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Avalos said the daughter told her she woke up that morning, Aug. 25, 2017, and heard her mom and dad arguing. She went through a bathroom to their bedroom.
“She said Crystal said something to Steven and he pushed her on the bed and placed his hands over her nose and mouth,” Avalos said. “She said she was standing next to the bed and Steven kept doing what he was doing to Crystal and that Crystal also looked at her. When she stopped breathing, that is when she said Steven stopped.”
Avalos said the girl was told by Steven McDowell to go upstairs and not to tell anyone. Avalos relayed the conversation to the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office. The daughter is currently receiving counseling.
Upon cross-examination by Steven McDowell’s attorney, Keaton Kirkwood, Avalos said the children continued to talk to their father after their mother’s murder.
Avalos also said a Las Vegas counselor named Joan Black said the daughter made an outcry to her about what she saw that day. The daughter drew a picture of what happened, and Black was concerned.
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Cherry said the daughter “popped” out of the pantry while they were in the kitchen. When asked if she had seen her mother, the child shook both adults to the core.
“She said, ‘Yes, last night,’” Cherry said. “She shook a black dress in a closet and said, ‘evil spirits took her.’”
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“But she said part of the agreement was he could not have any ‘crazy talk,’ threats of hurting himself, her or the kids,” Cherry said. “If he did, she would break her end of the bargain. But by the end of the week, she had taken Steven off and added Paul (Hargrave, her boyfriend at the time).” [Hraefn note: this paragraph is about the cruise]
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Charles Raven of Cove testified he knew Steven McDowell when they worked at Exel Logistics, a shipping and distribution company in Cedar Crossing. He said around Spring Break of 2017, Steven McDowell called his wife and said he and his kids were heading to Galveston and wanted to hook up. After arriving at their hotel, Raven said they talked about their kids and go-carts. But then, Raven said Steven McDowell said he was upset over his wife.
“He said he was upset over her seeing other men,” Raven said. He didn’t say they were divorced, just that she had several boyfriends. He said he had thoughts about killing her and then himself.”
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Thursday’s testimony included a jailhouse confession. A Chambers County inmate, Easton Isaacks, testified that Steven McDowell told him how he killed Crystal McDowell.
“He said he killed her because he found a text message from a man on her phone and thought she was cheating on him,” Isaacks said. “He said he used zip ties to tie her hands after she was dead.”
Dr. Paula Brumit, a forensic odontology consultant, testified that the remains found in the wooded area off of Needlepoint Road matched the dental records of Crystal McDowell, who had just had her teeth cleaned a couple of days before she was killed. As the graphic photos were shown in court, Steven McDowell never looked up, keeping his head bowed the entire time.
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