Bizarre home burglary in North Phoenix takes another, equally bizarre turn
PHOENIX - There is a crazy follow up to a story that was already bizarre.
On Monday, FOX 10 reported on a Phoenix family that was stunned to come home and see two people basically living in and around their property for a day. The female suspect, Bryanna McKnight, came back to the house Sunday night and was arrested.
On Tuesday night, the male suspect returned to the home.
So, what happened following his return? Nothing, as police let him go. The man told them Bryanna tricked him into believing the Stevens' home belonged to her parents, so he was just a dupe. Police say they couldn't prove he had committed a crime, so they let him go.
"I'm miffed that he would come back, and then I'm miffed that they would let him go. I just don't understand it," said Eric Stevens.
McKnight and the man arrived at the Stevens' house near Northern and 7th Avenue Saturday afternoon, and didn't leave until Sunday.
"And very casual, they moved around very slowly," said Eric Stevens on Monday. "They were here 24 hours and drinking and eating and showering and pretty bizarre."
McKnight is also seen trying on Joy Stevens' clothing.
"Yeah that was strange, almost comical, but again, it is frustrating that they think so freely to take your things," said Joy Stevens, on Monday.
When the couple left on Sunday, they took some of Joy's clothes, in addition to Eric's work truck. Police arrested McKnight, 26, for burglary and vehicle theft, but there was no sign of the man who was with her, until last night. Security footage shows the man walking up to the Stevens home at around 7:00 p.m. Tuesday.
"My fear was -- I had a lot of fear that he would come back and what that was going to be like, the fact that he does come back and people are here to help us, and they let him go," said Joy Stevens.
Two officers arrived and detained the suspect, but said they were letting him go because there was no proof he had committed a crime. He said he was fooled by McKnight and thought she actually lived there.
The Stevens are skeptical.
"There's no way we can believe he's not guilty, that he didn't know," said Eric.
Phoenix Police officials say this is still an open investigation. They also say there was not enough proof that the man was an accomplice. He may have just been duped by this woman.
Or perhaps, say the Stevens, the police were duped by him. Meanwhile, the Stevens have changed their routine, their security, and their sense of home and safety is seriously shaken.