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Feature
Murder Allegation Most Foul
The remarkable life and imprisonment of Stephen Nodine.
STEPHEN NODINE WAS FURIOUS. Who did the bi**h think she was, telling him their relationship was over?!? Nobody dumped Nodine. Nobody. Hell, people used to tell him he looked a little like Steve McQueen. He was so tight with his former boss, the onetime general and Secretary of State Al Haig, that he sat with Haig’s family at the great man’s massive D.C. funeral service. Nodine had become big stuff. He grew up as a friend of the golfing Nicklaus family. He put Pete Rose on the radio. He was the political consultant who got Alabama Gov. Bob Riley elected. He knew Karl Rove. He himself was a locally powerful county commissioner in Mobile, an official Homeland Security trainee, a former Army specialist who had classified clearance at a European nuclear site. Women didn’t decide when to dump Nodine; Nodine decided when he was done with them. And now, as he sped back to his mistress’s house just 10 minutes after leaving it, trying several times to get her on his cell phone, he meant to teach her a lesson.
What lesson, he didn’t know, but he’d show her who was boss. What he didn’t know was that their brief phone conversation, as he sped back, alarmed her. He didn’t know she called her sister in Georgia to ask where to aim — head, chest, or leg? — when shooting an intruder. He didn’t know her gun was out. He didn’t know that four minutes later she texted her sister that “Stepehen nodine [sic] is here.”
Then it all went wrong. He walked through the
door to find her gun aimed at him. But her hands were shaking. All
these years later, he was still Army-quick. He somehow snatched the
gun and bent back her arm. They sort of wrestled themselves into
the short driveway abutting her front door.
Point a gun at Stephen Nodine?!? Who did she think she was? He didn’t really know what he was doing. But yeah, he’d teach her a lesson. He had the gun now, and he put it to her temple, pushing in hard. He’d show her who was boss, scare her silly. He didn’t really intend to shoot. But he pushed too hard. The pressure of gun to head made his finger squeeze reflexively on the trigger.
Nodine, 46, looked down at Angel Downs, 45, lying in the driveway, blood streaming from her head. Sh**. Maybe it was the joint he had smoked on the beach that kept him distant enough from his emotions that he could think but not yet feel. He knew he had to get out of there. He dropped the gun, jumped in his pickup truck, and stood on the accelerator, out of the condo area, past the neighbors walking their dogs who had heard the shot, onto Fort Morgan Road, away from the crime scene…
NO, WAIT. That’s a dramatized version of what prosecutors say occurred on May 9, 2010. But maybe, indeed probably, it went more like this: Ten minutes before, Stephen Nodine had dropped off his mistress, Angel Downs, after a long and enjoyable Mother’s Day with friends at Pensacola Beach, 45 minutes from her condo in Alabama’s Gulf Shores. He had spent three of the past five nights at her house, and his 13-year-old son, Christopher, had stayed there one of those nights. Nodine and Downs had an illicit but semi-open relationship down in Baldwin County, at the south end and across the bay from his district in central and western Mobile County. Nodine thought all was well — except that he had forgotten his wallet at Downs’ place. He tried her several times on the way back, and when he did get through, the conversation was brief.
“Hey, babe, I forgot my wallet. I’m just gonna run in and get it; just wanted to let you know.”
He didn’t realize how quickly the chemicals in her brain could make her snap. Ambien. Xanax. Aderrall. As many as six beers, plus a Bloody Mary. All at once. He didn’t know that her anger had suddenly returned, anger because he had once again left her condo to return to his wife.
She had her gun out as she waited. She called her sister with the strange question about an intruder, then followed with the text message. She didn’t really know what she would do with the gun, but she knew she wanted to grab Nodine’s attention. She thought Stephen Would poke his head into the bedroom and say hello. But he didn’t. He just grabbed the wallet from the hallway table, yelled “Bye, Babe,” and took right back off. She ran after him, hoping to catch his eye before he drove away, but it was too late. Air conditioning and radio blaring in his closed cab, drowning out sounds outside, he sped off around the cul-de-sac without seeing her — and what she had attempted at least once before with pills, she did for certain this time with her gun. Right there in the driveway, Angel Downs, a stunningly beautiful blonde with a likeness to actress Kristen Bell, kind and loving but depressed and troubled, committed suicide…
One, but only one, of these two scenarios describes approximately what happened the day Stephen Nodine’s life blew up. It’s a wonder the “true crime” shows on television didn’t make the case a national cause célèbre. Even before Angel Downs died, Nodine’s life could have been a madefor- TV special, or maybe a potboiler of a Lifetime Channel movie. So let us return later to Downs’ driveway death, return later to the strange threeway prosecution (and abuse) of Nodine, return later to his prison friendship with the media mogul Lord Conrad Black. Even before his mistress’s death, Nodine’s life had been remarkable.
Two years to the day after Downs died, Nodine sat in a dining room in Mobile, recounting his childhood, showing photographs and news clippings. Stephen was born to a commercial fishing family in New Jersey. His mother left a bad marriage and settled her five children at first in a one-bedroom house in Juno Beach, Florida, near her own mother. She worked as a waitress, but at times they couldn’t make ends meet without the welfare cheese, peanut butter, and food stamps. Yet she raised the children right, with copious love.
Juno Beach shared a zip code with North Palm
Beach, and young Stephen Nodine shared the same Intracoastal
Waterway as the Nicklaus clan, fished in the same waters, hunted
doves, and played Little League. At age 12 he walked into Nicklaus’
business office, trying to sell fancy drink tumblers as a
fundraiser through his church. He had never before met the great
golfer. Nicklaus didn’t want the cups, but gave Nodine $5 anyway.
As Nodine grew into high school, he ran in the same crowd as
several of the Nicklaus children — a classic “right side of the
tracks meets wrong side of the tracks,” quintessentially American
set of friendships.
Labor Day weekend in 1976, 13-year-old Nodine and his older sister Patty, a rising local softball star were raising money along the roadside for muscular dystrophy in conjunction with the national Jerry Lewis telethon, and Barbara Nicklaus stopped by to offer encouragement. Patty was Stephen’s advisor, protector, best friend, “everything to me,” he said. But, at age 15, as she rode her bike home from her anti-MD efforts, a drunk driver plowed into her. Patty died. The newspaper featured loving tributes to her. The town named the local softball field in her honor. And younger brother Stephen was bereft.
After that, Stephen raised a little, but not a lot, of hell in high school. He worked summers selling lobster traps in the Bahamas with a friend from Florida whose family ran the business. He got caught in a storm, adrift on a lobster barge taking on water, and thought he would die.
At 18, he enlisted in the Army, where he impressed his superiors. He found himself assigned, with high security clearance and even some encryption duties, to a nuclear weapons site in Germany. Meanwhile, he was writing letters, out of the blue, to Al Haig, whom he had admired ever since Haig helped keep the White House afloat during Watergate. Haig answered, and they began a correspondence. Nodine was a young patriot, and a conservative. They hit it off well.
About the Author
Quin Hillyer is a senior editor of The American Spectator and a senior fellow at the Center for Individual Freedom. Follow him on Twitter @QuinHillyer.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (29) | Leave a comment
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Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 6.26.12 @ 8:34AM
That perp cartoon looks auspicious. A black man held onto by two white police officers. Are those police officers stupid? Did they leave no stone unturned? Are you changing into Ed Asner?
He will get a trial and he can present his side there. Apparently, there was some evidence which looked bad for him. It will come out at the trial and he will have to put forth a defense.
Maybe he is innocent. However, he played a dangerous game and all games have winners and losers.
Brooksifier | 6.26.12 @ 2:00PM
What is the message of the piece? Adultery killed Angel?
PCC| 6.26.12 @ 8:46AM
This is why we have a jury system. Let justice take its course.
C'mon Man!| 6.26.12 @ 11:59AM
You mean the jury system where 9 of 12 jurors found him guilty with lousy "evidence?" Yeah, I'm sure he has a lot of faith in that...
Mobile| 6.26.12 @ 1:49PM
Or maybe 9 of the 12 had no faith in Nodine.
TrueBlue | 6.26.12 @ 2:37PM
Don't have to have faith in a person to find them "not guilty." Evidence and fact lean far in his direction.
Mobile| 6.26.12 @ 4:07PM
Of course not and that wasn't my point. Nodine is the lowest form of human creation by his own choice and in so doing lacks any credibility. Its not unheard of for a jury to be swayed based on character.
The facts nor the evidence lean far in either direction. In the end, the evidence may not be able to prove that Nodine pulled the trigger, but his actions (and past) tell a story of someone that isn't telling the whole truth.
Fast and Curious| 6.26.12 @ 10:05AM
"beyond a reasonable doubt" can never be reached in this case. There is just no way he could have done this without any physical evidence.
Oldefarte| 6.26.12 @ 11:55AM
I will not comment on this situation for personal reasons!!!!!!!!!
HBealeJr| 6.26.12 @ 12:50PM
Your argument that he has been framed sounds reasonable. However, if he had been at home with his wife and not involved in an affair with a drug addicted woman (to say nothing of his own addiction), he would not have gone to jail and be subject to murder charges.
Mom always said, don't put yourself in situations were trouble can happen and you won't get into trouble.
Mobile| 6.26.12 @ 1:47PM
A most brilliant piece of fiction Mr Hillyer! Most brilliant!
I have to say my favorite part of this tale has to be Mr Hillyer's attempt to use Lord Conrad Black as a credible witness (and part time defense attorney as well it appears) for Nodine. The same Conrad Black who was convicted of defrauding the company he worked for in excess of $60 million, or as Mr Hillyer refers to it as "shenanigans". Oh, that cheeky ol' Conrad and his "shenanigans". Last time I checked, I don't believe defrauding a corporation of $60 million falls into the "shenanigans" catergory.
Of course, Mr Hillyer further attempts to lend our felonious friend (Black) some credibility by repeating the same, tired mantra of the innocent prisons. Its such a shame in this country that prison after prison is filled to capacity with innocent men and women. A crying shame, really!
After this piece, its hard to decide who has less credibility: Nodine or Hillyer. At least in the case of Nodine, he's not the one with the hook in his mouth.
JPTravis | 6.26.12 @ 3:27PM
You are entitled to your opinion, but not your own facts. According to what actually happened in the legal system, Conrad Black was convicted of nothing but impeding a federal investigation by removing personal items from his office IN CANADA after being ASKED to remove those items by the company. That's all. Akin to Martha Stewart's conviction for lying about a crime she didn't commit. Our federal prosecutors are out of control. They're thugs no less dangerous than Al Capone's gang.
Quin Hillyer| 6.26.12 @ 5:15PM
JPTravis is right about Black. The whole $60 million thing was bogus. Just another of Patrick Fitzgerald's personal vendetta/witch hunts (remember Scooter Libby?). Fitzgerald was out of control. So are many federal prosecutors. Read the Heritage Foundation's "One Nation Under Arrest": http://site.heritage.org/Levin/default.aspx
anamvet68| 6.27.12 @ 6:46AM
Being a retired Fed. Officer Mobile knows nothing about evidence collection or "time lines" or anything about crime. It's about a possible "crime" NOT his personal life. JPTravis is right in his reply to Mobile. Like I have said before most people on this site are STUPID!
nononsense| 6.27.12 @ 4:23PM
Fiction???
Fiction...God what an idiot...
the only one that is not credible her is YOU...
Doctor Right| 6.26.12 @ 3:19PM
It's not at all uncommon for a narcissist to portray his ex-spouse/girlfriend as "nuts." It's how they build sympathy.
Meanwhile, in most cases the ex-spouse/girlfriend has actually become nuts directly due to his behavior, which includes a great deal of "gas-lighting" and emotional abuse.
This guy matches the profile.
Doctor Right| 6.26.12 @ 4:34PM
I re-read the article again, and I must admit, Mr. Hilyer, that your seeming attempt to vindicate Mr. Nodine looks very weak.
First of all, as I mentioned in a previous posts, ex-wives and/or girlfriends are commonly referred to as "nuts" by the kind of men whom even you referred to as "skanks."
Second, your time-frame doesn't really say he's innocent.
Steps A-B require hardly anytime at all. If Ms. Downs was yelling and upset, it's possible Mr. Nodine would have simply turned on his heels and headed back out the door.
Steps C-D are actually the same step; they struggled ON the porch, and he (supposedly) got the gun. How long does it take a very physically fit man to wrestle a gun from a drunk woman?
Step E: He has the gun, and he shoots her in the head. Again, how long would this take??
Step F: He runs to his car; what, is her driveway half a mile long??
Step G: He gets in his car and drives off.
2-3 minutes, in this context, is an eternity.
Doctor Right| 6.26.12 @ 4:41PM
Also...Let's look at Nodine's personality (based on your article):
He's a liar (he's cheating in his wife, and lied to Ms. Downs for some time).
He likes to ingratiate himself with people in positions of power.
He likes to portray himself as a selfless man-of-the-people, all the while mugging for the camera.
He seeks publicity for his own ends, and is not above exaggeration and distortion.
He's addicted to narcotics (of course... they're for "pain", right?)
He smokes pot.
He's being impeached from his political office for committing a crime.
Sounds like an upstanding citizen...
Look closely into Mr. Nodine's personal life, especially his relationship with Ms. Downs. I'm willing to bet there were other women, too. I'm also willing to bet that he made repeatd promises to Ms. Downs to leave his wife...promises that he never intended to keep.
Quin Hillyer| 6.26.12 @ 8:42PM
Hey, there is not a single thing in this feature that suggests I think Stephen Nodine was an upstanding citizen. But it's just one hell of a human interest story, a "True Crime" special that needed to be told -- especially after, having done the research and gone over everything with a fine tooth comb, I discovered that it is quite unlikely that he killed her. My bet is that prosecutors won't actually go through with the murder charge after all; what I did NOT put in the piece, because it was so long already, was that another grand jury was convened after the first trial was inconclusive, and the new grand jury REFUSED to charge Nodine with murder, instead coming up with some rare charge that amounts to being morally culpable for her death (harassed her into suicide, or something like that) without having actually done the deed himself..... but the prosecutors chose to throw out that grand jury and return to the original grand jury indictment, which technically was still standing.
anamvet68| 6.27.12 @ 6:53AM
Very good Hillyer most people on this site don't do research or are toooooooo lazy to do it or just don't care. Their like the Fed. and local prosecutors lazy and looking to improve their standing.
Doctor Right| 6.26.12 @ 4:43PM
In short, from what I've read, Mr. Nodine is the proto-typical narcissist.
FYI, one of the characteristics of the narcissist is their ability to fool others into believing "He/she would have NEVER done such a thing!"
That's how they roll...
TinaB| 6.26.12 @ 7:00PM
From my meager level of expertise, I read some great mystery authors and I watch way too much true crime on tv, a GSR test for both victim and Nodine would have made some serious difference. That neither was tested for gun shot residue tells me they believed they had their man and wrapped the investigation right up. Too bad, I thought of it immediately upon reading a murder/suicide was in question. An old retired math tchr vs. the Mobile PD, no contest. Unless they wanted it that way, an easier case for them to make without this.
Truncheon| 6.27.12 @ 10:43AM
A boozing, pill-popping, overambitious, dope-smoking philanderer with a neurotic mistress finds himself horribly tangled in the webs of distrust and deceit he wove about his life.
Pardon me while I fail to generate a tear....
TinaB| 6.27.12 @ 2:28PM
No, no tears for him. Yes, it would seem that Nodine has made a nasty bed for himself, and now, at least for a time, he is being forced to lie down in it.
I am seeing a lot of what goes around come around lately. I don't find that such a bad thing generally. However I am truly grateful that I didn't get everything I deserved after some of the webs I've woven in my life. I have reaped much of what I have sown, just not all of it. Yet.
God is in the business of forgiving His children, and I have asked, begged even, for that gift. I have received it as He has received me. With arms wide open. That's consequences, but no condemnation.
nononsense| 6.27.12 @ 4:20PM
Some people just cannot accept the truth for what it is...Steve Nodine did NOT kill Ms. Downs...
Some of you would not believe that he did not do this if God came to earth and told you he did not kill her.... How narrow some of you really are...
TinaB| 6.27.12 @ 5:46PM
Don't you think sometimes people get what's coming to them in a round about way? If they crap on people for years, then change, they pay consequences of an unrelated nature, and get crapped on back? Just changing your ways doesn't always mean you are free from the consequences of your previous horrible behavior. Sometimes.
Dedicated_Dad | 7.5.12 @ 12:50PM
Wow.
It's AMAZING to me how many people have NO clue how our "justice system" is supposed to work.
Whether or not the man was a "skank" is irrelevant to this legal case.
The only question is whether he is guilty of murder BEYOND ANY REASONABLE DOUBT.
Woman with a dangerous cocktail of drugs in her system found in a position that makes suicide obvious.
Her blood and brain matter spread over the area, but he has none on him at all, anywhere. No trace on his hands, clothes or truck.
It's not up to him to prove he didn't kill her, it's up to the state to prove he DID - BEYOND ANY REASONABLE DOUBT.
Not even close.
It seems as though FL has a SERIOUS problem with overzealous prosecutors here lately!
Again - the man's obviously a sleazeball, but that's not a crime. No way in hell he's guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
No way.
insighted| 1.3.13 @ 5:35PM
I find this truly unbelievable!
First of all Nodine IS narcissistic scum and he DID kill Angel Downs. BUT!! Take away that and you still have to scratch your head over the fact that he is working in the judicial system while serving time for perjury! Ya gotta love the "Good Ol Boy System" in Alabama...He is guilty and I am not just speculating.
insighted| 1.3.13 @ 5:35PM
I find this truly unbelievable!
First of all Nodine IS narcissistic scum and he DID kill Angel Downs. BUT!! Take away that and you still have to scratch your head over the fact that he is working in the judicial system while serving time for perjury! Ya gotta love the "Good Ol Boy System" in Alabama...He is guilty and I am not just speculating.