Cold Case Murder Arrest
September 4, 2024
Case Number: 1996-045992
Manatee County Sheriff’s Office homicide detectives and the Office of Statewide Prosecution with the assistance of the Delaware State Police have charged, Stephen L. Ford, 72, for the 1996 cold case murder of Doris A. Korell, a 45-year-old St. Petersburg woman found dead in a ditch along U.S. 41 in Manatee County.
Ford’s nearly 28-year run from the law ended in Georgetown, Delaware on 8/16/2024. He was arrested on a warrant for 2nd-degree Murder with a weapon.
On Sunday, December 15, 1996, MCSO deputies responded to 6700 US 41 N. Palmetto, Florida, and observed a body floating face down in a drainage canal. Divers retrieved the body of an unidentified white female, wearing a gold ring on her right index finger. The M.E. on scene noted the victim had trauma to the right side of her neck, and face. The District 12 Medical Examiner performed an autopsy the next day (12/16/96), finding the female victim had been stabbed 83 times throughout her body. The report also noted no water in her lungs and no evidence of sexual assault.
MCSO homicide detectives were unaware that the St. Pete Police Department had been looking for Doris Korell, who lived with her boyfriend Stephen Ford in a duplex on 92nd Avenue N. St. Petersburg. Her daughter, who lived in Maryland, reported her missing on December 11th after Stephen called her to ask if she’d seen her mother. He claimed she left in her car to go shopping after they argued.
On December 18th, St. Pete detectives located Doris’ red Mazda RX-7 at the Pinellas Square Mall. But there was no evidence that a struggle or attack took place inside the car. It’s believed Ford parked it there and wiped it down. Detectives also learned Ford rented a storage unit a day after Doris went missing - relocating her jewelry, clothing, and photos because he didn’t want Doris’ daughter to have it.
A few days later, detectives returned to Ford’s duplex and noticed what smelled like decomposition inside his residence. Stains were discovered on the bedding and mattress that were not present during an earlier search. Detectives also located a suicide note from Ford addressed to his two sons, describing how he wanted to be with Doris if she was dead. Christmas gifts had also been opened days before Christmas as if he expected Doris wouldn’t be found.
Ford continued to deny involvement in her disappearance or death. Detectives asked Ford what should happen to the person that killed Doris. After a significant pause, Ford stated, “An eye for an eye.” He also said, “If I killed her, I should get the death penalty.”
On December 24th, detectives went to Ford’s residence to conduct a follow-up interview. When he didn’t answer the door, they made entry through an unlocked window and found Ford semi-conscious and foaming from the mouth. He had ingested bleach to commit suicide.
On January 5, 1997, St Pete detectives interviewed Ford's former girlfriend and learned about a letter mailed in October, in which he wrote, “He has no time for you know who, and hopes she’ll leave soon.” Ford went on to write, “I hope she gets the message that I don’t want her here anymore.”
She remained unidentified until May 22, 1997, when dental records positively identified the victim as Doris A. Korell. At that time, MCSO detectives and the St. Petersburg Police Department realized they were working on the same case. However, due to a lack of physical evidence and leads in the months to follow, the investigations went cold, and Ford had moved to Delaware.
In 2017, an MCSO cold case detective reopened the case and began a thorough process of re-examining files from both Manatee and St. Pete Police. Over the next 6 years, new information came to light. Acquaintances of Doris said she feared Stephen Ford and the troubled couple were having domestic and financial problems.
Then in July of this year, DNA swabs obtained from Doris Korell’s autopsy were sent off for testing. On August 12, 2024, detectives received notification that no foreign DNA profile(s) were identified, making it improbable that Doris was sexually assaulted at the time of her murder. They also learned through DNA testing that the mysterious bed stain was Ford’s bodily fluids from a suicide attempt.
Cold case detectives noted Ford’s behavior showed a clear pattern of consciousness of guilt. The evidence obtained in this investigation, including Ford’s deliberate actions and statements to mislead law enforcement and ultimately his attempts to commit suicide, provide in their totality, probable cause to believe that Stephen Ford murdered Doris Korell and disposed of her body in Manatee County, just minutes South of Pinellas County.
On August 16, 2024, with the help of the Delaware State Police, Ford was taken into custody during a traffic stop near his home in Georgetown, Delaware. He was extradited and booked into the Manatee County Jail on August 30, 2024.
