In one of the grisliest murders the local Catawba County Sheriff’s Department can recall, a teen roommate used the gay panic defense to justify his alleged ax-and-shotgun murder of an older gay man.
Michael Anderson, 19, of nearby King’s Mountain, is accused of murdering 38-year-old Stephen Starr at about 4:45 a.m. on Monday in the Hickory house they shared.
The Hickory Daily Record reports that Anderson, claiming he “turned straight” during alleged sexual advances by Starr, shot him with a shotgun and pistol, carved words into his body and wrote some others with a pen, before lodging an ax in the victim’s stomach.
“He shot his roommate and took an ax to him,” Catawba County Sheriff Coy Reid told the Daily Record. “It’s one of the nastiest crime scenes I’ve been to.”
The phone call to 911:Operator: Catawba County 911
Caller: Um. I’d like to report something
Operator: Ok. What’s wrong?
Caller: Um. I took some pills and um the pills made me go mad and um I murdered my roommate.
Operator: You murdered your roommate?
Caller: Yes
Operator: What do you mean you murdered your roommate?
Caller: I shot him three times and then I used an axe and mutilated his body.
Operator: And where is your roommate now? Are you still in the house with him?
Caller: Yes, I’m right here beside him.
Operator: What’s your name?
Caller: Michael Anderson
Operator: OK Michael. What did you take that made you do this?
Caller: I took, I OD'd on Mucinex DM. The Dextromethorphan makes me feel a little weird. I took too many.
Operator: What is your roommate’s name?
Caller: Stephen Starr
Operator: And you said you shot him?
Caller: Yes
Operator: Ok. Where is the gun at now?
Caller: In my hand.
Operator: In your hand?
Caller: Yes.
Operator: OK. I need you to put the gun somewhere. Ok?
Caller: I don’t know what to do now.
Operator: Listen, I’m going to stay on the phone with you ok?
Caller: Oh God. I don’t know what to do now.
Operator: What part of the house are you in?
Caller: I'm in the master bedroom
Operator: OK. Where is your roommate at?
Caller: He's in his bed.
Operator: OK. I want. Can you take the gun and put it on the floor and go to like, is the living room where your front door is?
Caller: Um, no.
Operator: Ok. Where's your front door at? What part of the house?
Caller: Um. Right as you walk off the master bedroom you turn right, uh left.
Operator: OK
Caller: And the front door's right there.
Operator: Ok. Can you lay the gun down on the floor?
Caller: Uh. Um.,
Operator: I don't want you to have a gun in your hand ok? Can you lay it down on the floor?
Caller: Uh. I don't know what to do now.
Operator: Ok. I'm going to help you. Ok? But what I need you to do is put that gun down.
Caller: Oh Lord.I don't know why I did it
Operator: Ok. Well we're going to get you some help. Ok?
Caller: I stopped taking my meds for ADHD when I was like 17 but I didn't think it would matter.
Operator: OK that's ok.. I'm going to help you.
Caller: I started getting real bad on drugs and ... and then I killed my roommate. I can't believe I just killed my roommate. My life is ruined.
Operator: OK. I need you to put that gun down Ok? And I need you to, can you put it on the floor?
Caller: Alright.
Operator: OK. Are you on a cordless phone or a cell phone that you can walk around the house?
Caller: Yes.
Operator: OK. I want you to go to the room where the front door is ok?
Caller: Alright.
Operator: Ok. What room is that? Is that a kitchen or what is it?
Caller: It's kind of like a living room dining room.
Operator: Ok. Is there a place for you to sit down there?
Caller: There's a chair right at the front door.
Operator: Ok. Sit down in the chair. I want you to tell me and promise me that you do not have gun or anything in your hands. No weapons.
Caller: No ma'am.
Operator: OK. I want you to sit down in that chair. Ok?
Caller: Yes ma'am.
Operator: I'm going to get some help out there for you alright?
Caller: Oh.. and um ma'am? (pause) I did some things to his body that you don't want them to see.
Operator: Ok well. I've got you some help on the way out there, OK?
Caller: They're not going to know who it is.
Operator: OK I need you to stay on the phone with me til they get there. OK?
Caller: I need to go to a mental hospital, too.
Operator: We're going to get you some help. Alright? We're going to get you some help. I promise.
Caller: Ok.
Operator: Ok? Just try to calm down.
Caller: I think I'm having a panic attack.
Operator: Ok. What you need to do is take a deep breath and calm down.
Operator: Did you and your roommate get into an argument. Or this just happened?
Caller: Um. We met at an um…I went to um. I was straight and I wanted to go bisexual and just to experiment and I went to a gay club and I met him and I went to his house. And he took me in. I turned straight again and he wanted to touch me and stuff and I wouldn't let him and he kept trying and I waited until he went to sleep and then I shot him three times and then I mutilated him very badly and I'm sorry.
Operator: We're going to get you some help. Ok?
Caller: Oh God. Please help me.
Operator: Do you have anybody else in the house with you?
Caller: No ma'am
Operator: Ok. Stay on the phone with me.
Caller: Yes ma'am.
Caller then gives address and explains directions to the house.
Caller: There will be a yellow truck and there will be wood out there that I was chopping. And the axe. I'm sorry ma'am but the axe is inside his stomach.
Operator: Ok. I want you to stay on the phone with me. But you said you do not have any weapons with you correct?
Caller: No.
Operator: Ok. I just don't want you to have any weapons in your hands ok?
Caller: Ok.
Caller: I'm sorry to ruin your night, ma'am.
Operator: Do what?
Caller: I'm sorry to ruin your night.
Operator: You're fine. We're going to get you some help. Ok?
Caller: I've got blood all over my hands…
Operator: I want you to stay where you are. Ok? Just stay sitting in the chair. Take some deep breaths. We've got you some help on the way.
Caller: Here come the police.
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