Steven Gerald Cosby, 53, today surrendered at the Downtown Detention Center on criminal homicide and evidence tampering warrants issued in relation to the murder of his girlfriend, Brooke Howard, 41. Howard was found dead Tuesday afternoon inside her apartment by maintenance staff who were conducting a welfare check. She appeared to have died as the result of blunt force trauma.
During the investigation, led by Detective Kyle Eicholtz, security camera footage from the apartment complex was reviewed. It showed Cosby as the only person who entered the apartment other than the victim. It also showed him leaving with a large plastic bag. It was located in a dumpster at the complex and contained bloodied clothing. The apartment appeared to have been cleaned after Howard was fatally injured.
Cosby is an ex-con who served time for domestic violence against Howard. A 2019 arrest for aggravated assault and order of protection violation resulted in a six-year sentence. A 2018 domestic violence arrest in which Howard was the victim led to a sentence of three years. A 2017 arrest for domestic assault against Howard resulted in a sentence of 11 months, 29 days.