Suspect who faced felony drug charges was free on pre-trial release when Oak Lawn man died

Robert Lester Canaga

An Oak Lawn man’s alleged killer is a homeless hustler who had previously been arrested for drugs and credit card abuse and was free on bond awaiting trial on felony charges stemming from an October 2007 drug arrest, according to police and prosecutors.

Lt. Craig Miller said Robert Lester Canaga, 31, who is being held in the Cooke County Jail on capital murder charges in lieu of $1 million bond, told police that he had sex with George Stephenson, 69, on more than one occasion in exchange for money. The suspect, who was awaiting trial on felony drug charges, revealed no motive to police for killing Stephenson, whose body was discovered in his childhood home in Gainesville on Feb. 7.

“He told us a lot of information, but he didn’t tell us all of the information,” Miller said in a telephone interview. “He won’t talk about that.”

Friends of Stephenson’s in Dallas challenged Canaga’s claims that the victim hired him as a prostitute, saying his death was more likely a result of his efforts to help people suffering from substance abuse than an attempt to sexually gratify himself.

Stephenson was an active member of the Lambda chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous, and he was well known in Dallas’ recovery community for his outreach to alcoholics and addicts.

“I don’t believe it at all,” said Leslie Johnson, who described Stephenson as his best friend and a “brother” of 20 years. “I’m offended that anyone would even hint at that.”

Miller said he regrets the investigation is revealing information that is upsetting Stephenson’s friends, and that he respects their deep regard for the victim.

“My intent is not to offend anybody,” Miller said. “I don’t want to do that.”

Miller said Stephenson’s relationship with Canaga may have began by him attempting to help the suspect, but so far the investigation has shown that it changed at some point, based on statements made by the suspect and other informants.

“I think they probably had a more advanced relationship than that based on my conversations with Canaga,” said Miller, who noted there are great risks involved in associating with people who have been involved in criminal behavior such as hustling and drug abuse. “It’s risky when you invite these people into your home.”

A medical examiner at the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Science at Dallas ruled the official cause of Stephenson’s death as “blunt force and sharp force injuries,” said Cooke County Justice of the Peace Dorthy Lewis, who set bond for Canaga when he was returned to Gainesville on Feb. 8. The suspect, who will be tried by the Cooke County District Attorney, faces up to life in prison or the death penalty if he is convicted of capital murder.

A search of Dallas County criminal records shows Canaga has been arrested on several charges of credit card abuse and drug possession dating back to 1997, some of which were dismissed without prosecution.

Multiple drug charges from an arrest in October 2007 are pending against Canaga, who was free on a pre-trial release bond at the time of Stephenson’s death, according to Jamille Bradfield, a spokeswoman for the Dallas County District Attorney. Although bond was set at $3,500 on the drug charges, the fees for a pre-trial release bond were waived and he was freed by jail officials after two days, she said.

Canaga, who held a drivers license with a Winnsboro address in Northeast Texas, lived on the street between extended visits at the homes of others, the detective said. The suspect was found living at an apartment in the 2600 block of Reagan Street on Feb. 7 with three men and a woman after an informant told police the apartment’s residents were trying to sell Stephenson’s 2002 black Lexus.

“He’d been staying under a bridge a little bit before that,” Miller said. “He had various places he was going and staying.”

Canaga, who is 5-foot-10 and weighs 240 pounds, attempted to use Stephenson’s credit cards and an ATM card at businesses on Cedar Springs Road before Stephenson’s body was found at his second home in Gainesville where the victim grew up. Stephenson was restoring the 1940s-era home that had belonged to his parents before their deaths.

Stephenson, a retired graphic artist and advertising agency operator, was reported missing by friends on Feb. 5 after he failed to keep scheduled appointments. Gainesville police discovered his body at the North Texas house in response to a request for a welfare check on him.

Stephenson’s friends told police they immediately knew something was amiss when they found his dog alone in the victim’s home on Bowser Avenue in Oak Lawn, Miller said. The friends told police Stephenson would never leave his 12-year-old American Eskimo dog, Miss Victoria, alone for an extended period of time.

Miller said it was unclear why Stephenson and Canaga had traveled to Gainesville, but it was obvious they had ridden together in the victim’s car. Evidence found at the scene indicated Stephenson was struck with a lamp and stabbed inside the Gainesville house, the detective said. “It seems unusual that as close as he was to his dog that he wouldn’t have taken the dog with him,” said Miller, who noted that Canaga told police he had been to the Gainesville home in the past.

Johnson said his longtime friend would never have taken someone to the Gainesville house to engage in sex with them. He noted that police said Stephenson’s body was fully dressed when it was discovered.

“George was a very conscientious person,” Johnson said. “That home belonged to his parents. He would never take anybody there for sex.”

Wayne McCall, who had been romantically involved with Stephenson for three years but did not share his home, said Canaga’s claim that Stephenson hired him as a prostitute also surprised him.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” said McCall, who noted he planned to provide a home for Stephenson’s dog now. “It just doesn’t sound like George. I know that’s not true.”

Both Johnson and McCall said they had never seen Canaga before or ever heard Stephenson talk about him.

Johnson noted that it was not unusual for Stephenson to offer to buy beggars food if they approached him, but that he never gave anyone money that could be used to buy alcohol or drugs. He also had hired some people he was helping to do odd jobs at his Oak Lawn home and at the one in Gainesville, he said.

“I saw him do it,” Johnson said. “We were sitting at Hunky’s eating, and an addict came up to us asking for money. George said, ‘I won’t give you money. Do you want something to eat?’ He went and bought him a hamburger and some french fries.”

Johnson said George tried to convince the man to go to a shelter and get help.

“The guy didn’t want to, and he left,” Johnson said. “That’s the way George was with all people. He would never force himself on anyone.”

Johnson said Stephenson, who served as the director of the Ethel Daniels Foundation in East Dallas for more than a decade after retiring from his graphics art and advertising career, genuinely cared about people. The group provided assistance to people suffering from substance abuse.

“He never said a bad word about anyone even people he didn’t like,” Johnson said. “There was no better man.”

Johnson said that he does not believe in the death penalty, and that Stephenson did not either. For that reason, he does not want Canaga to be executed if he is convicted.

“I do hope he gets life in prison,” Johnson said.

Johnson described Stephenson’s death as his worst experience. “It’s been the most horrendous time of my life,” Johnson said.

Stephenson, who was divorced, leaves behind an adult daughter in addition to his many friends. His funeral was held Thursday, Feb. 14, at the Cathedral of Hope, and he was buried on Friday, Feb. 15, at a cemetery near Gainesville.

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This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition February 15, 2008