Detectives have charged 52-year-old Tommy Stephens with two counts of sexual assault. Stephens is already incarcerated in the Pinellas County Jail on a charge of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of 34-year-old Jona Waller.
The St. Petersburg Police Department’s investigation into Stephens began on March 17, 2023, when officers were called to the alley south of the 200 block of 37th Street North. There they found Jona Waller, a 34-year-old woman, lying in the alley with multiple stab wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Stephens was arrested a week later, on March 24, 2023, and charged with Waller’s murder.
On May 9, 2023, St. Petersburg Police detectives charged Stephens, with two separate sexual assaults in St. Petersburg. The cases occurred on April 18, 2022, and February 16th, 2023. Both cases involved adult women who were known to him.
According to arrest information, in the April 2022 case, Stephens reportedly followed the victim to the Royal Palms Cemetery and threw her to the ground in an encased tomb. She was eventually able to distract Stephens and flee from him.
The February 2023 case appears to involve forced sexual contact with the victim at a home in St. Petersburg. The arrest affidavit indicates that this was a domestic-related sexual assault
According to detectives, Stephens is believed to have been involved in other violent and/or forced sexual interactions with women. Detectives are urging anyone who has had such an encounter with him to come forward and share their story. They can contact Detective Schwartz at 727-551-3277.
Previously released poster after Waller’s body was found in a St. Petersburg alley.
