In a chilling resolution to a gruesome case of family violence, Royce Stewart, a 42-year-old man, admitted to a double murder in a Decatur apartment, pleading guilty to a litany of charges including two counts each of Murder and Felony Murder, three counts of Aggravated Assault, Theft by Taking, and Possession of a Knife During Commission of a Felony. The DeKalb County District Attorney's Office delivered the somber news of the plea, related to the harrowing deaths of Stewart's niece and his sister's fiancé back in March 2018.
The tragedy unfurled when Stewart attacked Manuel Santos, 35, with a blade while the victim was in the bedroom of the Trinity Walk Apartments unit. Royal's sister, caught in a maelstrom of terror, witnessed the attack as she prepared for her day, and received injuries herself while attempting to intervene. Authorities were alerted to the carnage when she dialed 911 in a desperate bid for help. In a desperate attempt to evade capture, Stewart absconded with his sister’s silver Mustang.
Stewart's grisly spree came to an even darker conclusion when police discovered his 14-year-old niece, Shykia Ward, deceased in her bedroom, a victim to multiple stab wounds seemingly at the hands of her own uncle. An intense manhunt followed, resulting in Stewart's arrest the following day. Compounding the tragedy, it was Stewart's sister who, initially believing her daughter to be hiding, would find out the grim reality from law enforcement.
After being deemed mentally unfit for the proceeding the years following his arrest, Stewart was only recently declared competent to stand trial. Justice, though perhaps delayed, was not denied. The Superior Court Judge Tangela Barrie handed down a severe sentence immediately following the guilty plea — life imprisonment plus 35 years. This resolve brings some measure of closure to an ordeal that has haunted the community and the surviving family members.
The prosecution of this harrowing case was spearheaded by Director of Major Crimes Lance Cross and his team, including Assistant District Attorney Emily Donkervoet, with crucial support from District Attorney Investigator Sam Woolwine and Supervising Victim Advocate Ikwo Nyong. The initial investigation by the Decatur Police Department, led by Sgt. Hensel, was integral to piecing together the events of that tragic day.
