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Steven Lee Mills, 18, died of a stab wound to the chest on December 31st, 2008.

Mills was Edmonton's thirty-fifth homicide victim of the year.

Case status is open and active.

Police continue to investigate Edmonton's last homicide of 2008.

With less than a half hour to go before midnight December 31st, 2008 emergency medical services responded to a call of a man lying face down in a pool of blood in the middle of 51st Avenue, between 106th and 107th Street.

As they were ready to tranport the man to hospital, paramedics pronounced him dead. Police then called out homicide detectives to investigate the city's last murder of the year.

Inspector Greg Alcorn told media the man may have been involved in some sort of altercation.

"We got a call from our EMS saying they had found a young male laying the in middle of the road in a pool of blood and that the male was deceased.

"We don't know what the circumstances are that led up to it but it appears the male might be around 18 to 20 years of age, has a wound in the chest area. We don't know what the cause of that is at this time," he said.

Police later said the victim apparently suffered a stab wound to the chest.

Detectives investigated the possibility the Caucasian male had been to the Petro-Canada at 10560 51 Avenue first, got into a fight and died later on a median several hundred metres down the road.

“They do have video [tapes] and we've secured them,” Alcorn said. One source told media the teen had been inside the gas station shortly before he was stabbed.

Police believed they knew who the man was based on identification found in his wallet. However, his identity was withheld until next of kin had been notified.

A police spokesman said there was no indication that the incident was drug or gang-related, and that investigators were anxious to speak with witnesses.

"This was a very busy night and there may have been more people in the area. [Detectives] just want to cover all bases and see if they can get more information on the incident," the spokesman said.

The man was initially discovered by passersby – read more »

An autopsy conducted January 2nd confirmed that 18-year-old Steven Lee Mills died of a stab wound to the chest.

According to his mother Hailey Mills, Steven was with his best friend and older brother on New Year's Eve at a friend's house near Southgate Centre Mall. They had made plans to attend the fireworks display downtown in Churchill Square.

Steven left to make a pit stop at the Petro-Canada outlet.

"They were going to get munchies and they were going to come back [to his friend's house]. But he never came back," Hailey said.

When he didn't return, everyone thought Steven had headed downtown on his own.

Homicide detectives stopped by Hailey's home later in the night to break the news. Steven's friends didn't find out about his murder until his mother told them the next morning.

Hailey figured there might have been some sort of altercation that sparked Steven's death. The grieving mother preferred not to know all the details of her son's murder, concentrating instead on fond memories of his all-too-short life – read more »

"Maybe in time, but I don't want to remember my son that way. When you know something like that, you tend to relive it. I have my other boys to look after, too."

Steven's siblings included brothers Joey, 20, Dakota, 9, and half-sister Faith, 18.

"He loved entertaining people," Hailey said remembering her son. "He loved to smile, he loved to hug."

Steven also left behind an 11-month-old daughter, Angel Dawn.

"When we would take her some place, he would always hold her close," Hailey said. "He was so protective of her, he is so proud of her. He loves that little girl so much."

Angel Dawn, who just learned to crawl up stairs, will now be taken care of by her grandmother.

Born and raised in Edmonton, Steven's sense of humour was evident at an early age.

A birth defect left him without a thumb. He told his grade one teacher his mother had cut it off. When the teacher phoned Hailey to confirm this, she also checked to confirm another claim the boy had made, that he often goes polar bear hunting.

His missing thumb, small stature and chronic lung problems led to his being bullied at school, Hailey thought.

Steven's father died in 1997 when the boy was nine years old.

"That created a lot of hurt for him," Hailey said.

"He was a boy with a lot of hurt, but it didn't matter how hurt or sad he was," she continued. "If someone else was sad, he would cheer that person up ... always had a smile for someone."

Growing up, Steven enjoyed doing impressions and continued to tell stories to make people laugh.

But after Steven attended Britannia Junior High School, he dropped out. He took on odd jobs such as shovelling snow with his grandfather and working at Dairy Queen.

To overcome his loss, Steven sought comfort at the Shiloh Youth Ranch, a weeklong summer camp near Bruderheim. He attended the camp for seven years and the experience left him with a desire to become a camp counsellor to work with street kids.

Steven tried to convert many of his friends to Christianity. Now it was his mother who reached out to help her son's friends, offering a shoulder for them to cry on despite her own grief.

"I know it will hit me next week," Hailey said, "and I know that when I need it, my friends will be there for me, too."

In a later interview with Global Edmonton, Hailey revealed that after nine days the reality of her son's death had started to sink in.

"I guess I woke up in shock this morning and I had somebody pray for me ... so that really helped me to get re-focused," she said.

"He loved to sing," Hailey recalled. "It didn't matter where he was ... he heard a song."

You could see how proud he was being a new dad ... he was so proud and that has never left him – he's always been a real proud dad."

About the person who killed her son, Hailey had her own thoughts.

"To be that angry – to be able to stab somebody – you had to be so angry inside. And anger comes from hurt."

On January 3rd police released surveillance images of two persons of interest. The males were described as being black, between 16 and 18 years old, 5-feet 6-inches to 5-feet 8-inches, and weighing between 140 and 160 lbs.

It was thought the two persons of interest were in the Petro-Canada gas station just prior to Mills being stabbed and investigators have indicated they wanted to talk to the two men.

Those with information about the matter were asked to contact Edmonton police at 780-423-4567, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or 1-877-412-KARE (5273) or online at www.tipsubmit.com

Tips can also be text messaged. In Edmonton, text TIP250 + message and send to CRIMES (274637). In Northern Alberta, text TIP205 + message and send to CRIMES (274637).

Mills was Edmonton's thirty-fifth and last homicide victim of 2008. The city had recorded 33 homicides by the end of 2007. There were 36 in 2006 and 39 in 2005 – the year Edmonton set its record.

A week after the murder police had yet to receive any tips of significance.

"Investigators haven't given up hope at this time," a spokesman said, "but they're still missing key information. Hopefully people will come forward."

Police also said that Mills was not known to them.

On January 10th dozens gathered at the Calvary Community Church, 8704 Millwoods Roads, to bid farewell to Steven Lee Mills – read more »

On January 30th, 2009 Edmonton police added the case of Steven Lee Mills to their web site.

No further details regarding the investigation were released.

CTV Edmonton's coverage of Mills' murder can be seen here.

The Edmonton Police Service web site entry for Steven Lee Mills can be seen here.

The Edmonton & Northern Alberta Crime Stoppers website entry for Steven Lee Mills can be seen here.

Information presented on this page has been compiled primarily from published media reports and should not be interpreted as having legal bearing or other prejudice against individuals named on this web site.
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deadmonton 2008 - steven lee mills