Travis Marks dies in fatal Florence road rage shooting
Travis Marks dies in fatal Florence road rage shooting
Fatal Florence road rage shooting death of Stephen Stamates – Obituary.
A Northern Kentucky man, Travis Marks, 45, is facing murder charges for the shooting death of 72-year-old Stephen Stamates during a road rage incident in October 2023. Marks, a resident of Walton, is also charged with wanton endangerment, reckless driving, and menacing, and his trial is scheduled for March before Boone County Circuit Judge James Schrand.
While Marks claims he acted in self-defense, prosecutors have pointed to a previous incident in 2018, where Marks was a person of interest in a similar case. In that earlier situation, a woman reported that Marks had cut her off and subsequently pointed a handgun at her during a confrontation at a traffic light. Although Marks was not charged in that incident, prosecutors argue that the similarities are striking, noting that both situations involved him pulling a gun on drivers who confronted him at stoplights.
In the current case, prosecutors allege that Marks instigated the road rage that led to Stamates’ death. They say the confrontation began when both men were driving on Kentucky Route 18, and Marks accelerated to cut Stamates off as they merged onto Ewing Boulevard. Eyewitnesses reported that Marks drove aggressively, even entering an oncoming turn lane to confront Stamates.
When they reached a red light at the intersection of U.S. Route 42 and Ewing Boulevard, Stamates exited his vehicle and approached Marks, who remained in his car and opened fire. Marks contended that Stamates reached into his vehicle, claiming he felt threatened. However, witnesses dispute this account, stating that Stamates did not enter Marks’ car. An autopsy confirmed that Stamates died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, and forensic evidence suggested he was not close enough to have reached into Marks’ vehicle.
Currently, Marks is held at the Boone County Jail with a bond set at $1 million. A judge has yet to decide whether evidence from the 2018 incident can be introduced at trial.
Travis Marks dies in fatal Florence road rage shooting Fatal Florence road rage shooting death of Stephen Stamates – Obituary. A Northern Kentucky man, Travis Marks, 45, is facing murder charges for the shooting death of 72-year-old Stephen Stamates during a road rage incident in October 2023. Marks, a resident of Walton, is also charged…
Travis Marks dies in fatal Florence road rage shooting Fatal Florence road rage shooting death of Stephen Stamates – Obituary. A Northern Kentucky man, Travis Marks, 45, is facing murder charges for the shooting death of 72-year-old Stephen Stamates during a road rage incident in October 2023. Marks, a resident of Walton, is also charged…