Stephen "Steve" J. Perry (December 12, 1954 – May 2010) was an American writer of animated cartoons and

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. ...

s. He was murdered in 2010, by a roommate.

Biography

Perry wrote for the '' ThunderCats'' and ''

Silverhawks ''SilverHawks'' is an American animated television series developed by Rankin/Bass Productions and distributed by Lorimar-Telepictures in 1986. The animation was provided by Japanese studio Pacific Animation Corporation. In total, 65 episodes we ...

'' television shows in the 1980s, as well as the comic book series '' Timespirits'' and '' ThunderCats'', among others. In 2008 Perry was diagnosed with bladder cancer which was operated on, but reemerged in the midst of financial troubles which prompted the help of

The Hero Initiative The Hero Initiative, formerly known as A Commitment to Our Roots, or ACTOR, is the first federally recognized not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping comic book creators, writers and artists in need. Founded in late 2000 by a consortiu ...

. His profile on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin ...

reads, "I discovered, a year ago, I had cancer when I walked into an Emergency Room with no insurance or no doctor. They removed a tumor, kicked me out after five days, and now the cancer is back. Thanks to the Hero Initiative, I survived long enough to get Medicaid and welfare, and now have Doctors, and can get the follow up care to try and survive the return of the cancer." Perry released a statement in praise of the help he received from The Hero Initiative which stated, "The Initiative gave me the breathing room to get some Medicaid and food stamps, and while we are always in danger of losing our home, electricity and belongings at any moment, I will always be grateful from the depths of my heart for the past six months of fairly solid home life I have had with my little boy." Spurred on by

Steve Bissette Stephen R. Bissette (born March 14, 1955) is an American comic book artist, editor, and publisher with a focus on the horror genre. He is known for working with writer Alan Moore and inker John Totleben on the DC Comics series ''Swamp Thing'' in ...

's plea to help his friend, fellow writer Elizabeth Massie headed a fundraiser for Perry on Facebook with the help of writer Laura Anne Gilman, and Horror World which started on May 3, 2010, and raised $1,140 by May 14. By the end of that fundraiser, it had been a few days since friends or family had heard from Perry.

Disappearance

According to news reports, Stephen Perry and his roommates, Roxanne and James Davis, disappeared from their home in

Zephyrhills, Florida Zephyrhills is a city in Pasco County, Florida, United States. The population was counted at 17,194 in the 2020 census. It is a suburb of the Tampa Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area. Zephyrhills is also known as the headquarters of the Zephyrhi ...

in May 2010, with the last sighting of him being on May 9. The Davises were arrested on May 21 on "probation and drug charges". In the parking lot of a

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough C ...

motel on May 16, police found a severed arm in a van registered to Perry following complaints of a foul smell. Over two weeks went by without public confirmation of his death, and on May 27, the Zephyrhills police confirmed that Steve Perry was the victim of a homicide. The police have also been investigating whether there is a connection with a $10 million winning

lottery ticket A lottery is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of ...

that was bought at a nearby store just before Perry disappeared. James Davis was eventually charged with

first-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...

in July 2010, although not all of Perry's remains had been found at that time. The trial against James Davis began in May, 2022. The jury found Davis guilty, and he was sentenced to life in prison, without possibility of parole. Other reports include: * Stephen R. Bissette's blog * An article on

Comic Book Resources ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom ...

* An article on

io9 ''io9'' is part of Gizmodo media since 2015, and it began as blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The site initially focused on the subjects of science fiction, fantasy, futurism, science, technology and related areas but over the years has ...

Bibliography

Comics

* ''

'' #s 1-3,

Star Comics Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and featured titles that were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys. The last comic published under the imprint ...

(Aug. 1987) * '' Thundercats'' #14, 16, 19, Star Comics (1987–1988) * '' Timespirits,'' 8-issue series (1984–1986) * "Kultz", in ''

Epic Illustrated ''Epic Illustrated'' was a comics anthology in magazine format published in the United States by Marvel Comics. Similar to the US-licensed comic book magazine '' Heavy Metal'', it allowed explicit content to be featured, unlike the traditional Ame ...

'' #6 (June 1981) * "Not Yeti", ''Abyss'' (1976) * ''Salimba 3-D,'' 2-part series (Aug-Sep 1986) * "Incunabula", ''Abyss'' (1976) * "A Frog is a Frog", ''

Bizarre Adventures ''Marvel Preview'' is a black-and-white comics magazine published by Magazine Management for fourteen issues and the affiliated Marvel Comics Group for ten issues. The final issue additionally carried the imprint Marvel Magazines Group. Public ...

'' #31 (Apr. 1982) * "The Saurian Remains", ''

Amazing High Adventure ''Amazing Adventures'' is the name of several anthology comic book series, all but one published by Marvel Comics. The earliest Marvel series of that name introduced the company's first superhero of the late-1950s to early-1960s period fans and h ...

'' #4 (Nov. 1986) * ''

Psi-Force ''Psi-Force'' was a comic book series created by Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson and published by Marvel Comics under their New Universe imprint from 1986 to 1989. It ran for 32 issues and an Annual (October 1987). It concerned a group of ...

'' #1-2 Marvel Comics (1986) * "The Dump Man", '' Creepy'' No. 1 (Jun. 1985) * "A Base and Nasal Hunger", in ''Creepy'' #1 (Jun. 1985) * "The Ballad of Hardcase Bradley", ''Vanguard Illustrated'' #7 (Jul. 1984) * "A Change of Mind", in ''

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents ''T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents'' is a fictional team of superheroes that appeared in comic books originally published by Tower Comics in the 1960s. They were an arm of the United Nations and were notable for their depiction of the heroes as everyday pe ...

'' #1 (Nov. 1984) * "Noman", in ''T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents'' #3-4 (Nov. 1985 - Feb. 1986)

Television animation

Thundercats

* "The Doomgaze" * "Safari Joe" * "Queen of 8 Legs" * "Feliner" (2-parts) * "Tight Squeeze" * "Trapped"

Silverhawks

* "Darkbird" * "Fantascreen" * "Limbo Gold Rush" * "The Bounty Hunter Returns"

Theater

* ''Muties'' * ''Spindlewheel''

Notes

References

* * *

External links

* *
Article on Stephen Perry's Murder in ST. PETERSBURG TIMES
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Stephen American male screenwriters American murder victims 2010 deaths 1954 births People murdered in Florida Male murder victims