Relatives say man's love for daughter cost him his life

This is one messed up case. How can a room full of potential suspects not get tested to see if anyone one of them fired a gun? How very sad and such a nice looking young man.

I pray they get the person brought to justice that murdered this young man!

The police will drag this out for a year or so telling the family "We're working on it" and then once everyone (ppl in Ashland, the newspapers etc.) have stopped talking about it, they will close the case saying it lacks sufficient evidence. The Watkins family's best bet is to hire a private detective.

Good luck to them.

Oh and how come social services hasn't been called to take Sidney out of that home and place her in the Watkins home? If I were them, I would be in court fighting for full custody.

Why does the SJR disable their comments whenever there are articles about Steven Watkins? And how come no one writes in the paper about this? Shouldn't the people of Ashland write in and let everyone know this needs to end?! Show your disgust!

wow.. getting away with murder.. can you believe it.. how sad.

Not for sure what's going on with the comments page on the article,but the first time I looked at it you could read the comments, the next time I tried to read them again, I was not able to read the comments, let alone post a comment. Anyone else having this problem.

When I first clicked onto the link to this article it wasn't even viewable, but later it was.

The family needs to go to the attorney generals office. Something isn't right! This whole thing really bothers me and I didn't even know Steven.

Can you imagine what his family is going thru!

My prayers go out to the Watkins family!

http://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/thursday...

more news I found on this. Why can't the answer a simple ?, did they check for gun residue and how could it not affect the investigation if they failed to test the people? This sounds like someone has messed up and they are covering themselves.

another article with more detail.

http://www.sj-r.com/police/x497798731/Coroner...

http://www.sj-r.com/archive/x1060482601/Loved...

I have contacted the Attorney General's office and got a reply back that said they sympathize but John Dahlem is in charge of this case and I'd need to send my concerns to him. I have also contacted several major media sources and as long as his family and I are alive this won't be swept under the rug if I have to stand on the street and protest to get attention I'll do it for Steven and his family. I also gather that since they haven't been officially named as suspects that DCFS doesn't have the authority or willingness whichever it may be to take Sidney from her environment no matter how much his family and friends complain. I haven't been able to get on SJR comments on this article either not sure whats going on there.

As sad as this story is, Steven will get no justice. There should have been an arrest that night, he died trying to see his daughter and the sad part of all of this is, she will never hear anything true or good about the dad that loved her so much! Ive read on other posts that "money talks" and "its all who you know" I totally agree, Steven obviously knew the wrong people and the Shinner family knows the right ones. I believe there is a special place in hell for people like the SKkinners, they just wont be there soon enough to satisfy the people hurt by their actions! Rest In Peace Steven, with angels.

This entire small town should be raising hell with the local authoritys. There is no reason the investigation should go on this long without some word given to this grieving family. What if it was a cop's family? Obviously the police have no experience with a murder investigation, it should be handled by someone who knows what they are doing. While this family is left in limbo, a murderer is allowed to continue to spend time with their family. I see an "self defense" being sought, even tho it says he was shot in the back of the head. Take them all to jail, and I bet someone starts talking. Thanks to the SJR for keeping this story alive.
Condolences to the entire Watkin's family.

I cannot believe Sidney is still with her relation in Ashland. Dcfs should have been called and stepped in the day it happend. My understanding is they remove children from their homes for domestice violence. Wouldn't you think a murder constitutes a touch more than domestic violence. Especially when the murderer is still loose and probabley living in the same home.

outraged in virginia

DCFS in Il is a joke!

They'd probably say, "we'll the little girl wasn't shot, so she wasn't hurt." DCFS doesn't care about the potential dangers.

They don't care if a parent drives a motor vehicle high with a child in the vehicle.

DCFS should stand for "Dont call for your Childs safety. Only call when their about dead!

The Ashland Police department should be the ones insisting that the child be removed and should be contacting DCFS daily. My faith in the justice system is very low at this point Steven is ordered to pick Sidney up at that house, Murdered in the same home, the people are all allowed to leave before his body has even been removed from the house and now Sidney is "Safe" because they don't feel she is in any danger?!? I bet the Judge who court ordered Steven to pick up Sidney at that house thought he was "safe" also and look where that got Steven! Rest in Peace Steven we will not rest until we get justice for you and your girls

KARMA will hopefully eat that family alive! i hope they never in their lives EVER get one minutes of true peace..the mother of his chilren may not have pulled the trigger but she has allowed the person who did this to the father of her children to walk free.. she needs to hang her head in pulic cause she is a total disgrace to the human kind right along with her mother! you can bet your butt! that if this was HER parents having to deal with this crap, it would have been over long ago and steven would be in jail... i can't believe they are letting these people get away with MURDER! how can any of them face those girls into adulthood knowing! what happened to their father and WHO did it.. how can ANY of them say they love these girls when they are causing them grief that not one of them can imagine... they can't care about his girls.. if you were a real parent and loved your children more than life itself, you would make sure they have a great realtionship with both parents..regardless of what she (or HER MOTHER) thought of steven, she obviously loved him enough at one time in his life to marry and have his chilren..was he really such a terrible person cause he loved his girls.. does that really give you the right to take his life...i really feel sorry for those babies.. the people who say they love them are FOREVER LIARS!and are the reason they have had such a tragic childhood.. it will be something they will never forget! i hope you all are proud of yourselves.. you are FOEVER LIARS! and you will have to meet your maker someday..

A news channel is wanting to do more on this story. Does anyone know any of Stevens family members that want to talk with them?

This needs to keep going to bring the person who murdered Steven to justice!

Found this article. Shows there was no testing done for gun shot residue. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out what's going on here!

http://www.sj-r.com/news/x1621260615/Police-s...

Only Sidney belonged to his estranged wife, she never treated Alex as her own and she is one of the greatest little girls you'd ever want to know anyone would have been proud to call her their daughter.

So let me get this straight. I read in the SJR that there was a gun sitting on a box a few feet from the body. O.K. So.... WHOSE FINGER PRINTS WERE ON THE GUN? WHO IS THE GUN REGISTERED TO? WHO HAD THE MOST MOTIVE? WHAT ARE THEY SAYING WHEN THEY ARE ASKED "WHO DID IT?" They all just shout "NOT ME"?!

I hope Boss Hog ,er, I mean Jim Birdbrain reads this and goes "Oh Yeah! I need to figure out the answers to those questions! Maybe that would help me solve the case! Doh! "

Oh and P.S. I hope when re election time comes people will not be dumb enough to re elect his butt!

I think we can safely say that ether, this family has alot of clout in there area,or poor Jim is way way over his head,or maybe both.This seems way to twilight zone to me.A murder and no one cares,hmmmmmmm