A Norfolk jury convicted 53-year-old Steven Lamar Kelly of second-degree murder in the 2025 stabbing death of 55-year-old Stephanie Paula Branch. Jurors deliberated for about four hours after three days of testimony. Kelly’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 22, 2027.
Prosecutors said Kelly and Branch were together on the night of July 19, 2025, when they and a third person met to buy and use crack cocaine. After the third person went home, Kelly and Branch remained in the car Kelly was driving. Investigators have said Kelly was the last person known to have been with Branch, according to 13News Now.
Investigators have not determined exactly when or where Branch was stabbed. The car arrived around 3:55 a.m. on July 20 at a Hampton Roads Transit bus stop beneath the Norfolk Tide light rail station near Brambleton and Park avenues, according to the station’s reporting.
Surveillance Footage Reviewed at Trial
Trial footage showed Kelly leave the car, return, and then leave the area, 13News Now reported. The car remained at the bus stop, blocking the lane, until the following night, when a Norfolk police officer responding to an abandoned-vehicle report found Branch unresponsive and covered in blood in the back seat.
An autopsy found that Branch had more than 15 stab wounds and defensive injuries, according to the station’s report. Norfolk Police identified her as the woman killed on East Brambleton Avenue. WAVY News later reported on loved ones’ comments about Branch and her death.
Forensic Evidence in the Case
Prosecutors said investigators found blood-stained basketball shorts at Kelly’s home and forensic testing found the blood was consistent with Branch’s DNA. Kelly eventually turned himself in and spoke with detectives, but denied knowing Branch’s body was in the car, according to the same account.
Kelly pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and chose a jury trial. After hearing testimony and evidence from October 27 through 29, 2026, jurors found him guilty of second-degree murder rather than the first-degree charge.
Norfolk’s Homicide Total in 2025
Norfolk Police Department reported 26 homicides in 2025, a 30% decrease from the previous year. That citywide statistic provides context but does not speak to the circumstances of Branch’s case, according to the department.
What Comes Next for Kelly
Kelly's sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 22, 2027. Under Virginia law, second-degree murder carries a punishment of confinement in a state correctional facility for not less than five nor more than forty years, though that statutory range does not determine what sentence Kelly will actually receive. The case was first reported publicly by Norfolk Police following the discovery of Branch's body on East Brambleton Avenue.
