Who Is Steve Stephens? Facebook Live Killing Suspect Disowned By Family On Twitter

Steve Stephens, 37, who has been accused of homicide Sunday of 74-year-old Ohio resident named Robert Godwin Sr., has been publicly disowned by his family, according to a Twitter post from his account. The shooting, which was streamed on Facebook Live, took place at 635 E. 93rd St. around 2 p.m. EDT.

The Twitter post on Stephens' account read: "We absolutely do not condone this type of behavior and this atrocity, therefore we do not consider Steve a part of this family. I would like everyone to refrain from posting pictures of our family in association with Steve, for we do not want our young ones to be burdened by this man. Please respect our privacy."

Cleveland Police Department issued an aggravated murder warrant against Stephens on Sunday night. They also alerted residents of Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana and Michigan as the manhunt is still on and the authorities suspect he might have fled the state.

Stephens, an employee at Beech Brook, a children's behavioral health center in Ohio, in a separate video on his Facebook page, claimed to have "killed 12 people today." He called this his "Easter day slaughter." His Facebook posts mentioned that he had "lost everything to gambling," according to NBC News. Police authorities are yet to confirm the number of victims the suspect claims to have killed.

Stephens claimed in his live stream that he killed the old man Godwin because of a woman named Joy Lane. "She's the reason why all of this is about to happen to you," Stephens said in the video, according to New York Daily News.

Joy Lane, in a text message to CBS News, offered condolences to the family of the deceased.

"What happened today is senseless," Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams said at a news conference.

"I know, Steve, that you have relationship with some of clergy in Northeast Ohio. I encourage you to give them a call and then call us and turn yourself in," he added.

According to Washington Post, a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement: "This is a horrific crime and we do not allow this content on Facebook. 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."