A Fla. Man Is Accused of Killing His Wife. Why Is His Son Now Charged in the Case, Too?
Amber Renee Estep, 39, was found dead along a desolate highway in January, with gunshots to her head and face, say police
A Florida man has been accused of killing his wife, whose body was discovered along a desolate state road in January, and now his teenage son has been arrested in connection to her death too.
Amber Renee Estep, 39, was reported missing by her mother on Jan. 19 after missing work, WESH reports. She was last seen on Jan. 16, according to police.
On Jan. 20, her body was found by a property owner “who discovered her lying just off the roadway,” Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said in January, WESH reports.
A pickup truck belonging to her husband, Brian Estep, was found the next day “completely engulfed in flames in Port St. John, Ivey said in January, ClickOrlando reports.
An autopsy found that Amber died from gunshot wounds to the neck and face, according to an investigation report, Florida Today reports.
On March 28, Brian, 42, was arrested by West Virginia State Police and charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, WKMG reports.
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The next day, Brian’s 18-year-old son, Lane Estep, was also arrested in West Virginia, Ivey announced on Facebook.
Lane, who was Amber's stepson, was initially arrested and charged with second-degree arson. He was later charged with two other crimes: accessory after the fact to a capital crime and tampering with evidence, which are both felonies.
He is accused of setting his father’s truck on fire to destroy any evidence of Amber’s alleged murder, police said, ClickOrlando reports.
On April 16, Lane Estep was extradited to Florida and taken to the Brevard County Jail, where he and his father, who was also extradited to Florida, are being held without bail. Both pleaded not guilty.
In his Facebook post on Friday, Ivey said, “Since Amber’s initial disappearance on January 16th, and the finding of her remains on January 20th, our BCSO Homicide Agents and team have been working around the clock locking in all of the potential evidence in the case to make sure all responsible parties were held accountable in this horrific case!!”
“As part of the investigation and to no surprise of anyone, the vehicle fire was clearly deemed arson and prior to that, witnesses had observed Lane Estep helping his father, Brian, thoroughly clean the vehicle in an attempt to dispose of any evidence from the incident.”
He continued, “Despite the efforts of those with evil in their heart to eliminate evidence of their involvement in Amber’s murder, their activities, their movements, and their actions, could not be cleaned up and were slowly brought to light by our Agents, our Crime Analysts, and Crime Scene Unit!!”
In January, Ivey said that Brian allegedly shot Amber during an argument when he accused her of having an affair, ClickOrlando reports.
The man with whom Brian had accused his wife of having the affair said that was false, ClickOrlando reports.
The couple had been arguing after a medical appointment, leading to Brian Estep allegedly dropping her off along Interstate 95, just north of State Road 50, after “she requested to be let out of the vehicle,” Ivey relayed at the time.
Brian’s attorney could not be immediately reached for comment, but he told ClickOrlando his client ”needs to settle in, and he and I are going to have a chance to have a good conversation.”
“In any case this serious, it’s important to wait until all the facts come out rather than jumping to conclusions.”
Lane's attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
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