the court of Heinrich’s previous arrests and prior conviction for violating a protective order. Commissioner Kina Kimble sets a $2,500 bond and orders that Heinrich must obey an additional protective order upon release. 

NOV. 6, 2025 
12 p.m. - An Assistant District Attorney from New York calls BRPD and asks that Heinrich not be able to bond out. They request a hold due to the new arrest, which violated the rules of his probation. 

4:30 p.m. - Heinrich posts bond. The process to be released from Parish Prison begins. 

4:39 p.m. - An arrest warrant from New York authorities for Henrich’s violation of probation is entered into the National Crime Information Center. 

5 p.m. - New York authorities contact the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison to place a hold and not release Heinrich, so he can be extradited. 

6:29 p.m. - The out-of-state warrant was processed into the National Crime Information Center. 

11:03 p.m. - Heinrich is released from East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. 

NOV. 7, 2025 
9 a.m. - New York authorities ask BRPD to do a welfare check on Charles. Charles tells officers she has not seen or heard from Heinrich. 

NOV. 13, 2025
2:13 a.m. - Charles is stabbed to death. 

The WBRZ Investigative Unit interviewed BRPD Chief T.J. Morse, who said there was nothing his department could have done differently to prevent her death. 

"When we arrest somebody, we put together an affidavit of probable cause. In that affidavit, we outline the elements of the crime - why we are arresting them. That would go up to other parts of the judicial system to look at that past criminal history to determine what their bond should be, whether they should get out of jail, and ultimately what kind of sentencing they should have," he said. 

District Attorney Hillar Moore said the ADA could have requested a hold for Heinrich during his bond hearing, but he says his office struggles getting holds in Commissioner Kimble’s courtroom. 

"Historically, in this type of situation, by this commissioner, bonds are low, and as you can see from cases that day, when we did ask for holds on really egregious cases, they were not given to us."

According to Nov. 5 court records, Kimble allowed a man who was arrested on 25 counts of violation of a protective order the ability to bond out for $20,000.

Moore says things will change in how his office runs background checks going forward.

"I think that what this probably should teach everyone, you want to learn from whatever this experience will show. Regardless of where they're from, you should do whatever it is extra,” he said. “Regardless of what the case before you looks like, however small it may look at the time, it can be something that's much more."

WBRZ reached out to Commissioner Kimble's office and New York authorities. Neither have returned our calls. 

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