Sheriff: Central Texas couple agreed to let man watch them have sex, then killed him

Mark James Stevens, 38 Mark James Stevens, 38 Photo: Hays County Sheriff's Office Photo: Hays County Sheriff's Office Image 1 of / 59 Caption Close Sheriff: Central Texas couple agreed to let man watch them have sex, then killed him 1 / 59 Back to Gallery

A Central Texas couple is accused of agreeing to let a man watch them have sex, then killing him when he tried to join in, according to court documents.

Mark James Stevens, 38, and Jeanette Lauralee Stevens, 38, face murder charges in the death of Brandon Lamont Fontenette, a 36-year-old Austin man. Both are being held in the Hays County Jail on a $250,000 bond.

According to arrest warrant affidavits for the Stevens, the couple met Fontenette at Railhouse, a bar and grill in Kyle, Texas, the evening of July 25. Mark Stevens told investigators that Fontenette wanted to have sex with the couple, and that he agreed to let the Fontenette watch he and his wife have sex at their home.

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Fontenette followed the couple to their Buda home. Mark Stevens told investigators that as he kissed his wife, Fontenette "attempted to force his way between them." Enraged, Stevens retrieved an Airsoft BB gun and a knife and started shooting at Fontenette, the affidavits say.

Fontenette tried to punch Stevens, but missed, and Stevens stabbed him in the back, according to the affidavit. The victim "stumbled into the [master] bathroom and collapsed on the floor," according to the affidavit.

Jeanette Stevens told investigators that after the attack, she went to her son's room to sleep. Her son, who was in his upstairs bedroom during the alleged killing, apparently left the house during the fight and went to stay at a neighbors home, authorities said.

As Fontenette bled to death in his bathroom, Mark Stevens contacted his brother, asking for help disposing of the body, according to the affidavit. The brother didn't believe his Mark Stevens was serious, but he contacted his father, who in turn asked for deputies to make a welfare check at the Stevens' house.

Meanwhile, Mark Stevens went to sleep in the master bedroom. Fontenette lay dead in his bathroom, the affidavits say.

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Deputies responded to the home at about 8 a.m. They were greeted by Jeanette Stevens, who told them Mark was "using the restroom." A few minutes later she returned to the front door with her husband, who had "obvious minor injuries to his head," in tow, officials said.

"He refused to explain what occurred inside the home; however, he pointed to the back of the residence as if to suggest that another person was inside the home," reads the arrest affidavit.

Deputies went inside to investigate. They found Fontenette dead in the bathroom, cold to the touch with his legs folded beneath him, they said.

"There was an abundance of pooling, dried blood around the decedent typical of a traumatic injury," writes Hays County Sgt. Mark Opiela, in the affidavit. "The body was cold to the touch and displaying evidence of lividity and rigor mortis."

"It was obvious that no efforts had been made regarding life-saving measures," Opiela later notes.

Investigators found blood splatter in the master bedroom and bathroom. The medical examiner's office later discovered several BB's lodged in his body. Fontenette's personal items were found on the kitchen counter in a "Ziploc-type" bag. His clothing and cell phone were found in the master bedroom. His keys were found in Stevens' pocket, according to the affidavit.

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During his interaction with the deputies, Mark Stevens took a pair of personal handcuffs and shackled himself, authorities said.

"[I] observed Mark Stevens sitting on a chair on the front porch," Opiela writes in the affidavit. "He was dressed in a pair of pajama pants with no shirt and a blanket was draped over his shoulders covering his upper torso. His hands were placed in front of his body with his palms facing each other and a pair of black handcuffs were tightly fastened around his wrists."

Over the course of the ensuing months of investigation, Jeanette and Mark Stevens told investigators numerous versions of the events that night. Deputies were eventually able to secure a warrant for their arrest, which was executed this week.

If convicted, the couple faces up to 99 years in prison each.

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Caleb Downs covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com |

cdowns@mysa.com | @calebjdowns