Man remembers friend killed in Layton triple homicide

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SALT LAKE CITY — Jesse Edelson was soft-spoken as he talked about his friend of 20 years, Anastasia Stevens. He called her "Stazia" and said she was "fiercely loyal" and "extremely intelligent, extremely caring."

He said the two met two decades ago while working at PetCo. She was an animal lover and made sure many pets were adopted and matched to good families.

As he gushed about his friend, he said she was an artist at heart and even sewed him a blanket when he graduated from the University of Utah. It wasn't just a quilt.

"She made me a blanket by hand, put over 40 different patches on it," Edelson told KSL-TV. "Everybody in her life was somebody that she thought deeply about."

The patches represented inside jokes between the two, things he loved and he said it was thoughtful in every way, just like Stazia.

He heard about the tragedy last week. He said the two still have many mutual friends even after all these years and he was shocked and heartbroken.

On May 19 Stevens was one of three people found dead in a Layton home along with her father Donald Stevens and her stepmother Becky Stevens.

Police said Anastasia's husband, 34-year-old Jeremy Bailey, called 911 and told dispatchers he had killed his wife, mother-in-law, and father-in-law, and he wanted to turn himself in.

Jesse Edelson's friend of 20 years, Anastasia Stevens is shown in this undated photo. (Photo: Jesse Edelson)

Edleson knew Stazia's marriage was strained, but never thought something like this would happen. He also knew how close the 36-year-old was to her father, Don Stevens, who was also killed, along with his wife, Becky.

"She was very close with her dad," Edelson said. "He has always been a champion for her, and supported her in every way imaginable, and has loved her deeply."

He believes Don and Stazia's stepmother, Becky, were in town from Nevada to help Stazia get out of the relationship, which he said had been unhealthy for a while.

"I think it was a case of her finally coming to terms that she couldn't be her full self with him and that the conflict was just too much," Edelson said.

Edelson said he can't believe he won't see his friend again. "I guess I kind of took for granted the time I would still have with her, and because of her strength, her intelligence and her loving, that she would be able to come out of anything," Edelson said. "But he took that chance away."

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