A manhunt is underway for a Minnesota man recently paroled for a 2008 murder. Mychel Allen Stowers, 36, is accused of shooting his pregnant wife shortly after his release, killing her and their preborn child, and then committing a carjacking shortly afterwards.
Stowers had allegedly been living in a halfway house since his release in March, and had been given a pass to visit 35-year-old Damara Alexis Stowers at her home. Divorce papers had been filed over the summer, but had not yet been finalized.
On October 19th, police were called to the apartment on reports of a shooting; upon entering, they noticed gunshot residue in the air. They found Damara, who was two months pregnant, lying on the floor with five shell casings on the floor. Police also found an ultrasound photo. Neighbors reported seeing a heavyset man in his 30s or 40s, presumably Stowers, fleeing the scene on foot.
Just moments later, police were called to another scene less than 0.1 mile away, where Stowers allegedly shot someone in the leg and stole the victim’s vehicle. He has been missing ever since. Surveillance video showed a man resembling Stowers shooting the victim and then driving off in the victim’s Audi.
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The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office said Stowers called and said he wanted to turn himself in, admitting to having shot a man in a carjacking, but had not yet presented himself to police. Stowers has currently been charged with second-degree murder, second-degree murder of an unborn child, two counts of first-degree carjacking and two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.
The motive for the murder is not yet known; however, pregnant women are known to be at an increased risk of homicide. In fact, homicide is a leading cause of death for pregnant women, higher than the homicide rate for non-pregnant and non-postpartum women of reproductive age. Pregnant women are more likely to die by homicide than to die by any other cause, including all leading health-related causes of maternal death.
Editor’s Note: If you are a victim of domestic violence, visit thehotline.org or call 1-800-799-SAFE.
