We do not believe that Andrew committed suicide. Andrew had openly stated to several people in the last few months that he feared for his life because an Amarillo woman with whom he had a child within the past year came from a family that he believed had ties to organized crime. He knew them to be violent. Andrew and this woman were actively involved in a custody battle at the time of his death. In the last two weeks before his death, Andrew clearly stated and texted to several people that he was afraid that her family had “put out a contract” on him and “hired a hit man.” Hit men are known to make murders look like suicides and to employ fire as a means of covering their tracks by destroying evidence, thereby complicating the investigation of the crime scene. This is what we believe occurred.
We want the people of Lubbock to know that while we are emotionally affected by this ruling, we are rational people who deal with facts and truth. We would not question this ruling if we did not have ample reason to do so.
We want police and arson investigators to thoroughly and transparently conduct a full investigation based on the information that we are providing herein, information that they have had since the beginning. We, Andrew’s family, friends, and clients, all agree that Andrew committing suicide would be contrary to everything that we know about him AND, when compounded with the threats made on his life, we do not at all believe that is what occurred. We are eager to cooperate with the Lubbock PD to solve this case and prove their newly made commitments to the people of Lubbock. We ask the fire marshal’s department, which is not funded to handle an investigation of this magnitude, to request and accept outside assistance when needed. We are also aware of the recent problems in the medical examiner’s office and therefore ask that a second autopsy be done by an M.E. who is not in any was associated with the cities of Amarillo or Lubbock, and whose credentials and experience are exemplarily suited for this type of complex case.
Lubbock is the home of Texas Tech and as such has a standard to keep for rigor and academic excellence. Andrew was a part of that tradition, studying at Tech, becoming an expert in information technology, and providing those resources to schools and businesses in this area. We want the rigor and excellence that he helped create and maintain to be applied in the investigation into his death. It’s the least Lubbock can do for him.
(Press release from Stover Family)