Stabbing victim dies; stepson now charged with murder

Whitley County Coroner Andy Croley and Williamsburg Police Chief Wayne Bird seen outside the residence of Sidney L. Satterfield Monday afternoon. Satterfield died after being stabbed. His stepson is now charged with murder.

A Williamsburg man, who was allegedly stabbed by his stepson on Feb. 24, died Monday morning just hours after he was released from the University of Kentucky Medical Center and his stepson is now facing a homicide charge.

Whitley County Coroner Andy Croley pronounced Sidney L. Satterfield, 59, dead at his residence about 11:30 a.m. Monday.

An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday morning at the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office in Frankfort.

Croley said he will wait until he gets final autopsy results before making an official ruling concerning the cause and manner of death.

Williamsburg Police Chief Wayne Bird said Satterfield was released from the hospital about 2:30 a.m. Monday and was discovered dead Tuesday morning by a relative.

Croley said the relative was there to take Satterfield to the funeral home to make arrangements for his son, who died recently.
Bird said that charges against William Creed Keisling, 42, Satterfield’s alleged attacker, have been upgraded from attempted murder to murder.

Keisling, who was already incarcerated in the Whitley County Detention Center, was served with the murder arrest warrant Monday afternoon.

Whitley District Judge Fred White lowered Keisling’s bond from $500,000 cash to a $250,000 fully secured bond following a preliminary hearing on Keisling’s attempted murder charge Monday morning.

After learning that the victim had died, White increased Keisling’s bond back up to $500,000 cash.

Bird said that Satterfield was barely able to speak at the scene but before he was wheeled out by ambulance on the day he was attacked, he told police that Keisling stabbed him.

Police believe that Satterfield and Keisling were the only ones at the residence when the stabbing occurred, but Keisling left the residence before emergency responders arrived.

About two hours after the stabbing, police found Keisling passed out at a friend’s house with blood on his hands and clothing.
Police recovered the weapon used in the stabbing, which was a single-blade lock knife that is similar to what many police officers carry.

Police found it on the porch of Satterfield’s residence, Bird said.

Satterfield had been married to Keisling’s mother, who is now deceased.

Williamsburg Police Detective Bobby Freeman is the lead investigating officer.