When the 32-year-old director Steven Davis was shot dead in his own apartment, the police may not have been able to solve the case if it weren’t for Steven’s mother. The case caused a stir in the Philippines in 2002 due to the circumstances surrounding an unfaithful wife and a determined, devoted mother.
The “Mismatched” Couple
Steven Davis (32 years old) was the youngest of three children, with two older sisters. When Steven was 14, his father passed away. From then on, Steven devoted most of his time to taking care of his mother and sisters.
Steven studied diligently and lived very responsibly. At age 21, Steven left England to work in the software industry in Hong Kong. Not long after, he moved to the Philippines and established his own software development company.
Steven was described as handsome, tall, and charming. He enjoyed spending time with friends and entertainment at bars and strip clubs. It was here that Steven met Evelyn, a girl whose background and education were the opposite of his.
Evelyn was a beautiful girl from a poor family. To help support her family, she was forced to become a bar dancer at age 13. When she first met Steve at 15 years old, Evelyn was trapped in a difficult and dangerous life working at a strip club.
When Steven first met Evelyn, he was immediately impressed. The two began dating soon after. Two years later, when Steven was 26 and Evelyn just 17, they got married. However, Steven thought Evelyn was 21 as she had claimed. Evelyn even used her sister’s information to legally get married.
Steven paid the nightclub owner 500 British pounds to “buy” Evelyn’s freedom. He promised her that he would never let her return to her previous life. He would protect her, just as he had done for his mother and sisters after his father’s death.
The Unexpected Wedding
However, not everyone was pleased with the wedding. Steven’s mother, Margaret Davis, was one of them. She did not expect her son to marry a former strip dancer who came from a vastly different background and education level. But seeing how truly in love her son was with Evelyn, she did not stand in the way of their relationship.
As time passed, the couple had two children in succession. When their daughter Jessica was born, Steven began providing Evelyn with a regular allowance for her own finances. Evelyn set aside a portion to send to her family. Steven also often gave valuable gifts to Evelyn’s family. He did everything to make his wife happy.
When their second child, a lively son named Joshua, was born, Margaret joyfully accepted this relationship and frequently visited her grandchildren. She even invested quite a bit of money into Steven’s business ventures. She wanted to ensure that Steven and his little family would be secure as his business prospered.
On the surface, Evelyn and Steven’s life seemed truly perfect. However, it all came crashing down on one hot summer night in 2002.
The Sudden Death
On the night of July 17, 2002, Steven Davis was with two colleagues in their office, which was an apartment in Makati City. Steven lived with his wife and children in Angeles City, about 3 hour’s drive from the office, but he often stayed at the office during weekdays to attend parties with business partners.
Suddenly, a loud noise erupted, and the front door of the apartment burst open. Three armed men rushed inside.
They entered the first room and pointed their guns at one of Steven’s colleagues, Martin, asking if he was Steven. When Martin shook his head, the three strangers moved to the next room. There, they saw Steven and quickly fired multiple shots into his chest before disappearing. The two colleagues called the police and rushed Steven to the hospital, but he had died.
Initially, the police considered the theory that the killer was related to Steven Davis’s business, possibly a colleague or competitor seeking revenge. But if that were the case, why did they only shoot Steven and spare the other two? Moreover, one of the colleagues had seen the killers. This was also not a robbery, as the group of assassins did not take anything. They were solely targeting Steven.
They acted swiftly and professionally, leaving the police with no significant leads other than the spent casings at the scene.
The Mother’s Suspicion
Two days after Steven’s death, Margaret Davis – Steven’s mother – received a call that no mother wants to hear. The caller was Martin. He was very surprised that Margaret was unaware of what had happened to her son. Evelyn – Steven’s wife – had not yet told her mother-in-law about Steven’s death. Margaret was equally surprised. Why hadn’t Evelyn called her? If her son had been murdered, his wife should have been the one to inform her, not a friend.
With the investigation at a standstill, Margaret Davis grew impatient. Margaret had to go to the place where her son had been killed if she wanted answers. So Margaret and her husband Alan hurriedly made their way to the Philippines. Less than a week after the murder, Margaret was by her daughter-in-law and grandchildren’s side. She also began closely following the police investigation.
Initially, Margaret suspected Martin’s involvement because the killers could have easily entered the apartment and committed the crime. As soon as she set foot in the Philippines, Martin was the first person she sought out. However, during their conversation, Margaret believed Martin was telling the truth. Martin was still severely traumatized from facing the killers and witnessing his friend’s death. It was clear that Martin was also a victim of the murder, just in a different way.
After meeting Martin, Margaret and her husband went to their daughter-in-law Evelyn, who was staying at the place where Steven’s funeral was being held. On the way, she imagined a grieving widow crying uncontrollably and prepared herself to console her daughter-in-law. However, Margaret was utterly surprised when she entered the funeral room. Evelyn appeared cold and distant. She did not shed a tear over her husband’s death. The first thing Evelyn said to her mother-in-law was that she needed money. Margaret felt stunned. But that was not all.
The Suspicious Daughter-in-Law
Before the death of her son Steven Davis, Margaret Davis was utterly surprised by the attitude of her daughter-in-law, Evelyn. Evelyn appeared cold and distant. She did not shed a tear. The first thing Evelyn said to her mother-in-law was that she needed money.
When Margaret expressed a desire to stay at her son and daughter-in-law’s house instead of a hotel to be closer to her grandchildren, Evelyn disagreed, claiming her relatives were already there, so there would be no room for Margaret and her husband.
At this point, Margaret’s suspicion began to grow. Believing something was amiss, the next day, Margaret unexpectedly visited her son’s house and was surprised to find only Evelyn there, with no sign of the grandchildren, maid, or Evelyn’s relatives as she had claimed.
Furthermore, during their conversation, Evelyn mentioned that the killers had been in the apartment for about 20 minutes. This once again made Margaret feel perplexed. How could Evelyn know that, since Martin – who was with Steven Davis when he was shot – had not told anyone about how long the killers were in the apartment? Now, Margaret believed Evelyn was involved in the incident.
After Evelyn gave birth to two children, Margaret noticed her daughter-in-law becoming increasingly lazy. Due to Steven’s high income, Evelyn rarely did housework and preferred going to entertainment venues.
Margaret expressed her concerns to the police, but at that time, they still believed this was a crime related to Steven’s business, not a family dispute.
With the investigation at a standstill, Margaret grew restless and hired a private investigator to look into the case separately.
The Dark Marriage
From conversations with Steven before his death, Margaret knew that Steven’s marriage was going through a difficult phase. Steven gave Evelyn a lot of money each month, but on many occasions, she failed to pay the bills. Steven also told his mother that he had lost some money and suspected Evelyn’s involvement. Recently, Steven had cut off Evelyn’s allowance.
Margaret and the investigator found a pawn shop receipt for Evelyn’s wedding ring. Evelyn had pawned it a few days before Steven was killed.
From this, Margaret and the investigator formed their hypothesis and began inquiring from people who knew the couple. Determined to find answers, Margaret even relocated to the Philippines to coordinate more closely with the investigator. And they uncovered a great deal, including the dark truth about her son’s marriage and her daughter-in-law’s behavior.
In the months leading up to Steven’s murder, Evelyn began acting strangely. She would suddenly disappear, leaving the two children home alone or with the maid. Evelyn was also constantly glued to her mobile phone, texting, and rarely spent time in the room with her husband.
Evelyn did not sleep with her husband. Some of Steven’s friends told Margaret that during the times when Steven stayed at the office, Evelyn would often go out with another man.
Finally, the truth came to light. Evelyn had been having an affair with a man working as a security guard. Steven had discovered this right before he was shot dead.
The Scheming Wife
During the process of investigating her son Steven Davis’s death along with the private investigator, Margaret Davis learned that her daughter-in-law Evelyn had been having an affair with a man working as a security guard.
Steven had discovered his wife’s infidelity right before being shot dead, on a day when he was dropping off their daughter at school. When he arrived, the teacher there said his daughter was not registered to attend that school. However, Steven clearly remembered telling his wife to enroll their daughter and had even given her a large sum of money for the tuition fees. It turned out that Evelyn had used that money for her lover instead. At this point, Steven had cut off Evelyn’s allowance and demanded that she learn a trade to earn money or attend university to improve her education.
Margaret and the investigator also discovered that if Steven died, Evelyn would inherit all of his assets.
Believing they were on the right track, Margaret and the investigator began monitoring Evelyn while searching for evidence to convince the police to consider their hypothesis.
They compiled a list of names and photographs of the people Evelyn frequently interacted with, then showed it to Steven’s friend Martin. Since Martin had faced the killers on the night Steven was shot, Margaret hoped he could identify them.
Holding the photographs, Martin stared at them intently. His face gradually changed expression, and he pointed to three of the pictures. They were three men, one of whom was Arnold Adoray – Evelyn’s lover. This alone gave Margaret sufficient evidence that Evelyn was involved in her son’s death.
The killers did not break in but used a key, so Margaret believed Evelyn had provided the key to her lover and his group. Margaret thought Evelyn had planned this long ago in order to inherit Steven’s assets and enjoy a wealthy life with her lover.
When Margaret asked about these men, Evelyn claimed not to know or have ever met them before. Of course, Margaret knew her daughter-in-law was lying because the investigator had taken a photograph showing Evelyn with this group.
The Cruel Mother
Based on the information Margaret provided, the police arrested two of the three suspects: Arnold Adoray – Evelyn’s lover, and a security guard named Alexander Dagami.
However, the police were concerned that Margaret and her husband, along with Steven’s two children, would not be safe in the Philippines until all suspects were apprehended. They needed to return to England, but little Joshua – Steven’s son – was still with his mother. If Margaret wanted to take Joshua to England, she needed Evelyn’s permission.
After 6 difficult weeks of negotiation, Margaret finally paid Evelyn the amount she demanded in exchange for allowing Joshua to go to England and stay with his grandmother. When staff from the British Embassy in the Philippines came to pick up Joshua, they noticed the boy had been abused by Evelyn and her family. Joshua was malnourished and suffering from some infectious diseases. The cruel mother had tied her son to a tree for many days to ensure he could not run away.
Evelyn had now gone into hiding, so the police could not question her about the child abuse or her role in Steven’s murder. Martin – the sole witness to the murder – was also terrified for his life and refused to testify.
Faced with the risk of being unable to prosecute the case, the police decided to hunt down the third shooting suspect, a man named Robin Butas who was also Evelyn’s brother-in-law. Months later, the police located Robin hiding in a forest area. As before, Margaret agreed to fund the travel expenses for the police to search for the suspect.
The Truth Unveiled
Months after the murder of Steven Davis, the police apprehended the third suspect, a man named Robin Butas. This man not only confessed to participating in Steven’s killing along with the two men already in custody but also confirmed that Evelyn Davis – Steven’s wife – was the mastermind behind it all.
Hoping for a reduced sentence, Robin cooperated with the police in the investigation. He revealed that Evelyn had convinced the three men that once her husband was dead, she would become extremely wealthy. She would help them have a better life and escape poverty.
Evelyn had meticulously planned her husband’s murder. She provided the killers with the keys to Steven’s company office. Evelyn even drove the shooting group to the location and waited in the car nearby while her husband was being brutally killed in the upstairs apartment.
Evelyn had managed to flee before the police issued an arrest warrant, but they eventually found and arrested her for murder.
The prosecution determined that Evelyn had motives for the crime. She was having an affair and no longer had feelings for her husband. Additionally, Steven’s demand that she learn a trade and earn money had angered her. Coupled with that, Steven had stopped giving her money, so Evelyn could no longer support her lover or indulge in her lavish habits.
The Mother’s Journey
In February 2004, 18 months after Steven Davis was murdered, the two hitmen, Alexander Dagami and Arnold Adoray, were convicted of murder and each sentenced to 30 years in prison. Meanwhile, Robin Butas’s sentence was reduced due to his confession.
On November 25, 2004, Evelyn’s trial took place. Margaret Davis – Steven’s mother – also attended. She said she took no pleasure in seeing her daughter-in-law behind bars for killing her son. She also told the court that she did not want to see Evelyn receive the death penalty. In the end, Evelyn was sentenced to 40 years in prison with no possibility of parole.
During the trial, Steven and Evelyn’s son stayed with his grandparents, while their daughter lived with Margaret Davis and her husband in England. Margaret later negotiated and paid Evelyn’s family to gain custody of both children.
To find her son’s killer, Margaret Davis had to pay a hefty price. She not only paid for a private investigator but also funded travel expenses for the police in their search for the suspects, as well as regaining custody of her two grandchildren. Afterward, she continued sending money to Evelyn’s parents, who had provided information that helped convict their daughter. To do all this, Margaret had to sell her house and nearly deplete her life savings.
When asked why she decided to investigate herself, Margaret said, “Any mother would do the same in that situation.” With her determination and perseverance, she ensured that those responsible for her son’s death were apprehended and would spend most of their lives in prison for the crime they committed. Margaret would never see her son again, but she could see Steven’s face in her grandchildren.
