Man covered in blood turns himself in to police after killing mother of 8

A Florida man wanted for the murder of his wife turned himself in to police this weekend, covered in blood and nearly 200 miles away from the crime scene, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Marco Stephens, 29, approached a Pasco County Sheriff’s deputy at a gas station on Saturday morning.

Stephens reportedly had blood “all over the front of his clothes” when he made contact with the law enforcement officer, who was in the process of leaving a RaceTrac gas station near Tampa.

Stephens said he wanted to kill himself but instead chose to turn himself in.

The sheriff’s deputy subsequently arrested Stephens, who has been charged in connection with the murder of his wife, 34-year-old Ashley Stephens.

Detectives from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office later transported Stephens back to their jurisdiction.

Ashley Stephens was found dead early Saturday morning in an apartment complex parking lot, according to WJAX-TV.

Police were notified shortly before 12:30 a.m. that gunshots were fired in the vicinity.

Stephens had been driving the victim’s vehicle when he was detained.

Ashley Stephens’ cousin, Yucona Mosley, told the television station she’s heartbroken.

“If felt like a lot of pain,” Mosley said. “And I felt like, I don’t know, somebody was really crushing my heart.”

Ashley and Marco Stephens were reportedly estranged; Ashley was the mother of eight children, according to WTLV-TV.

Court records show Ashley Stephens had sought a temporary restraining order against Marco Stephens in December 2017; Neither of them appeared at a hearing on the matter two weeks later, according to WJAX-TV.

WTLV-TV also reports that Marco Stephens has a criminal record, including one charge of domestic violence.

Ashley Stephens’ family has created a GoFundMe account to help support her children.

[Feature image: Ashley Stephens/GoFundMe]