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Search continues for man accused of killing his pregnant wife, who is on parole for murder – Albert Lea Tribune
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Search continues for man accused of killing his pregnant wife, who is on parole for murder – Albert Lea Tribune

The search continues for the man accused of killing his pregnant wife, who was released on parole for murder

Published Sunday, October 27, 2024 19:42

ST. PAUL — A Minnesota man accused of killing his pregnant wife and linked to another shooting was recently paroled for murder.

Mychel Stowers, 36, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the Oct. 19 shooting that killed 35-year-old Damara Alexis Kirkland, who was about two months pregnant.

Police officers responded to gunshots and found Kirkland’s body crumpled on the ground. There were ultrasound photos in the apartment and a letter addressed to Stowers in the mailbox, according to a probable cause statement filed Thursday.

Stowers moved to St. Louis in 2008. He was paroled in March on a second-degree murder charge in the shooting death of a St. Paul man. He was on leave from work and living in a halfway house, but was given permission to visit a woman identified in the probable cause affidavit as his ex-wife on the day of the shooting.

Other court records show Stowers filed for divorce in June, but it does not appear to be final yet.

The owner of the apartment said Kirkland’s estranged husband was living with her, which was not allowed because it was not in the lease. The statement stated that the owner said he was evacuated.

Minutes after Kirkland was reported shot, officers responded to a nearby carjacking and found an injured 36-year-old man on the ground. The man said that he left the keys of his car, whose engine was running, in the ignition when he went out to throw away the garbage.

He said a man matching Stowers’ description then approached and shot him, the bullet breaking his femur. The gunman also shot at someone who was next to the victim but missed.

In the statement, it was stated that the attacker ran away but later returned and stole the vehicle. Preliminary analysis showed that the gun used in the carjacking was the same gun used in Kirkland’s shooting.

Later that day, an employee with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office received a call from Stowers. The statement stated that Stowers told the employee that he had just shot someone and wanted to surrender.

However, the statement stated that he did not do this and the stolen vehicle was seized in a parking lot on Thursday.