Charges: Man on the run after killing pregnant ex-wife in St. Paul apartment

A man with a violent criminal history is on the run, and stands accused of killing his ex-wife and her unborn child inside her St. Paul apartment last week, then carjacking a vehicle and shooting a second victim while fleeing the scene, according to charges filed Thursday.

The Ramsey County Attorney's Office charged Mychel Allan Stowers, 36, with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of second-degree assault, and two counts of first-degree carjacking. Stowers' charges are connected to the death of Damara Alexis Stowers, 35, who was found dead in her North End apartment on Oct. 19. Police believe a carjacking on Acker Street moments after the shooting is connected to her murder.

Damara Stowers died from multiple gunshot wounds. She carried an 8- to 9-week-old fetus at the time of her death.

A Ramsey County Sheriff's Office employee said Mychel Stowers called on Oct. 19 to say he shot someone on Acker Street and wanted to turn himself in. He has yet to do so. Prosecutors issued a nationwide warrant for his arrest Thursday.

About 9:08 p.m. Oct. 19, St. Paul officers heard reports of a shooting at an apartment in the 100 block of Sycamore Street E. Damara Stowers' apartment door was open. Officers entered to find Stowers on the floor of her spare bedroom with bullet casings nearby and gun residue in the air. She was unconscious, and medics pronounced her dead at the scene.

As police investigated the shooting, evidence suggested that Damara Stowers' ex-husband killed her.

Officers found letters in the apartment that were addressed to Mychel Stowers. They also found ultrasound photos, a loaded handgun magazine and two phones. One of those phones rang as police canvassed the scene, displaying the contact name "My$hon Stowers."

According to charging documents, Mychel Stowers was recently released from prison for killing a man 16 years ago.

Stowers had pleaded guilty to second-degree intentional murder in 2008 for fatally shooting a man in a drug deal gone wrong and was released on parole about seven months ago.

According to charging documents, Mychel Stowers was living at a halfway house and was granted a pass to visit his ex-wife at her North End apartment on the day she was killed. He filed for divorce from Damara Stowers in June, reporting that the two do not live together and separated on March 28 — the same day that he was released on parole.

Mychel Stowers' description also matched the man witnesses saw fleeing Damara Stowers' apartment moments after the shooting. One witness said they heard no fights or arguments before four gunshots rang out. They heard another gunshot five seconds later, and another witness reported seeing a heavyset man with a white shirt and blue shorts run south afterwards.

The apartment's owner said they were preparing to evict Damara Stowers, adding that her ex-boyfriend, a stocky man in his 30s or 40s, was living with her.

Police heard reports of a carjacking minutes later, finding a man shot in his leg on Acker Street. Surveillance footage showed someone approach that man and point something at him before a flash appeared. The man fell and the shooter ran away, but returned moments later to take the man's vehicle and leave. That man was treated at Regions Hospital for a broken femur from a gunshot wound.

Authorities believe the gun used to carjack the man on Acker Street was the same used to kill Damara Stowers in her apartment.

There have been 25 homicides in St. Paul so far this year, according to a Minnesota Star Tribune database. There were 28 by this time last year.

If you or someone you know if a victim of domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE.