Baytown Man Sentenced To 50 Years In Prison For Ex-Wife's Murder

BAYTOWN, TX — A Chambers County man who confessed to killing his ex-wife just before Hurricane Harvey made landfall was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Stephen McDowell, who confessed to police that he strangled Crystal McDowell, led police to her remains in a wooded area in Baytown in September 2017.

Despite his confession to police, McDowell entered a not guilty plea ahead of his trial.

Crystal McDowell, a successful Baytown realtor, disappeared on Aug. 25 after telling her boyfriend she was driving to Mont Belvieu to pick up her children from Stephen McDowell’s home.

That was the last time anyone saw her alive. Family members reported her missing to the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office the next day, but the search was put off because of Hurricane Harvey and the resulting evacuations from flooding.

READ ALSO: Trial Begins For Mont Belvieu Man Accused Of Ex-Wife's Murder

A week after she was reported missing, investigators found her flooded car in the parking lot of a Baytown motel.

McDowell confessed to the murder after his ex-wife’s car was recovered. He was booked into the Chambers County Jail where he remained until his trial.

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