Police say Stephens, whom they had been pursuing for more than 48 hours, appears to have taken his own life.
A tweet posted by Erie, Pennsylvania authorities moments ago revealed that police were in pursuit of Stephens when he apparently decided to commit suicide with gunshot to the head.
"Steve Stephens was spotted this morning by PSP members in Erie County. After a brief pursuit, Stephens shot and killed himself," the tweet reads.
At this point, little is known about Stephens' motives, and unfortunately, many of the questions surrounding this case will likely remain unanswered.
Godwin was a grandfather of fourteen, and several of his family members shared their thoughts with the media in the moments after the world learned of Stephens' death:
"All I can say is that I wish he had gone down in a hail of one hundred bullets," his daughter Brenda Haymon told CNN.
"I wish it had gone down like that instead of him shooting himself."
Another daughter says that while the grief surrounding her father's violent end has been crippling, she and her siblings feel sympathy for Godwin's killer and his family:
"Each one of us forgives the killer, the murderer," said Tonya Godwin Baines.
Godwin, a self-taught mechanic, was taking a walk before Easter Sunday dinner when Stephens approached him and started a conversation which he recorded on his smartphone.
Stephens informed Godwin that he had decided to kill someone at random because he was angry with his girlfriend, telling the victim:
“She's the reason this is about to happen to you.”
Earlier in the video, Stephens claimed to have had taken several lives in the past.
Police have yet to issue a statement addressing whether or not they believe he was telling the truth.
Stephens' recent Facebook posts give insights into a deeply troubled man who earlier in the week complained that he had "lost everything" due to gambling debts.
The Godwin family say they are relieved that the manhunt for Stephens came to an end before he was able to claim another victim.
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