Stephen Clare Pleads Guilty to 2023 Family Capital Murder, Accepts Life Sentence

Stephen Michael Clare pleaded guilty Friday to capital murder and two additional charges in the April 10, 2023 attack that killed his 11-month-old daughter, Willow Gardner, and injured his ex-wife and another child. Presiding Judge Joel Perez read the terms of the plea in Bexar County’s 437th Criminal District Court; Clare was called at 9:55 a.m. and officially entered his guilty pleas at 10:02 a.m.

Prosecutors and court filings tied the April 10 incident to an Alamo Heights home where Mariah Gardner, identified in court as Clare’s ex-wife, said an argument over a gun escalated. Mariah Gardner was shot in the chest during the incident; two infants were stabbed, and 11-month-old Willow did not survive her injuries. The other daughter, Rosalie, was also attacked and survived. Clare was taken into custody shortly after the attack at a home in the 1500 block of Haskin Drive, described in court filings as about 1.5 miles from the Robinhood Place scene.

Courtroom details recorded by staff reporters show Clare wearing a red jumpsuit, eyes open and head bowed, as Judge Perez read the plea terms aloud and Clare agreed. Victim impact statements were read during the hearing; Mariah Gardner’s remarks were among them. “Just to hear it out loud was incredibly painful,” said Mariah Gardner Clare's Ex-Wife. “Every memory, every court appearance, everything I felt - I was feeling all at once,” said Gardner. “This was the best outcome,” said Gardner.

The three counts entered at the Feb. 27 hearing were capital murder, attempted murder of a child under 10 years old, and aggravated assault as reported in the plea paperwork presented to Judge Perez. Under the plea, Clare faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. Mariah Gardner told reporters and the court she believes Clare accepted the plea deal to avoid the death penalty.

Investigative testimony from San Antonio Police Department Sgt. Christopher Lloyd at a Feb. 6 hearing outlined the department’s use of multiple warrants to collect evidence after the April 2023 attack. Police records and prosecutor statements in court noted that the gun used to shoot Mariah Gardner was not initially recovered at the crime scene but was later recovered after law enforcement efforts and warranted searches.

Photographs and video from the Feb. 27 hearing circulated alongside coverage; newsroom asset lists include files labeled BRAD SIMPSON PRETRIAL_frame_251062.jpeg and STEPHEN CLARE COURT HEARING_frame_22678.jpeg among others. Newsrooms also referenced a statement from Joe Gonzales following the guilty plea; the text of that statement was not provided in court materials released to reporters.

With the guilty pleas entered and the terms read by Judge Perez, Clare will serve life behind bars for the April 10, 2023 family attack that left 11-month-old Willow Gardner dead and two other family members wounded. “Just knowing he will be in the prison system for the rest of his life, however long that may be, is good enough for me,” said Gardner.