Rivers arrested in double homicide; wife and sister stabbed in Keatchie

Stephen Rivers, 35, of Desoto Parish was charged in the double homicide of his estranged wife, Diana Irene Knight Rivers, 25, and her sister, Virginia Knight, 24, at a Keatchie residence they were sharing with their mother, their children and an elderly male relative on Sunday, Aug. 8. according to the Desoto Parish Sheriff’s Dept.

Rivers has family ties in Zwolle, even though he never lived in Sabine Parish.

Diana Rivers died from multiple stab wounds and her sister, Virginia, died after being transported to LSU Medical Center in Shreveport. Authorities said that Knight was able to tell her mother “Stephen did it” before her death.

Two of the children in the home identified Rivers, saying they saw him run through the house “bloodied and with a knife.”

A 911 call at 5:05 a.m. Sunday alerted Desoto deputies to the tragic event.

According to detectives, Rivers entered the double-wide mobile home through an unlocked back door. He encountered his estranged wife in her bedroom. Both bodies were found in the living room. Detectives said it was among the bloodiest crime scenes they’d ever encountered.

Investigation indicated that Rivers parked his truck at an oilfield location about a mile away and walked to the mobile home. He left the crime scene in his estranged wife’s vehicle, which was recovered an hour after the murders. Blood evidence was discovered inside.

A man who identified himself only as “Stephen” was spotted by a deputy at 7:35 a.m. walking on Hwy. 172. He jumped a fence and ran. Deputies swarmed the area with search dogs and the perimeter of the search widened. Rivers’ truck was found wrecked in Panola County, Texas with heavy damages,

A sighting of the fugitive was reported at 10 a.m., but he escaped into the woods once again. At 11:35 a.m. Rivers was apprehended on hunting club property. He was suffering from three self-inflicted stab wounds in his torso. It took emergency personnel 25 minutes to transport him out of the woods.

Rivers was scheduled for surgery Sunday afternoon. He is under an armed guard during his hospitalization.

The weapon in the case has not been recovered.

Rivers and his late wife were in the process of divorcing. She claimed in the petition that Rivers “was abusive and had a substance abuse problems, had failed two drug tests and tested positive for opium and cocaine.”

He also had an extensive criminal background including domestic abuse charges. Protective orders had been sought by both subjects.

A court order had been signed July 27, 2010 and was filed Thursday, Aug. 5 setting another protective order hearing for Tuesday, Aug. 10 in Desoto District Court. Investigators think that latest court appearance sparked Rivers’ anger. Mrs. Rivers wanted her spouse to stay away from her and she was requesting sole custody of their toddler son..