Jan. 21, 1998
Stephanie is found stabbed to death on her bedroom floor. Police question family members, suspecting the killing is an inside job. Police question Tuite, confiscate his clothes, then release him.

Jan. 22 and 23, 1998
Michael Crowe, Stephanie's 14-year-old brother, is interrogated for hours and is arrested after making incriminating statements.

Jan. 25, 1998
Police find Tuite in the parking lot of an Escondido hotel looking for "the family of that kid who got killed."

Jan. 27, 1998
Police search the home of Joshua Treadway, 15, one of Michael Crowe's friends. A knife found under his bed is believed to be the weapon used to kill Stephanie. Treadway says he stole the knife from friend Aaron Houser on Jan. 16. But after 10 hours of interrogation, Treadway says Houser gave him the knife five days after the slaying and told him to hide it.

Feb. 10, 1998
Police question Treadway for eight more hours, then arrest him. He gives details about how the killing was planned and accomplished. He says Crowe and Houser stabbed Stephanie while he acted as the lookout.

Feb. 11, 1998
Police arrest Houser after a long interrogation in which he admits nothing.

Feb. 12, 1998
Tuite is arrested in Escondido for annoying two girls, aged 12 and 13. They tell police he followed them off a bus to their apartment and said, "Tracy, all I want to do is have sex with you."

March 11, 1998
Tuite is arrested for trying to break into a trailer home in Oceanside. He later is convicted and sentenced to three years in prison.

July 7, 1998
A Juvenile Court hearing begins on whether the teens should be tried as adults. Prosecutors link Stephanie's slaying to a fascination with medieval weaponry and role-playing games.

Relatives testify Houser and Treadway never left home the night of the slaying. An expert on confessions testifies statements by Treadway and Michael Crowe were coerced. Defense attorneys point to Tuite as the killer.

Superior Court Judge Laura Hammes rules the teens should be tried as adults, but raises serious concerns about the prosecution's case.

Dec, 17, 1998
After a three-day pretrial hearing, Superior Court Judge John Thompson throws out the statements Michael Crowe and Houser made to police, concluding they were obtained illegally. He also limits the use of Treadway's confession.

Jan. 14, 1999
With jury selection in Treadway's trial under way, results of last-minute DNA tests reveal Stephanie's blood on the sweat shirt Tuite wore the night of the slaying. Judge halts the trial while police and prosecutors try to explain the new blood evidence.

Jan. 21, 1999
The Crowes file a civil suit against authorities. The Housers and the Treadways soon join the litigation.

Feb. 25, 1999
The District Attorney's Office dismisses charges against the three teens; Escondido police reopen the investigation. The teens' families ask for an independent review.

Feb. 5, 2000
Citing the need for "fresh eyes," Escondido police turn over the case to the Sheriff's Department.

Feb. 12, 2000
Four days after he's paroled in the 1998 burglary case, Tuite is rearrested for trying to remove an electronic monitoring device from his ankle.

Nov. 26, 2000
Tuite escapes from an Ontario halfway house and shows up in Escondido. Residents call police. He is arrested and returned to prison.

June 28, 2001
The District Attorney's Office turns the slaying case over to the state attorney general. Sources say the move signals a split between sheriff's detectives, who want Tuite charged, and local prosecutors, who still believe the teens killed Stephanie.

Nov. 1, 2001
Tuite is arrested at a halfway house after his fifth parole violation in 18 months. This time he's carrying a knife. He is sent back to prison.

May 14, 2002
Sheriff's detectives move to arrest Tuite on suspicion of killing Stephanie.