A Texas man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the “horrific” murder of his 11‑month‑old daughter and the attack on his other daughter and ex‑wife. Stephen Clare, 53, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the “brutal capital murder” of Willow Gardner, the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office announced this week. He also received another life sentence for the attempted capital murder of his then‑2‑year‑old daughter, Rosalie Gardner, and the aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury to his former wife, then‑29‑year‑old Mariah Gardner.
Guilty plea and “no appeal” deal
Clare pleaded guilty to all charges on Friday before his sentencing. Under the plea agreement, the DA’s office said he “will spend the remainder of his life in prison with no opportunity to appeal.” First Assistant District Attorney Tamara Strauch added that while “no sentence can ever restore or erase the suffering endured from the loss of Willow,” the case has brought “a measure of justice,” and the family is “eternally grateful.”
Pattern of abusive behavior
Clare and Mariah Gardner met in October 2017; their daughter Rosalie was born in August 2020, and the couple married in June 2021. Gardner later described Clare as having “two separate personalities,” with a controlling, angry side and an outwardly “sweet” side. Court records show she filed for divorce in February 2022 and gave birth to Willow not long after; the divorce was finalized in December 2022, with Clare granted shared custody. Gardner said he began stalking her—driving past her house up to 20 times a day and making threats about lining children up in front of a “firing squad,” while warning he would “save” only Rosalie.
The April 2023 attack
On April 10, 2023, Clare arrived angry at Gardner’s San Antonio home. Surveillance footage showed him chasing her around the house, shooting her multiple times, then stabbing both daughters. Gardner’s two sons from a prior relationship escaped unharmed through a window and reached a neighbor’s home. First responders arrived to find Gardner critically injured; San Antonio police Officer Veronica Butler said she applied pressure to Gardner’s wounds and tried to keep her breathing while fearing she might die in her arms. Gardner and Rosalie survived after multiple surgeries, with Gardner suffering several broken bones, seven gunshot wounds, and a large abdominal incision. Clare was arrested about a mile and a half from the home and later claimed he could not remember the attack. Gardner has since devoted much of her time to raising awareness about domestic violence.
