South David Street Saga: Woman Arrested for Tampering with Homicide Witness

SAN ANGELO, TX — A San Angelo woman has been arrested for tampering with a witness in connection to the South David Street homicide, where Hunter Joyner was shot and killed.

Dana Stewart, 51, was taken into custody on October 15, 2024, and charged with tampering with a witness.

According to court documents, on October 1, 2024, the San Angelo Police Department began a murder investigation on the 1500 block of South David Street.

According to information, Taylor Stewart, Dana's daughter, had called for emergency services for a shooting victim, and she and her mother were transported to the City of San Angelo City Hall Annex to be interviewed.

Investigators read Taylor her Miranda Rights, which she understood, waived, and provided a verbal statement. Taylor said that before the shooting, Dana drove her to the residence on the 1500 block of South David Street in Dana’s vehicle to gather up some of her personal belongings and her cats.

Taylor's brother, Mason, the homicide suspect, was also going to go to the address in the event that Hunter, the victim, became violent, Taylor was told by her mother.

Taylor said she tried to get Mason to back off but he was persistent, court documents read.

Mason allegedly told Dana that he was going to get Joyner out of the house.

While they were driving to the residence, Dana received a phone call from Mason’s girlfriend, Mollie Whitfield. On the phone, Dana began to panic, saying “what” repeatedly.

When they arrived, Taylor entered the residence and saw Mason exiting out of the back door with a gun in his hand and described the smell of gunpowder in the air. She went to check on Joyner and passed Whitfield in the hallway. Taylor then said that she found Joyner in bed and he had been shot.

Both Taylor and Dana pulled Joyner off the bed and performed life-saving measures until Dana told Taylor to call for emergency services. While Taylor was on the phone with dispatch, Dana made hand movements to not answer any questions.

Taylor said that Dana told her to say she was hit by Joiner. Dana allegedly repeated this more than once. Then, Dana struck Taylor in the left eye twice. At the time of the interview, Taylor’s bottom left eyelid was swollen with a scratch but no visible bruise.

Also, during the interview, Taylor said that she left Dana the night before the murder, she returned to the residence right before making the call to the police, and that Dana struck her and told her what story to tell.

On October 4, 2024, body camera footage was reviewed from an officer who responded to the scene.

Upon arrival, the officer spoke with Dana and Taylor. Dana said, “I came to get her because he hit her again." Then Dana stated, “I don’t know what happened, I don’t know if he had someone come to shoot him." 

Dana said that she came to help Taylor get her cats and that Joyner had hit her.

While the officer was speaking to Taylor, Dana stated, “I don’t know why you came back last night," directing the question at Taylor.

Taylor told the officer that she had left at around 10 p.m. and returned at midnight.

During this part of the interview, Dana is seated next to Taylor. Dana said that she did bring Taylor back to the residence and then said to her that she would come back in the morning on Oct. 1, 2024, at 8 a.m., as they had planned.

Taylor said that she did not go back to the residence that night and stayed with Dana. She also said that the plan was to have them both go in the morning to get her cats, believing Joyner would be asleep. Taylor then said she punched herself because she was not at the residence to protect Joyner.

Surveillance footage from the 600 block of West Avenue N was reviewed and, on the morning of October 1, Dana’s Jeep can be seen driving north on Austin Street and it stops at the West Avenue N traffic light. Two individuals can be seen in the vehicle. A short time later, shadows of a train can be seen passing through the immediate area, and in Taylor’s call for emergency services, a train could be heard in the recording.

According to Taylor, Dana influenced her to give a false statement immediately after the murder of Hunter Joyner and that Dana had struck Taylor in her left eye twice, then told Taylor to say that Joyner had assaulted her.

Stewart was arrested on Oct. 15, 2024, and is currently an inmate in the Tom Green County Jail being held on $250,000 bond.