Steven WhitakerSteven Lewis Whittaker stabbed his friend dozens of times and squeezed his neck until he crushed the man’s larynx, Walker County (Ga.) Sheriff Steve Wilson said.
The sheriff’s office arrested Whittaker, 58, on a charge of murder Tuesday evening after hearing a preliminary report of the victim’s injuries from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s medical examiner. The suspect remained at the jail without bond Wednesday night.
Wilson said Whittaker killed LeBron “Buddy” Hankins Jr. around 10:15 p.m. Friday. He called 911 about 30-45 minutes later. Wilson said he was not sure why Whittaker waited so long to report the death. When officers found him, he had a stab wound in his stomach, and paramedics drove him to a local hospital for surgery.
“The only statement he made, as he was being loaded into an ambulance, was that he was trying to protect himself and it was self defense,” Wilson said.
But Walker County Coroner Dewayne Wilson said the attack on Hankins was violent. He was beaten with stab wounds on his neck, chest and arms. He lay face-up on the floor, a knife next to him. On a preliminary review, a GBI medical examiner estimated that Hankins’ attacker stabbed him 50 times. The full autopsy is not finished.