The father of a confessed killer — who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder and dismemberment of his next-door neighbor — created a GoFundMe page seeking “justice” for him in the form of an appeal.
“Stephen has been separated from his family for the past 7 years,” read the campaign description before the entire page was taken down on Wednesday night.
“He lost three grandparents and was deprived the privilege of seeing and being a part of his brother and sisters’ lives,” it said, noting how admitted murderer Stephen McDaniel has been behind bars since his 2011 arrest in Georgia.
“All monetary support will be used for his benefit and will be greatly appreciated by both Stephen and his family.”
The GoFundMe page was reportedly started by McDaniel’s father, Mark McDaniel, on July 12 with a goal of $5,000. He wasn’t even able to raise a cent before it was taken down on Wednesday night.
Asked about the fundraising effort, family members of McDaniel’s victim, Lauren Giddings — whom he knew from Mercer University law school — called it “ridiculous.”
“Pathetic and delusional would be other choice words,” Giddings’ sister, Kaitlyn Wheeler, told the Macon Telegraph.
McDaniel admitted on the eve of his 2014 trial that he strangled Giddings, dismembered her body and then dumped the remains into garbage cans. He was reportedly obsessed with the young woman and would often look for nude photos of her online, while also searching for ways to “molest sleeping girls” on Google.
The pair lived next-door to each other in Macon and both had law classes together.
McDaniel — who is serving life in prison, but with the possibility of parole — confessed to murdering Giddings on June 26, 2011. Four days later, when she was reported missing, he was interviewed by a local news station about her possible whereabouts.
“No one has seen her since Saturday,” he said, identifying himself as a neighbor. “I haven’t seen anything.”
Asked about what type of person she is, McDaniel replied: “She’s as nice as can be. Very personable, very much a people person.”
Questioned further about any possible enemies she might have had, he mumbled and said: “No…uhhh, we don’t know where she is. The only thing we can think is maybe she went out running and someone snatched her.”
The reporter goes on to ask McDaniel about the discovery of Giddings’ body “in the parking lot area” — prompting him to have a visible breakdown on camera.
“I think I need to sit down,” he says.
According to reports, McDaniel had already been named a person of interest at the time of the interview. He is scheduled to appear at a hearing next month for his appeal request.
“The purpose of [the GoFundMe page] is to gather funds for legal expenses for [McDaniel] who seeks justice through a habeas corpus hearing in August,” his dad writes. “[The hearing] will determine whether he will be reunited with his family, will be granted a new trial, or will be denied his day in court.”
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