Durham man sentenced in Duke grad student’s murder. How long he’ll be in prison.
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- Duke MFA student Angela Risi was shot eight times by her boyfriend Oct. 2, 2023.
- Stephon Dubose, 32, will spend at least 34 years in prison for her murder.
- Dubose was angry Risi wouldn’t agree to an exclusive relationship with him.
On the day Angela Risi would have turned 33 years old, her father faced her killer in court and offered a glimpse of a vibrant life cut short.
Risi, a lifelong lover of dance and a California native, was in the second year of her master of fine arts in dance at Duke University when her boyfriend, Stephon Dubose, shot her eight times in her Durham home Oct. 2, 2023.
“We have lived every day since then in deep sadness,” Matt Risi said Monday during Dubose’s sentencing hearing.
His daughter’s “brilliant intellect” led her to a bachelor’s degree in English and psychology at San Diego State University, then several years working at the University of Chicago before her move to Durham, Risi said. During her 30 years of life, she donated to causes benefiting the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized groups, leaving a mark on so many that over 150 people came to her celebration of life, according to her father.
Angela Risi had only been dating Dubose, now 32, for a few months when he killed her, Assistant District Attorney Brooks Stone said. The couple had an “open, tumultuous relationship,” he said, and Dubose wasn’t happy Risi wouldn’t agree to date him exclusively.
That disagreement led to several arguments the weekend before Risi’s death, and her roommate reported hearing “banging and yelling” coming from Risi’s bedroom, according to Stone. The roommate, who was also shot but survived, planned to talk to Risi when she could get her away from Dubose, especially after noticing bruises on her.
But the timing never worked out; Dubose only briefly left to see his other girlfriend, and Risi texted him for a ride home the morning of her death, Stone said. The couple then sat in Dubose’s car outside Risi’s home, arguing, and the tension came to a head about 7 a.m. when Dubose gave Risi his phone passcode and asked her to do the same.
When Risi refused, Dubose grabbed her phone and threw it out of the car, according to Stone. Risi jumped out of the car and ran into her house, locking the front door behind her.
But Dubose wasn’t deterred; instead, he punched a hole in the glass of the front door and reached inside to unlock it, Stone said. Then, he came inside and shot Risi eight times.
Meanwhile, Risi’s roommate, whom The News & Observer isn’t naming to protect her privacy, had woken up and was confused by what she’d heard. As the roommate sat in bed, dazed, Dubose opened her bedroom door and shot her three times, never saying a word, Stone recounted.
Dubose fled to his grandfather’s house, calling his other girlfriend and confessing on the way there, according to Stone. The girlfriend and Risi’s roommate both called 911, court documents indicate.
Upon arriving at his grandfather’s home, Dubose grabbed several knives and cut himself on the legs in an attempt to die by suicide, Stone said. He would confess to the shooting the next day while still hospitalized, claiming he had felt betrayed by Risi and knew she wouldn’t talk to him after their argument.
“So I was like, ‘[Expletive] that [expletive], she’s done for,’” Stone recounted, quoting Dubose.
Risi’s roommate would be hospitalized for several weeks with damage to her sciatic nerve from a bullet to the hip. She still struggles to walk and became addicted to the opioids she had to take for the pain, Stone said.
Dubose apologized at Thursday’s hearing, looking at Risi’s family as he did so.
“Y’all didn’t deserve this,” he said. “I wish this had never happened. ... I’m going to try to be a better person.”
Julian Hall, Dubose’s defense attorney, claimed Dubose wanted to remind everyone that “toxic, drug-fueled relationships lead to this,” and twice repeated in his remarks that “justice had been served.”
“He willingly, voluntarily took 34 years,” Hall said. “Mr. Dubose has seen people face sentences that were half of what he willingly accepts today.”
As part of Dubose’s plea arrangement, Judge John Dunlow sentenced Dubose to a minimum of 35 years and a maximum of 44 years in prison, with credit for the roughly two years he spent in jail. Dubose must also pay $6,493.47 — the cost of Risi’s celebration of life — to Risi’s family.
“The loss is immeasurable, but so is the love left behind,” Matt Risi said. “You are always in our hearts.”
This story was originally published February 23, 2026 at 4:51 PM.
