Man charged with killing own daughter faced massive tax liens, defaulted on golf membership payments

Stephen Clare, 50, held on $2 million bond

Accused killer Stephen Clare was twice sued by TPC San Antonio over unpaid membership dues. (Joshua Saunders, KSAT)

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio nurse practitioner accused of shooting his ex-wife and two young children Monday, killing the youngest victim, faced tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid golf membership dues, Bexar County court records obtained by KSAT Investigates show.

Stephen Clare, 50, was ordered to pay TPC of San Antonio nearly $32,000 as part of a judgment issued in January.

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Clare, who applied to become a member of the golf club in 2016, defaulted on payments and was first sued by the club in 2020, court records show.

Clare, who applied under the name Dr. Stephen Clare, signed a contract that required him to make annual installment payments of $9,000 in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Clare, who according to Texas Medical Board records is not a doctor and is instead an advanced practice nurse, failed to pay what he was required to in the contract, records show.

The two sides eventually settled the first lawsuit, with Clare agreeing to pay $16,000.

He then defaulted on that agreement, however, forcing TPC San Antonio to again file suit against him for non-payment.

The judgment against Clare, signed by a judge in mid-January, required Clare to pay the club $31,928.03 since he breached the original settlement agreement.

Officials with TPC San Antonio did not respond to a media inquiry seeking comment for this story.

Clare faced massive federal tax liens

A background check of Clare also revealed this week that he faces federal tax liens totaling nearly $1.5 million.

The first lien, filed by the IRS in May 2019, was for $686,359.

A more recent tax lien, filed by the IRS against Clare on Jan. 18, was for $808,579, public records show.

A family friend of Clare, who spoke with KSAT on the condition of anonymity, told KSAT both of Clare’s parents had passed away in recent years and that Clare may have run into tax issues while attempting to close their estates.

Clare is charged with capital murder of a child under 10 and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after police said he shot his ex-wife multiple times and shot his 2-year-old and 11-month-old daughters Monday evening at a home in the 500 block of Robinhood Place.

The 11-month-old girl died from her injuries.

Officials as of Thursday afternoon had still declined to release the victim’s name or provide updates on the conditions of Clare’s ex-wife or 2-year-old daughter.

Clare remains in jail on bonds totaling $2 million.

Find resources for victims of domestic violence here.

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About the Author

Emmy-award winning reporter Dillon Collier joined KSAT Investigates in September 2016. Dillon's investigative stories air weeknights on the Nightbeat and on the Six O'Clock News. Dillon is a two-time Houston Press Club Journalist of the Year and a Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Reporter of the Year.

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