BATON ROUGE — A woman caught in a violent domestic situation ultimately lost her life at the hands of her dating partner, 28-year-old Steven Heinrich. He died shortly after killing her, but the tragedy has raised a serious question: Should Heinrich have ever been released from jail, especially since New York authorities had issued a nationwide hold for him roughly a week before the murder-suicide?
Nov. 4, 2025: Heinrich “had been beating on her all day”
Just before 9 p.m. on Nov. 4, 2025, Baton Rouge Police officers responded to an apartment in the 12000 block of Old Hammond Hwy. for a disturbance call. According to court records, the victim, now identified as Stasy Charles, told officers that her boyfriend, Steven Heinrich, “had been beating on her all day.”
The pair had been dating for about a year. She said they did not live together because Heinrich lived in New York.
The responding officer documented visible cuts on Charles’ body. When questioned, Heinrich claimed Charles attacked him first and he was only defending himself. He was arrested and charged with one count of battery of a dating partner.
The following day, Heinrich went before 19th JDC Commissioner Kinasiyumki “Kina” Kimble. She set his bond at $2,500 along with three conditions:
- A protective order must be in effect before he could be released
- He must have no contact with the victim
- He could not possess or attempt to obtain any firearm or ammunition while under the bond order
The question then becomes why was Heinrich issued a $2,500 bond only? UWK was unable to verify if judges and commissioners are able to see protective orders that are filed outside of Louisiana, but District Attorney Hillar Moore says he did have an assistant district attorney who informed the court of Heinrich’s prior cases in New York and his prior conviction.
UWK did reach out to Commissioner Kimble for a comment on why the bond amount was only set at $2,500. Her office directed us to calling criminal records.
Officials say Heinrich was served with the protective order within 24 hours of his arrest, but UWK has yet to find any documentation of a protective order. Around 11 p.m. on Nov. 6, 2025, he was released from the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.
Ramming her vehicle, stabbing her to death, then setting himself on fire
On Nov. 13, 2025, around 2 a.m., officers returned to the same apartment complex where the earlier disturbance occurred. They found Charles lying in the parking lot with “several large stab wounds.” She was rushed to a hospital but died during surgery.
Investigators learned Heinrich had rammed Charles’ vehicle with his own, forcibly pulled her from her car, and stabbed her repeatedly. He fled, then intentionally drove into the oncoming lane of traffic, hitting another vehicle head-on, investigators said.
Sitting in his car after the crash, Heinrich “lit himself on fire,” according to BRPD. Officers extinguished the flames, and he was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
He died the following day.
MORE: Man who lit himself on fire after allegedly stabbing woman has now died
At first glance, with both the victim and suspect deceased, the case seemed closed. But an UWK investigation uncovered new questions about whether Heinrich should have been released from jail to begin with because New York authorities had issued a nationwide extradition hold for him.
Released despite a nationwide hold
UWK has learned that after Heinrich’s Nov. 4 arrest in Baton Rouge, Charles contacted another woman, a New York resident and previous domestic violence victim of Heinrich. She allegedly alerted the New York victim that Heinrich had been arrested. That prompted New York authorities to issue a nationwide extradition hold.
A nationwide hold means any law enforcement agency currently detaining the individual is prohibited from releasing them, even if the person has made bond, because they are wanted in another jurisdiction.
UWK confirmed Heinrich was on probation in New York and had an active bench warrant for failing to appear in a Westchester County courtroom. Local law enforcement also says Heinrich had six out-of-state protective orders from different women.
The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office tells UWK their policy is to run a check in the National Crime Information Center database (NCIC) before initiating the release of an inmate. In this particular case, EBRSO says their deputy did not follow protocol and only checked their local database, but never checked the national NCIC. He is now being written up, per EBRSO.
According to the DA and our internal review, the deputy relied solely on local database checks during the release.
Based on the information available, the individual was not listed in NCIC at that time in the release process the individual was being searched and verified, so it would not have altered the release decision based on the Commissioner signing the bond for $2,500. However, the deputy is being written up and will go before the disciplinary board for failing to follow the full verification protocol and is being retrained.
The central issue now is timing: When the nationwide hold entered into the National Crime Information Center database, the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office says had the deputy run the national search prior to starting the bonding process, Heinrich’s name was not in the system at that time.
Timeline of events
- Nov. 4, 2025 – 9 p.m.: Heinrich arrested, accused of beating girlfriend
- Nov. 5, 2025 – 9:40 a.m.: The East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney’s Office contacts Stasy Charles. She denies prior incidents of abuse and did not mention the stalking.
- Nov. 5, 2025 – 9:50 a.m.: Commissioner Kimble finds probable cause for battery of a dating partner
- Nov. 5, 2025 – 1:00 p.m.: Commissioner Kimble sets bond at $2,500. The District Attorney’s Assistant District Attorney did advise the court of prior cases in New York and his prior conviction.
- Nov. 6, 2025 – 4:30 p.m.: The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office initiated Heinrich’s release paperwork following bond set by local commissioner.
- Nov. 6, 2025 – 4:39 p.m.: According to the district attorney’s timeline, New York authorities entered their warrant and extradition hold into NCIC. EBRSO says it checks NCIC before initiating a release, not during the time between the start of paperwork and the actual release.
- Nov. 6, 2025 – 6:29 p.m.: Hold warrant is officially in the NCIC
- Nov. 6, 2025 – 11:03 p.m.: Heinrich was officially released from EBR Parish Prison.
- Nov. 7, 2025 – 9:12 a.m.: BRPD completes welfare check
- Nov. 13, 2025 – 2 a.m.: Charles stabbed in parking lot of apartment
After realizing Heinrich had been released, New York’s Probation & Parole contacted Baton Rouge Police to request a welfare check on Charles.
“We dispatched two officers out to speak to Ms. Charles after the arrest,” Baton Rouge Police Chief T.J. Morse told UWK. “She said she was aware the suspect had been released from prison and that he had not had any contact with her and she had no reason to be in fear at that time. We relayed that information back to the requesting agency in New York.”
Chief Morse said he learned Heinrich had been released immediately following Charles’ murder. Police are not notified when inmates are bonded out, he explained. Officers do complete a victim notification form to the prison, which he said happened in this case, and the victim is notified by the jail once the suspect is released.
“It’s a shame in this case it appears the criminal justice system may have failed Ms. Charles,” Morse added. “In a lot of cases, we have found that commissioners who set the bonds do not do their due diligence in keeping people who don’t belong on the streets, off the streets.”
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