Stephen L. Ford was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of his girlfriend, Doris A. Korell, nearly 30 years after her body was discovered in a Florida canal in 1996. Korell, 45, was found dead on Dec. 15, 1996, with stab wounds, trauma on her neck and face, and evidence of being stabbed 83 times. The body went unidentified for a year, and the case had gone cold due to lack of physical evidence and leads. Detectives in Manatee County were unaware that Korell had been reported missing after a fight with Ford, who claimed she had gone shopping and then disappeared. Ford denied any involvement in her disappearance or death, but authorities now believe he parked her car at a local mall and wiped it down before moving to Delaware.
During the initial investigation, Ford attempted suicide, left a troubling note addressed to his sons claiming he wanted to be with Korell if she was dead, and allegedly told detectives that he should get the death penalty if he had killed her. However, Ford’s denial of involvement and subsequent move to Delaware changed in 2017 when new information came to light. Acquaintances of Korell reported that she feared Ford and that the troubled couple had domestic and financial issues. Cold case detectives noted that Ford’s behavior early on in the investigation showed a pattern of consciousness of guilt, including deliberate attempts to mislead law enforcement and suicide attempts. Based on this evidence, authorities believe there is probable cause that Ford killed Korell.
Ford, now 72 years old, was taken into custody near his home in Georgetown, Delaware, and extradited to Florida where he was booked into the Manatee County jail on charges of second-degree murder with a weapon. Despite his arrest, Ford did not have an attorney present at the time, and he was quoted as saying that his “past has come up to haunt me” after being taken into custody. The case was reopened in 2017, and investigators were able to gather enough evidence to charge Ford with Korell’s murder nearly 30 years after her death.
Doris A. Korell’s daughter had reported her missing after Ford claimed she had gone shopping following an argument between the couple. Korell’s vehicle was later found at a local mall, leading investigators to believe that Ford had parked it there and wiped it down to remove any evidence. Additionally, Korell’s belongings were found in a secret storage unit that her daughter had not been aware of, indicating that Ford had been hiding important information from her family. This discovery, along with new information from acquaintances of Korell who reported fear of Ford and the troubled couple’s domestic and financial issues, led authorities to further investigate Ford’s potential involvement in Korell’s death.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office highlighted Ford’s deliberate actions and statements to mislead law enforcement, as well as his attempted suicide and troubling note, as evidence of probable cause in Korell’s murder. Cold case detectives noted that Ford showed a clear pattern of consciousness of guilt throughout the investigation. With this new evidence in hand, Ford was finally charged with second-degree murder nearly 30 years after Korell’s body was discovered in a Florida canal. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of reopening cold cases and pursuing justice for victims and their families, even decades after the crime occurred.
