McKinney man accepts 30-year plea deal after girlfriend's body found in fridge

McKINNEY, Texas - A McKinney man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for charges related to the death of his one-time girlfriend. Her body was found hidden in a fridge in his home.

Chad Stevens accepts plea deal

What's new:

According to the Collin County District Attorney’s Office, Chad Stevens accepted a plea deal on Tuesday morning.

He was given a 30-year prison sentence in exchange for pleading guilty to tampering with a corpse.

The charge is related to the death of his girlfriend, 35-year-old Heather Schwab.

Heather Schwab reported missing

The backstory:

Police found Schwab’s body inside Stevens’ home in November of 2023.

However, family members had reported her missing five months earlier and told investigators they hadn’t seen her in about a year.

Schwab and her mother were estranged because they disagreed over Schwab’s drug use and other issues. Schwab’s mother also believed her daughter was in an abusive relationship with Stevens and feared he would kill her.

At that time, Stevens told investigators Schwab had left him. He claimed he didn’t know where she had gone.

Heather Schwab’s body found in fridge

What we know:

Schwab’s mother called the police again in November of 2023 after Stevens’ ex-wife and daughter contacted her, claiming they believed Stevens had killed Schwab.

McKinney police obtained a warrant to search Stevens’ home.

They found Schwab’s body in a refrigerator that was wrapped in copious amounts of plastic wrap. It was in a kitchen that was closed off with a piece of sheet rock as if to conceal it from the rest of the home. 

Family's Emotional Victim Impact Statements

What they're saying:

Schwab’s loved one finally got to face Stevens in court on Tuesday.

"You are evil. Evil and soulless," Schwab’s mother, Tammy, told Stevens. "What you and only you committed and did to Heather is evil. Your worthless life has not served a single purpose. Your life has only brought fear, pain and destruction." 

Stevens told police Schwab fell in the shower and hit her head, but her mom believes something much more sinister happened. 

"It is devastating to our family that Heather is no longer here to experience life with. Heather had dreams and a purpose in life," said Tammy. "When she met Chad Stevens, he took her down such a long, dark road that included mental, emotional, psychological and physical abuse. We were never able to get her back." 

The experience has inspired the family to raise awareness for domestic violence. 

Schwab’s sister, Haley Jo, is even involved with Genesis, a women’s shelter in North Texas. 

"I can sit here and say my sister was a victim of domestic violence, and there are still so many things that I didn’t understand and that I didn’t know," she said.

Around 40 people showed up to the courthouse to support the Schwab family. They all wore purple and butterfly pins as a tribute.

Tammy says she never stopped searching for her daughter and encourages other families to do the same.

"I want them to never stop. Keep pushing. Keep asking," she said. "We know Heather has made it into Heaven. We know that Heather is free from you and at peace." 

What we don't know:

Schwab’s cause of death is still unknown.

In an interview with investigators after the body was found, Stevens claimed she died in July 2022. He admitted to putting her body in the fridge because he said he didn’t know what else to do. 

He told investigators several different stories to explain what happened but ultimately claimed Schwab died after slipping in the shower and hitting her head.

Neighbors told FOX 4 that when they asked about Schwab, Stevens told them she died of cancer.

Prosecutors said the medical examiner was never able to determine Schwab’s true cause of death due to the condition of her body.

What you can do:

If you or someone you know is facing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text them at 88788 with the message "BEGIN."

Genesis Women's Shelter 

Dallas Resources

McKinneyCrime and Public Safety