After toiling for six years in the Boston Red Sox minor league system, Dernell Stenson made it to the Major Leagues in 2003. After playing well for the Chattanooga Lookouts, the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, the twenty-five-year-old outfielder was among the players brought to the big league club when the rosters expanded in September. He showed potential, batting .247 and hitting three home runs. Many in the Reds organization believed he had a good chance of making the 2004 team.

Dernell Stenson had started his dream of beginning his big league career.  Soon, however, the dream was over . . . and so was his life.

Dernell Stenson

After the 2003 MLB season ended, Stenson played with the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League (AFL.)

On November 4, he was found lying lifeless along a Chandler, Arizona street, having been bound, shot in the head and chest, and then run over with his own SUV.

Murdered

Suspicion fell on Stenson’s former girlfriend, Jennifer Gaddis. The two had had a contentious relationship and Gaddis was known for her violent temper and extreme behavior, such as having faked both a pregnancy and a suicide in apparent efforts to win Stenson’s affections.

After Stenson ended the relationship, his former girlfriend sent him several threatening text messages, including one saying, “U better pray I never see you U again. I swear Dernell U R worth a Murder charge 4 & that is all U R worth.”

Stenson had asked for police protection from Gaddis and she seemed a promising suspect. After investigating her, however, authorities determined that while she was unstable, she had not killed her former ballplayer beau.

Four men were ultimately arrested for the carjacking and murder of Dernell Stenson. The motive was determined to be robbery.

Reginald Riddle and David Griffith were both charged with six felonies, including first-degree murder, kidnapping, and armed robbery. Riddle agreed to testify against Griffith to avoid a possible death sentence. In 2007, he was sentenced to life in prison but will be eligible for parole in 2033, twenty-five years into his sentence.

Prosecutors asked for the death penalty for Griffith, but his life was spared as he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Kevin Riddle, Reginald’s half-brother, pleaded guilty to charges of auto theft and hindering prosecution. He was sentenced to eight years and nine months in prison. He has since been released.

Charges against a fourth man, Robert Maye, were dismissed after it was learned he was a protected federal witness who had testified against the Chicago-based Gangster Disciples street gang.

                                    Reginald            David               Kevin

                                      Riddle             Griffith            Riddle

In 2004, the Arizona Fall League established the Dernell Stenson Sportsmanship Award, given to a player who displays the values of perseverance and humility.

Remembering the Slain Athlete

Dernell Stenson was born in Le Grange, Georgia, and attended the same high school as Mike Cameron, a seventeen-year MLB veteran.

The two future big-leaguers, however, were not teammates at Le Grange. Cameron is five years older than Stenson.

Mike Cameron

 

SOURCES:

• Arizona Republic
• Baseball-reference. com
• ESPN
• mlb. com