Stephen Mark Peterman Death – The Travis County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) has disclosed the identity of the victim in a homicide that occurred on May 20, along with additional details regarding the early morning shooting incident. In an official arrest affidavit, TCSO confirmed that the victim was Stephen Mark Peterman, aged 49.
A TCSO deputy discovered Peterman at approximately 4 a.m. on Amarillo Avenue, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, as detailed in the affidavit. Despite efforts to save his life, they were unfortunately unsuccessful. The detective from TCSO who filed the affidavit noted a work vehicle with a broken window at the scene. This vehicle was later identified by the victim’s wife as Peterman’s work vehicle, suggesting a possible burglary.
According to TCSO, Peterman’s wife mentioned that her husband would often take their elderly dog outside early in the morning. The affidavit also mentioned that a neighbor’s surveillance camera recorded the sound of six gunshots, followed by a red hatchback speeding away. Six .45-caliber casings were recovered near Peterman’s body.
William Jewel Daniels, aged 36, was arrested by TCSO in connection to the shooting on the afternoon of May 20. Daniels was charged with one count of murder.
As per a TCSO affidavit, Daniels was identified through a palm print match in law enforcement databases. Detectives conducted a search in the license plate reader database, which showed Daniels’ red 2012 Hyundai Veloster approximately two miles away from Amarillo Avenue at 4:08 a.m.
TCSO requested the vehicle’s lien holder to provide GPS tracking information. The detective mentioned that Daniels had contacted the lien holder multiple times between 7:30 a.m. and noon to report the vehicle as stolen and request a tracker ping.
Deputies located the vehicle at the Spicewood Springs Branch of the Austin Public Library, two miles from Peterman’s residence. They apprehended Daniels as he entered the vehicle, 12 hours after Peterman’s tragic demise.