Inset left to right: Jimmy Wade Schwerdt (GoFundMe), Steven Ronald Schlapia (Shasta County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The location where Schwerdt was killed in Redding, California (KHSL/KNVN/YouTube).
A California man was found guilty of murdering an acquaintance before burning his body outside his home after an argument over the victim’s stolen motorcycle.
Steven Ronald Schlapia, 60, was found guilty on Wednesday of killing Jimmy Wade Schwerdt, 47, online court records show. Schlapia was found guilty of first-degree murder, torture, mayhem, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, arson, possession of a firearm by a felon, and possession of ammunition.
Mike Moynahan, a friend of the victim’s parents Jim and Nancy Schwerdt, relayed to the Redding Record-Searchlight what Nancy Schwerdt told him about the outcome.
“She said, ‘This is a conclusion that will allow Jim and me to sleep at night.’ And so this was a big deal,” Moynahan said.
The series of events leading to the killing started on the morning of March 15, 2022, when Schlapia took Schwerdt’s motorcycle, Shasta County Superior Deputy District Attorney Shelly Kafel told jurors, Record-Searchlight reporter Damon Arthur reported.
When Schlapia didn’t respond to calls or texts asking for it back, Schwerdt went to Schlapia’s home in the 13000 block of Fernie Way outside of Redding, more than 200 miles north of San Francisco, the following day, the prosecutor said, according to the newspaper. There, Schlapia shot Schwerdt, lit his body on fire, hit him with a pipe and slammed a door on him, the prosecutor said, the newspaper reported.
At one point, after shots were fired, Schwerdt’s friend, who had dropped him off at the home, testified hearing someone say, “I can’t feel my feet! What are you doing, bro?” and a reply, “Does it feel good, bro? I’m going to kill your family!” the Record-Searchlight reported.
Schlapia testified that Schwerdt confronted him in the driveway and pulled a gun, so he shot Schwerdt in self-defense, local ABC affiliate KRCR reported. Schlapia’s defense attorney, Michael Borges, said wounds to Schwerdt’s face and head happened when the victim fell against a tractor, a claim the prosecutor called nonsense, and added that no gun was found on Schwerdt, the outlet reported.
By the time deputies responded to the chaotic scene, they found Schwerdt dead in the driveway and Schlapia nowhere to be seen. He was caught miles from his home after a massive search that prompted calls for residents to shelter in place.
Schlapia testified he and the victim met the previous year outside a sandwich shop and became acquaintances, KRCR reported. He said he took Schwerdt’s motorcycle after his car broke down at Schwerdt’s home.
Schwerdt was remembered fondly as a father, husband, friend and sole provider to his family.
“Jimmy worked hard to financially ensure that his wife could stay home and raise their young boys,” a GoFundMe page raising money for his family said. “Jimmy was thoughtful, had a big heart and a lot of love for those who needed it most.”
Schlapia faces 25 years to life in prison when he is set to be sentenced on Sept. 16.
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