DALLAS – After months of admittedly harassing his ex-wife, Brent Stephens now faces a murder charge in Denise Anne Stephens’ violent death.

Collin County court records paint a dark picture of the couple’s relationship in the eight months since their divorce.

"I truly believe he is going to harm me or the girls,” said Denise Stephens in an affidavit for a protective order she filed in Collin County in February.

She and the suspect have three children between the ages of two and nine.

"I believe that Brent is very unstable, very volatile and incapable of handling his own emotions,” Denise Stephens said. “I further believe Brent is capable of carrying through his threats of violence towards me.”

Mr. Stephens, 38, was wearing a white jumpsuit as Dallas police detectives escorted him into the Dallas County Jail late Monday afternoon.

Hours earlier, investigators said they think Mr. Stephens showed up at his ex-wife’s office building in the 12700 block of Hillcrest in North Dallas.

As she walked into work, police said they believe Stephens attacked her in an outside hallway, beating her with a baseball bat before fleeing. Mrs. Stephens later died at a local hospital.

The 36-year-old mother of three worked as an office manager during the last eight years for Dr. Edgar Nace, a Dallas psychiatrist.

An hour or so after the attack, Carrollton police responded to 911 calls of a man threatening to jump off the overpass at the George Bush Turnpike and I-35E. Officers discovered the man on the overpass was Stephens.

"I just know he was very distraught,” said Sgt. John Singleton, Carrollton Police Dept. spokesman.

It took a little more than an hour for negotiators to talk Stephens down from the ledge.

Court records show the couple divorced in September 2007.

"After the divorce was finalized, Brent began making crazed accusations and became very hostile towards me,” Mrs. Stephens wrote in an affidavit for a protective order.

Mr. Stephens was already on probation for harassing his ex-wife. And just ten days ago, he had to pay more than $800 in restitution to her, according to records from Collin County.

In court records, he admitted he cut the tires on his ex-wife’s vehicle, sent her vulgar text messages, rammed her minivan with his truck and kicked in the back door to her house in an effort to steal her phone bill and see who she called.

Mr. Stephens is being held on $1 million bond.

E-mail jwhitely@wfaa.com