McKinney Man accepts 30-year-old plea for agreement after girlfriend’s body found in the fridge

McKinney, Texas And A McKinney man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for charges related to his disposable girlfriend. Her body was found hidden in a refrigerator in his home.

Chad Stevens accepts plea

What is new:

According to the Collin County District Attorney’s Office, Chad Stevens accepted a plea for an appointment on Tuesday morning.

He received a 30-year-old prison sentence in exchange for invoking himself to manipulate a corpse.

The charge is related to the death of his girlfriend, 35-year-old Heather Schwab.

Heather Schwab reported missing

Back story:

Police found Schwab’s body inside Stevens’ home in November 2023.

However, family members had reported her missing five months earlier and told investigators that they had not seen her in a year.

Schwab and her mother were alienated because they disagreed about Schwab’s drug use and other problems. Schwab’s mother also thought her daughter was in a violent relationship with Stevens and feared he would kill her.

At the time, Stevens told the investigators Schwab had left him. He claimed he didn’t know where she had gone.

Heather Schwab’s body found in the fridge

What we know:

Schwab’s mother called police again in November 2023, after Stevens’ ex-wife and daughter contacted her and claimed they thought Stevens had killed Schwab.

The McKinney police obtained a justification to seek out Stevens’ home.

They found Schwab’s body in a refrigerator wrapped in copious amounts of plastic wrap. It was in a kitchen that was closed with a piece of sheet rock as if to hide it from the rest of the home.

Family emotional statements about victim of victim

What they say:

Schwab’s loved one finally met Stevens in court on Tuesday.

“You are evil. Evil and soulless,” Schwab’s mother, Tammy, told Stevens. “What you and only you have committed and did with Heather is evil. Your worthless life has not served a single purpose. Your life has only brought fear, pain and destruction.”

Stevens told police that Schwab fell in the shower and hit her head, but her mother thinks something much more creepy happened.

“It’s devastating to our family that Heather is no longer here to experience life with. Heather had dreams and a purpose in life,” Tammy said. “When she met Chad Stevens, he took her down such a long, dark road that included mental, emotional, psychological and physical abuse. We were never able to get her back.”

The experience has inspired the family to raise awareness of domestic violence.

Schwab’s sister, Haley Jo, is even involved in Genesis, a woman’s shelter in the north -texas.

“I can sit here and say that my sister was a victim of domestic violence, and there are still so many things that I didn’t understand and that I didn’t know,” she said.

About 40 people showed up to the courthouse to support the Schwab family. They all had purple and butterfly pins as a tribute.

Tammy says she never stopped searching for her daughter and encourages other families to do the same.

“I want them to never stop. Keep pushing. Keep asking, ”she said. “We know Heather has made it to heaven. We know Heather is free from you and in peace.”

What we don’t know:

Schwab’s cause of death is still unknown.

In an interview with investigators, after the body was found, Stevens claimed she died in July 2022. He admitted to having put her body in the fridge because he said he didn’t know what else to do.

He told investigators several different stories to explain what happened, but eventually claimed Schwab died after slipping into the shower and hit her head.

Neighbors told Fox 4 that when they asked about Schwab, Stevens told them she died of cancer.

Prosecutors said the medical investigator was never able to determine Schwab’s true cause of death due to the condition of her body.

What you can do:

If you or anyone you know are facing domestic violence, call the national hotline for domestic violence at 800-799-7233 or sms them on 88788 with the message “Begin.”

Genesis Women’s Shelter

Dallas Resources

McKinneyCrime and public security