Steven Lewis WhittakerA Walker County man was sentenced to life without parole for stabbing his friend about 50 times and killing him in 2018.
Steven Lewis Whittaker, 61 of Rossville, Georgia, was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a knife while in commission of a felony after a two-day trial in Walker County.
District Attorney Chris Arnt argued in the trial the act was a “horrific and brutal assault.”
“Mr. Hankins would have been utterly defenseless through much of the attack, yet the defendant continued to violently assault him,” Arnt said in a news release. “I am pleased to get this measure of justice for Mr. Hankins and his family and to know that this violent criminal will be off our streets for good.”
In August 2018, Whittaker stabbed his friend dozens of times and squeezed his neck until he crushed the man’s larynx, Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson said at the time.