Money, Love, and Murder: The Tragic Story of Stephen and Evelyn
On a hot night in 2002 a murder took place in this Philippines apartment. The victim was a British businessman. His death would transform the life of his mother.
“Only a mother will know what it feels like to lose a child. This part of your soul that just goes out like that and it’s just filled with pain and it eats away at you all the time.”
“Stephen is the best man in my life.”
This is the woman Margaret believes murdered her son. She’s Stephen’s widow Evelyn.
“I loved you. He loved you. Your children loved you and look what’s happened.”
Evelyn is on trial in Manila. She’s always protested her innocence but her mother-in-law has spent two years fighting to get her in the dock.
“A life sentence is enough for me. I think death’s too good.”
“I’ve had my arms around this girl. I’ve cherished her but she took my son and she destroyed everything that was good in this world.”
“So Evelyn did you kill Stephen?”
“No. He was my perfect husband with me and my two kids. And he six years in Europe he was the best man ever. He’s a man. He was just a funny guy very different and funny meaning humorous. He would tell really bad jokes but then his grin or his smirk would make it funny. Didn’t want her to fly wouldn’t hurt anybody and that’s how he came over. He was so gentle.”
Stephen grew up with two younger sisters in Nottingham. Things changed when his dad died. Stephen was just 14.
“He was quite a playful brother and then when my dad had his accident and died he became more of a bigger more responsible brother. He just wanted to look after me and look after the girls.”
“It became easier actually when Alan and I started seeing each other and then Alan started to take Stephen on the male role because I felt that Stephen had missed out quite a lot with trying to be such a good boy for me.”
“We just clicked really which was really nice because previous to that life had been pretty tough for Stephen.”
“I can remember thinking I wished you’d have got out a little more and parted and stuff which you didn’t tend to do did he. He always he was so taken with his computer and that’s what he was going to do with his life.”
While Stephen was getting his first job working in computers in Nottingham his future bride Evelyn was growing up on the other side of the world.
Is a remote island in the Philippines you can only reach it by boat there’s no running water electricity or sanitation.
“She was a very good girl she was very well behaved when she was young she spent most of her time in the house and when her father was ill she did a washing and helped make match to sell she was very talkative even when she was small and when she was asked what job do you want when you grow up she’d say oh i want to be a bar girl so i can marry an american.”
When Stephen was 21 he was offered an exciting job abroad a computer company promised to triple his salary if he left Nottingham to work in Hong Kong.
“I’d encouraged him so much because I felt that Stephen was very skilled very intelligent and could do an awful lot with his life.”
“He was a bit innocent he grew up I think he grew up very close to his mother that might not have been the best thing uh he hadn’t been on his own a long time and and I don’t think Steve saw evil around him.”
Stephen took up a new hobby he joined a flying club in Angeles City in the Philippines just two hours from Hong Kong it’s where many professionals come to party he found himself surrounded by pretty women.
“Women liked him he was very cute you know he was a big guy with blonde hair you know very uh white face uh smirk good sense of humor he made them laugh and women were attracted to him.”
Like Stephen Evelyn decided to leave home for new opportunities but she was only 13.
“I cried when she started working because she was very young but she said she had to work because we were very poor.”
It’s a two-day journey by boat and bus to Angeles City it’s where many young girls like Evelyn come for work Angeles is known as the sex capital of the Philippines.
The bars here are the best opportunity for girls from the villages to earn money to send back to their families they often lie about their age to get a job in some of the bars not this one girls are as young as 12. They earn a pound a night for dancing up to five pounds if they have sex with a customer there is a premium rate for virgins they’re known as cherry girls the bar owner keeps a watchful eye he takes the lion’s share of what clients pay.
“No anger she was kind of embarrassed with what she was doing she said she was forced into it so she would use drugs to help her cope with the situation.”
The only way out for these girls is to get a wealthy boyfriend Evelyn was one of the lucky ones her dream of being rescued by a rich man was about to come true.
“That he’d met this girl and that she was in one of the bars I was naive at the time I didn’t know what I mean about the bars you you just think the pub you know and he was quite smitten with her.”
Stephen fell for Evelyn the moment he saw her he took her out for the night then paid the bar owner 500 pounds so she’d never have to return.
“She said that Steve was kind and he was handsome and he wasn’t old and also she said that he had plenty of money.”
“Good morning were you shocked when you discovered that he’d bought a prostitute for the night?”
“I was disappointed very disappointed but you have to be there to understand it um some of these girls I could have took home with me they’re really not sexually obviously as a mom they’re so pretty so attractive and they don’t deserve to do what they’re doing he says if you can rescue just one girl from the bar life he says that’s what I’ve done I’ve rescued her from that life.”
“What are you doing with me?”
Evelyn Davis is on trial in the Philippines for murdering her British husband Stephen she claims she is innocent.
“If I’m thinking with him now all I can know is why he’s so nice he’s so nice.”
It was on a visit to Hong Kong that Margaret met her son’s new girlfriend for the first time Evelyn was just 17 Stephen was 10 years older.
“You could see why he fell for her um she was quiet she was polite she was just totally acceptable.”
Stephen arranged a special surprise for them.
“I’m convinced he only did it because he wanted to share part of his life with us and he bought her a beautiful suit I think he paid something like 500 pounds this little white suit she looked life I don’t forget that day it was of course it was like a nervous dinner a little bit and yeah it was very the ceremony was held up because Evelyn couldn’t read the vows she’d never been to school.”
“I just asked him if he knew what he was doing there’s a lot of stories about western men marrying bar girls in the first place and then marrying somebody so young and from such a in a poor environment I thought there was some you know questionable judgment on his part.”
“I feel that he was feeling fairly safe in that relationship with Evelyn because he was the provider and he held the purse strings yeah and he he must have felt that um she wouldn’t she wouldn’t dump him because without him everything wouldn’t have had anything.”
Margaret and Alan were flattered to be invited on Stephen and Evelyn’s honeymoon they went to the tropical island of Puerto Galera Margaret was worried by what she saw.
“He loved her with everything he got she didn’t reciprocate that love though we’ll be walking down the road Alice still holds my hand when we go down the road and Stephen would try to hold Evelyn’s but she’d put her shoulder away there’s little things that moms notice sometimes.”
“And Stephen tell me she did my mother-in-law she doesn’t want me to get married with him Stephen said everything I love her and she’s she’s the one it’s gonna be mother of my kids.”
Stephen’s hopes came true first Jessica was born then two years later Joshua.
The family moved from Hong Kong to Angeles City it’s where Evelyn had worked as a bar girl earning a pound a night now she was in a different world.
They rented a house in the most expensive neighborhood Stephen was earning 60 000 pounds a year as a computer technician he gave Evelyn a monthly allowance of a thousand pounds nothing was too good for her in fact I’d tell him that his wife was lazy after she had the children because she’d lie in bed all day and the maids would take care of the children Stephen employed maids to do the housework and she wouldn’t physically do anything um and he’d just say she doesn’t have to do anything mom she’s my princess.
“She wasn’t the same she seemed to have this air being rich and she would always speak of money and in a way would look down on her relatives.”
It wasn’t just Evelyn’s life that was transformed life on the island changed dramatically for her parents too Steven was sending them large amounts of money enough to buy a fishing boat and to build the only brick house in the village he paid their fares to visit him and Evelyn in their new home sometimes they stayed for several weeks.
“When they’d gone pillows would have gone missing or like or the rice maker anything they could come and carry away water filter that went missing yeah and Evelyn would feel it was okay because she’d just say to Stephen we go by some more.”
Margaret and Alan also visited at least once a year they always took their video camera and they noticed their daughter-in-law was acting suspiciously.
“Whenever you saw she was text messaging communicating with someone when she thought you was out of here shot those you could hear a giggle and a laugh.”
“You said it was a boyfriend didn’t you?”
“Yeah I did just by her whole attitude towards us and towards Stephen she was very angry at Stephen all the time.”
By this time Margaret and Alan weren’t the only ones who suspected Evelyn was having an affair her sister Gina had moved into work as a nanny to the children she confronted Evelyn about the rumors.
“She finally admitted that it was true that she did have a lover and she told me that Steve and her were having problems.”
The man in question was a local security guard earning only a thousand pounds a year that was the same as Evelyn’s monthly allowance his name was Arnold Adorai.
“Were you having an affair?”
“No I’m not having a problem with him that’s that’s I don’t know why they thank me that way.”
Stephen was becoming increasingly suspicious about his wife’s behavior money was going missing he’d given Evelyn the fees for Jessica to go to a private nursery school one day he decided to take his daughter there himself.
“He was really embarrassed because Jesse wasn’t even enrolled Mary has taken this little girl to school with a packed lunch they don’t even know who she was and the last thing he said to me was she’s really messed up this time mum she’s pawned a wedding ring it’s only um in hindsight of of the events what happened that she was actually buying things for her boyfriend we did find out that the rent when he bought him a motorbike.”
Stephen too started to spend time away from his family with his single friends they went out to the bars and clubs he used to go to before he was married.
“I don’t think Steve had an affair I think he had one night’s hands now and then uh as I said I they didn’t have a sexual relation whatsoever so I think Steve would go elsewhere to satisfy that need.”
Stephen told Evelyn he was away on business in fact he was staying at Mike’s house where they brought girls back to party this was the last home video Stephen recorded weeks before his murder.
“Well it looks like someone’s broken no never used it.”
Stephen still wanted his marriage to work he gave Evelyn an ultimatum she had to give the missing money back and get a job or go to college but nothing changed so he threatened her with divorce she was faced with going back to being a prostitute in a bar she would be exactly back where she was five years before selling herself to strangers or living in poverty and back in their province after having been the queen.
Stephen decided to stop Evelyn’s allowance now she was no longer able to support the large network of family and friends that had come to depend on her.
“I do remember telling him uh that he needs to be careful you know um you know some of these people are crazy and he made a comment I’ll never forget he made a comment about you know that that they wouldn’t hurt him because he’s the golden goose you see and I remember telling him that you forget the moral of the story is that they killed the golden goose and I think we just kind of laughed it off and had another beer.”
Margaret and Alan will always remember their last holiday with Stephen and his family.
“My anger with Evelyn she let me say goodbye to Stephen that day knowing that we wouldn’t see him again it was the way the goodbyes were it wasn’t like it had been in the past it was a final goodbye she she was there she knew she knew and she let him smile at us and huggers and say goodbye to us.”
“She knew.”
On July the 18th 2002 Margaret got the news that every mother dreads.
“That particular morning Al and I were here on our own and Alan was doing the garden and then um I got a telephone call from Mike it was like I’d heard it and if I didn’t say it it wasn’t true and I just to Maori he can’t be he can’t be dead not Stephen.”
That night Stephen and Mike had been staying in Manila at their business apartment Mike woke up when three men broke in one held a gun to his head and said is this him when he was told no he went into the room where Stephen was sleeping.
“At that point I heard a yell and three or four shots they were simultaneous there was Steve’s gel he was yelling hay or something along those lines but at the same time there was these shots then I heard a running down the stairs I went to Steve’s room and saw him lying there I felt for a pulse there was none so I just went downstairs and went to the neighbors and called the police and then I I just said aloud to one of the neighbors in fact I just turned and said that [ __ ] [ __ ] killed him and I meant Evelyn.”
“There was no evidence to link it to Evelyn it was just pure suspicion when I said to Mike it was just a good reaction has it got anything to do with Evelyn I couldn’t see it I know she was arrogant and ignorant and all the other things we’d learned her to be but a murderer I couldn’t see it.”
As soon as Margaret learnt of her son Stephen’s murder she flew to the Philippines at the funeral parlor she thought his widow Evelyn was acting suspiciously.
“Evelyn was sat to the left as we walked in and um she didn’t get up and we went towards Stephen’s coughing Evelyn never came to us.”
“Did she seem upset?”
“No not at all no not at all never saw a tear from that girl’s eyes forever that time I saw my husband he was just sleeping it’s it’s here it’s just like you know like in this old life here in this very time it was you know nothing you can do it and I got to come over and we stood over Stephen and she said to me um have you seen Mike this before we addressed that Stephen was lying there dead in front of us have you seen Mike so I said no I’ve not seen anybody and said well if the guys were in the room for 20 minutes surely he would recognize them and she was just trying to put me about Mike and that’s when my notebook came out and everything every interaction we had I made notes.”
The police investigation was moving very slowly their first theory was that someone connected with Steven’s company might have killed him.
“We started at the office which is a few blocks away from the rented apartment but all the employees are claiming that the big team is a very good employer they don’t think of anybody who would do that to him they’re really facing a blank wall.”
Then Margaret took things into her own hands she wasn’t going to return to the UK until she had got to the truth about Stephen’s murder she hired her own private investigator a former policeman who doesn’t want to be identified.
“She’s crying and giving me a hug he’s crying on my shoulder and telling me oh please help my son’s case to be sold.”
Margaret’s investigator carried out 24-hour surveillance on Evelyn there were two men who paid regular visits to her home one was Evelyn’s lover the other his friend another security man Margaret passed this on to the police who called both men in Mike was able to identify them as two of the three men who broke into his flat on the night of the murder.
“At one point he looked towards me and I saw his eyes and those are the same eyes that were you know gonna gun me down right I was 100 they were both arrested.”
But Margaret’s campaign to hunt down Stephen’s killers was putting her and Alan’s lives at risk she was warned that they were in danger friends of the accused knew who they were after two months it was time to go home but Margaret wasn’t going to leave the Philippines without something of Stevens his children she wanted to take Jessica and Joshua home to live with her and Alan.
“Why did you decide that it was the right thing to take them away from their mother?”
“Because she was dangerous she didn’t care.”
Margaret persuaded Evelyn to let Jessica stay with her for the weekend a few days later she left the Philippines for England with her three-year-old granddaughter she hadn’t been able to find her grandson.
“I didn’t want to leave Joshua it was the hardest thing I did is to leave the baby there without taking him so he left the passport for Joshua and we had to get on the plane with Jess and by this time I’ve got halfway down my list because I’ve got Jessica I got the passports I got Stephen’s ashes in my hand luggage we’ve got two guys in jail and was exhausted.”
Next on Margaret’s list was her grandson Joshua was staying with Evelyn’s parents Margaret sent her investigator to the island with an offer of 200 pounds to hand him over.
“I cried I cried over the child he was going far away but I couldn’t do anything because I don’t have the money for his schooling whatever he wants to study it’s better if he is with the other grandmother Margaret she has plenty of money there he can study and choose whatever course he wants and finish his education.”
Two months after she fled the Philippines Margaret was reunited with her grandson at Heathrow airport he was dressed in a pyramid socks a baby girl with her legs cut off because he didn’t fit him and the British show is nappy it was amazing just have Stephen’s son in my arms after all what we we’ve been through Evelyn has not seen her children now for two years they’re living with Margaret and Alan.
“Okay are you my princess yeah you are aren’t you I hug my my daughter and give a love and I’m never gonna say again I’m never gonna say it I get the laugh of my kids I mean she knows I love my kids she knows and that my life is that’s my kids and my husband she knows.”
Even though Margaret was on the other side of the world she was determined to prove her daughter-in-law’s guilt for two years she worked every single day and often throughout the night getting evidence it was a costly business she even had to pay the police’s petrol money to interview witnesses altogether she spent 55 000 pounds she wanted justice and I think she was enraged benevolent and she could cold-bloodedly kill her husband and then just behave the way she continued to behave all for money it was Evelyn’s relatives that gave Margaret the breakthrough she needed whilst out there she and Alan had made friends with them they’d kept in touch by text message.
“I promised her I would do anything I could to help her she said thank you I said I understand because we are both mothers.”
The family held the key to what happened to Stephen that night and this man was to provide the crucial evidence he’s Robin Butus Evelyn’s brother-in-law and Gina’s husband he’d been acting suspiciously since the killing when the police tried to question him he went into hiding Evelyn’s aunts knew where he was and Margaret persuaded them to turn him in finally he admitted that he’d been the third man on the night of the murder.
“At last the truth was out I got into the car and then we headed downtown.”
Robin told the police that Evelyn’s lover the friend and Evelyn then drove to the flat where Mike and Steven were staying the three men got out of the car and went upstairs Evelyn’s lover was the one who fired the gun two shots then two more Evelyn sat in the car to act as lookout Evelyn told everybody that Stephen was a millionaire and she would get all Stephen’s money when Stephen was dead Robin’s confession meant that Evelyn’s lover and his accomplice were convicted of murder they are both serving life sentences Robin was set free in return for providing evidence in February 2004 Evelyn was arrested and charged even though she didn’t fire the gun herself she can still be found guilty of murder the judge will decide if she planned Stephen’s death with her lover Evelyn denies everything but there is strong evidence against her the men had a key to get into the apartment on the night of the murder Evelyn claimed she was asleep at home yet a neighbor saw her come back in the early hours of the morning there are 14 people giving evidence against Evelyn but there is not a single witness to support her version of events.
McCarthy City Jail is where prisoners are held on remand Evelyn’s been here for seven months the only visitor she’s had is her father the rest of her families turned against her and they have given evidence that they heard her and her lover planning to murder Stephen for his money in six weeks time the judge will announce his verdict the penalty for murder in the Philippines is a life sentence or even execution by hanging.
“It’s such a shame what has happened to her that she has wrecked her life and allowed herself to be carried away by Adorai I guess I I don’t want to waste my energy hating her I mean she did what she did she deals with it I I feel the loss of a friend.”
The upsetting part for me is knowing that you I won’t see him again and also for his children that they wouldn’t have that opportunity and I think that’s the saddest thing because he loved his kids he was so proud of him most magic words please what’s your favorite sweetie and Joshua’s going to grow up to be a big dinosaur I come out my house with Jessica and it’s look at that star up there into a beautiful star and I say yes that’s my daddy that’s my daddy you know it really caught you.
Margaret’s goal is in sight the judge is about to pronounce his verdict on Evelyn and Margaret is determined to be there it’s been a very long long journey it’s been two and a half years it’s been a hard journey a day in day out journey and I just hope that some I can get some resolve and focus on the children and bring the children up and do all the things that Stephen would want us to do.
“Got butterflies.”
“Today is going to be a huge day and if we get the right verdict there’s going to be a huge sigh of relief.”
Evelyn is about to find out if she will be set free or convicted of murdering her husband Stephen’s mother Margaret and her partner Alan have waited two and a half years for this moment with no family or friends to support her the only person for Evelyn to talk to is her lawyer foreign is female case number zero two two two nine two people the Philippines versus everything dailies decisions positive portion wherefore this court hereby finds evident Bohol Italia also known as Evelyn Bohol Evelyn Bogal Davis and the Anita Bohol Davis guilty beyond reasonable doubt of murder qualified by treachery without any mitigating or aggravating circumstances and sentences her to suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua.
Evelyn has been spared the death penalty but she’s got the maximum life sentence that means 40 years in prison with no possibility of an early release.
“All right in our case I don’t get any pleasure in seeing my daughter-in-law going to prison and no matter what happens it would never bring my son back but there’s no pleasure in seeing Evelyn go to prison.”
Margaret has one last task before she leaves she’s going to confront Evelyn with her crimes and say goodbye.
“Stand up Evelyn stand up and talk to me Evelyn take off those glasses look at me your daughter cries for you your son cries for you they want their mummy and you’d the woman I would just think just what you do no you know that I want Jesse Jose you know that but how how can you how can you convince me of that whatever happened with this Steven I don’t know you know that mom I was there with Stephen everything what happened with this Stephen when he’s dead I was there and I go to hospital when I know when someone told me and I was crying.”
“It’s your boyfriend it was your boyfriend I heard never I never have a relationship with him even if I die now I have a perfect love I have beautiful Jessica and I have beautiful Joshua for my life.”
Evelyn continues to deny everything Margaret had hoped she might confess but she’s disappointed.
“You can see my eyes mom if I’m telling lie I wish I wish I wished it was a liability if it was different to heaven I wished it was different I wished it was just you and the children but it’s not.”
“I bring you some pictures okay is mommy crying from Jessica it’s Joshua that’s the house for the blue gates the house she lived with Stephen this one is Jessica mummy and nana she’s beautiful absolutely beautiful he’s beautiful do you know Evelyn I don’t even feel angry at you I just feel so sorry so sorry that we had some in there you’ll see some happy days thanks for being good for you thank you for having me all the family because this was your family I send you pictures of them growing up they’ll always know they have a very beautiful mummy and they’ll always be your children always so I’m going now then you want to stand up and say goodbye to me Evelyn no okay I’m going okay okay get it you got your wish to have a face to face with her to talk to her that’s what you wanted all along that’s what you got.”
“Dear Evelyn you are convicted in court of the murder of your husband Stephen with the help of Arnold Adorai your boyfriend nothing you say will convince me that you’re innocent I’m leaving you and the Philippines no injustice has been done and you will spend the next 40 years in jail.”
“You’ll be an old woman with a wasted life you had everything Stephen called you his princess and loved you very much.”
“You are a very evil woman with no thought of the lives you have ruined and I hope the sacrifice of your family was worth the short time of the love of Adorai.”
“You took my son now I have yours and your daughter who someday will come and ask why mummy why was you so bad and leave us and kill our daddy I will enjoy your children and we shall have some happy times and not think of you.”
“I will never forgive you or see you ever again.”
“You are no longer a daughter of mine Margaret.”
