Steve Stephens made his 74-year-old victim repeat Joy Lane's name before he fatally shot him in broad daylight.
Before Steve Stephens gunned down 74-year-old Robert Godwin Sr. at random earlier this month and posted the video to Facebook, he asked his victim to repeat the name "Joy Lane."
Now, in an exclusive interview with Inside Edition, Joy Lane says she still loves Stephens despite what he did.
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"I miss the Steve that I knew, not the Facebook killer," Lane, Stephens' former girlfriend, said.
"I think of him as a good guy who did something really wrong," she continued. "I believe Steve loved me probably like no man has ever loved me before."
Lane lived with Stephens, 37, for three years. In the days before the murder, they were still living together and everything seemed fine, she said.
"I was in my bedroom and he was downstairs getting ready for work," she told Inside Edition's Les Trent. "He said, 'Hey babe,' and I said, 'Hey,' and he said, 'Have a good day,' and I said, 'You too, have a good day.'"
She said that Stephens had a gambling habit that caused friction in their relationship, and she gave him an ultimatum: "It's me or the gambling."
But had no idea he would snap.
In the video of his heinous crime, Stephens said he was carrying out the killing to get back at Lane. When she found out the murder had been carried out in her name, Lane said she was devastated.
"My reaction was pure sadness, because that’s what that man died thinking," she said. "I'm angry at Steve when I hear that."
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Stephens eluded authorities for three days before he was recognized while buying chicken nuggets at a McDonald's in Eerie, Pa. Following a police chase, Stephens killed himself.
When Lane found out, "I screamed," she said. "I just cried."
Lane said that her heart goes out to Godwin and his family.
"Mr. Godwin didn’t deserve this," she said. "His family didn’t deserve this, his children, his grandchildren, his loved ones. They didn’t deserve to feel this type of hurt and pain of missing their loved one."
Lane's interview with Inside Edition will air in full on Friday. Click here for local listings.
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