The Death of a Beautiful Woman
On May 9, 2010, the 911 emergency line received a call after gunshots shattered the peace of a residential neighborhood in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
The first responders found the victim, Angel Downs, lying on her driveway with a head wound and a revolver beside her body. Police determined this was a fatal gunshot wound. The bullet had entered through her right temple, killing the victim almost instantly.
Angel Downs had a beautiful appearance, with friends calling her “Barbie”. The 45-year-old worked as a realtor in Gulf Shores and lived in a quiet area near the beach. Loved ones noted that while Angel lived a happy life, she did have heart issues. She was born with a serious heart condition, preventing her from having children.
Police knew Angel had attempted suicide with a mix of sleeping pills and alcohol three years prior. So they questioned whether Angel had shot herself. Police quickly canvassed the surrounding area looking for clues and answers.
Witnesses reported seeing a red pickup truck leaving Angel’s home after the gunshots. Police discovered Angel’s boyfriend, Stephen Nodine, also drove a similar truck.
Just before being shot, Angel had called her sister asking the odd question of where she would shoot an intruder. After the call ended, the worried sister texted Angel, who replied: “Stephen Nodine is here.”
The Affair
Angel’s message and the witness accounts made Stephen a suspect of interest to the police. They began investigating the nature of the couple’s relationship.
In 2004, Angel happened to meet Stephen on the beach at a local traditional event. At that time, Stephen was a prominent and powerful figure in the Mobile County, Alabama government. However, Stephen’s career hit troubles not long before Angel’s death when he was caught with marijuana in his vehicle.
When Stephen met Angel, he was settled in Mobile, living with his wife and son. Angel was also married at the time. Stephen said his marriage was unhappy and strained.
Soon after, the two began an affair. While Angel quickly divorced her husband, Stephen continued living with his wife, keeping the affair secret.
Angel’s friends said Stephen seemed quite kind and polite. The relationship had its ups and downs, with the couple even breaking up a few times. Angel loved Stephen and did not want to remain the “other woman”, so she repeatedly stressed her demand that he divorce his wife to continue the relationship. Stephen promised his lover he would, but ultimately it remained just a promise.
The Deceitful Promise
However, Angel’s close friend revealed that one year into dating, Angel began questioning why it was taking so long to finalize the divorce. After waiting another year, Stephen finally admitted to his lover that he had never filed for divorce.
Stephen said he loved Angel and wanted her, but he also wanted his family. “I wanted to live two separate lives,” Stephen stated.
After Angel’s death on May 9, 2010, Stephen was alerted by a friend that authorities wanted to speak with him, so he arrived at the police station with his lawyer around 10 pm. The man recounted to investigators how his relationship with Angel began and developed into a 6-year affair.
Everything seemed fine until May 9th. Stephen claimed that day, he and Angel and some other friends had an enjoyable time at the beach. Angel looked very happy in photos taken just hours before her death.
The 4-Hour Interview
According to Stephen, there was no argument that day until he dropped Angel off at her house and said he would now return home to his wife. “I figured she was mad,” Stephen said.
But just after leaving, Stephen realized he had left his wallet at Angel’s, so he returned and parked outside her driveway. His truck was still running with the radio on. Stephen said he didn’t see Angel. He went inside to retrieve his wallet and left.
Meanwhile, Angel’s neighbor witnessed Stephen’s truck there before the gunshot and saw him get in and drive away immediately after the shot rang out.
Stephen insisted he didn’t see or hear anything. The man explained his hearing was very poor, plus the radio and air conditioning were on in his truck. “If I had heard the gunshot and seen Angel, I would have stopped and done everything I could to help her.” Stephen adamantly denied shooting his lover, suggesting she may have committed suicide.
On his drive home, Stephen said he stopped at several places including a convenience store, a parking lot where he changed clothes in his truck, and another restaurant to watch a baseball game. Investigators questioned why he needed to change clothes.
At the end of the 4-hour interview, Stephen was released while his truck was impounded for further investigation.
The Suspicious Suicide
At the end of the 4-hour interview regarding Angel Downs’ death, her lover Stephen Nodine was released while his pickup truck was impounded. Stephen’s sand-stained clothes were still in the vehicle.
The suspicious stains on the truck were later determined to not be blood. The subsequent autopsy revealed Angel had alcohol mixed with other prescription drugs in her system. The bullet trajectory and evidence suggested the gun was pressed against her head when fired, consistent with suicide.
Meanwhile, no useful evidence was found on the firearm itself. Additionally, the cut wounds on the victim could not definitively determine if they were defensive injuries or not. The medical examiner’s findings were inconclusive but indicated they could be self-inflicted wounds.
However, Angel’s close friends and family adamantly stated she would not commit suicide, despite her attempt a few years prior by mixing sleeping pills and alcohol.
That was in 2006, when Angel went through a very difficult period realizing Stephen would not leave his wife. But this time was completely different. Angel no longer had those negative thoughts. She had made future plans and was excited about attending a party the night she died. Angel had also made plans to meet her sister the following week.
Moreover, according to loved ones, if Angel intended suicide, her personality was such that she would surely choose a more peaceful way like overdosing on pills and going to sleep. Angel would never shoot herself because she never wanted anyone to find her in such a gruesome state lying bloody in the open for all the neighbors to see.
Conflicting Plans
Witness Ann Myers said she received notice right after the incident from a neighbor who knew she was a nurse. Ann stated she looked at the wound and immediately recognized Angel had suffered a point-blank gunshot wound.
Investigators continued searching, examining letters collected from Angel’s apartment. In them, Stephen professed his love for her and discussed plans to leave his marriage. In another, Angel gave an ultimatum for Stephen to have his wife move into a separate apartment.
Police questioned whether conflicting visions for the couple’s future could have led to suicide or homicide. They did not buy Stephen’s account of what happened at the victim’s home around the time she was shot and also questioned his stated activities afterward.
On May 14th, Stephen was indicted on charges including misuse of state vehicles and marijuana possession. But that would not be the only indictment he faced.
Compounding Charges
Two weeks after Angel’s death, authorities determined her death was not a suicide. Stephen was arrested and charged with murder.
Just prior to Angel’s death, traces of marijuana were found in the state-issued truck assigned to Stephen. Digging deeper into the man’s background, police uncovered a history of drug abuse involving pain medication relating to a back injury he suffered. Stephen admitted to smoking marijuana to manage his pain, which led to a stimulant addiction.
The charges against Stephen kept piling up. He was also charged with illegal firearm possession. Some witnesses told authorities Stephen would often park near Angel’s residence and watch her. From this, prosecutors expanded the indictment to include charges of stalking.
The Controversial Truth
In December 2010, Stephen’s murder trial took place. Authorities presented a wealth of circumstantial evidence. Prosecutors alleged Angel was a victim of her lover, suggesting the crime scene was staged to look like suicide. However, that allegation was countered as inconclusive.
Stephen adamantly maintained his innocence in Angel’s death, only admitting to the other charges. On April 25, 2011, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison for ethics violations.
In a subsequent trial, prosecutors argued who pulled the trigger didn’t matter, because essentially if Angel shot herself, it was due to her lover driving her to it. Stephen was charged with negligent homicide.
With struggling to secure a murder conviction due to lack of physical evidence, prosecutors made a deal with Stephen. On September 7, 2012, Stephen pleaded guilty to the much lesser charge of harassment and making false statements. The murder charge was dismissed.
Ultimately, the man received a 10-year sentence for making false statements, plus 2 years for harassment and ethics violations. Meanwhile, the truth behind Angel’s death remained controversial.
