ST. PAUL, MN – Authorities in Minnesota are on an urgent manhunt for a suspect recently paroled for murder, who now faces charges of killing his pregnant wife and is linked to another shooting incident. Mychel Stowers, 36, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder in connection to the death of 35-year-old Damara Alexis Kirkland, who was approximately two months pregnant.
Police responded to gunfire on October 19 and discovered Kirkland’s lifeless body. The apartment where she was found contained ultrasound images and a letter addressed to Stowers, which were noted in the probable cause statement filed Thursday.
Stowers was released on parole in March for a 2008 second-degree murder conviction involving a St. Paul man. While living at a halfway house and on work release, he had received permission to visit a woman identified as his ex-wife on the day of the incident. Records indicate that Stowers had filed for divorce in June, although it appears to remain incomplete.
The apartment’s owner revealed that Kirkland’s estranged husband was living with her without official lease approval, resulting in her pending eviction. Shortly after the shooting, a nearby carjacking was reported, during which a 36-year-old man was found injured.
The victim recounted that he had left his car running when Stowers allegedly approached, shot him- breaking his femur- and then fired at another individual who remained unharmed.
The assailant fled but returned to steal the vehicle. Preliminary findings suggest that the firearm used in this assault was the same as the one involved in Kirkland’s shooting.
Later that day, Stowers reportedly contacted the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, expressing a desire to surrender after admitting to the shooting. However, he has yet to turn himself in, and the stolen vehicle was recovered Thursday abandoned in a parking lot.