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Search underway for man accused of killing pregnant wife while on parole for murder
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Search underway for man accused of killing pregnant wife while on parole for murder

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A search is underway for a Minnesota man who was recently paroled for murder after being charged with killing his pregnant wife and linked to another shooting.

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

Officers responding to reports of shots fired found Kirkland’s body collapsed on the ground. There were ultrasound photos in the apartment and a letter addressed to Stowers in the mailbox, according to the probable cause statement filed Thursday.

Mychel Stowers, 36, also known as Michael, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder...
Mychel Stowers, 36, also known as Michael, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the Oct. 19 shooting that killed Damara Alexis Kirkland, 35, who was about two months pregnant.(Minnesota Department of Corrections)

Stowers was granted parole in March second degree murder charge in the shooting death of a St. Paul man in 2008. He was on work release and living in a halfway house, but he had obtained a pass to visit a woman described in the statement of cause likely to have been his ex-wife on the day of the shooting.

Stowers filed for divorce in June, although it does not appear the divorce was finalized, according to other court records.

The apartment owner said Kirkland’s ex-husband was living with her, which was not allowed because he was not listed on the lease. The homeowner said she was in the process of being evicted, according to the release.

Minutes after the shooting in Kirkland was reported, officers responded to a nearby carjacking and found a 36-year-old man on the ground injured. The man said he left the keys in the ignition of his car with the engine running while he went out to throw the trash in the trash.

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

The shooter fled then returned and stole the vehicle, according to the release. Preliminary analysis shows the gun used in the carjacking was the same one used in the Kirkland shooting.

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

But he did not do so and the stolen vehicle was found in a parking lot on Thursday, the release said.