Woman arrested in 2020 stabbing death

Albuquerque police say an Oklahoma woman fatally stabbed a homeless man in 2020 before washing away any evidence at a car wash.

Stephanie Leemhuis, 45, is charged with an open count of murder in the death of 58-year-old Hubert Stewart. She was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on Wednesday. 

“Defendant stabbed a man to death and that is extremely violent behavior that shows no concern for the health and wellbeing of the victim," states a pretrial detention motion.

Police were dispatched on July 12, 2020, after learning a man — later identified as Stewart — was found dead in the parking lot of the Thunderbird Little League fields near Comanche and Interstate 25 in Northeast Albuquerque, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

Officers found that Stewart had nearly 40 stab wounds on his body, the complaint states. Police later learned Stewart was homeless and lived at the baseball fields. 

Police collected evidence in the area and did a DNA test, and Leemhuis’ DNA came back as a match, according to the complaint.

In August, officers found a friend of Stewart’s who said an unknown woman was at the group’s campsite hours before the stabbing, according to the complaint. The friend told police the woman was acting strangely. When shown a photo of Leemhuis, she identified her as the person at the campsite.

Officers learned a few hours after the homicide, Leemhuis was arrested at the Albuquerque International Sunport after trying to steal a vehicle from a woman, according to the complaint.

Police were unable to locate Leemhuis to execute a search warrant for her DNA, according to the complaint. 

In September 2020, officers spoke to Leemhuis on the phone, and she told them she stabbed Stewart in self-defense after he sexually assaulted her, the complaint states.

Leemhuis told police she fought back against the man and said, “That (expletive) won’t rape nobody again,” according to the complaint. A June 2021, DNA test determined Leemhuis’ DNA was not present on Stewart, which led police to believe they did not have a sexual encounter like she had said.

The case was not updated until April 2022, when police spoke with a witness who said Leemhuis told him “she had stabbed that guy” and she “had to get out of town,” according to the complaint.

Officers later learned Leemhuis had gone to a car wash and got rid of her clothing after the stabbing, though she told police her car had been stolen before Stewart’s death, according to the complaint.

Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.