An Alabama man was sentenced to life in prison in connection with the murder of his girlfriend, who federal prosecutors said he shot more than 10 times, then ran over, outside her Florida apartment where he had been waiting.
Charles Carson-Dowdy killed Starmichael L. Tucker in Pensacola on January 2, 2025, after she tried to end their relationship, following multiple occasions involving him trying to harass and intimidate her, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.
“My heart goes out to the victim’s family members and friends, who were robbed of Ms. Tucker’s presence in their lives by the depraved actions of this violent thug,” U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin, of the Northern District of Florida, said in a Wednesday, August 26 news release announcing Carson-Dowdy’s sentence.
In April, Carson-Dowdy, 31, pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, interstate domestic violence, murder through use of a firearm, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in relation to the killing, prosecutors said.
Carson-Dowdy’s relationship with Tucker began in October 2024, when he lived in Mobile, Alabama, and she lived in Pensacola, Florida, according to prosecutors.
She was a U.S. Air Force Reservist, the Pensacola News Journal reported.
“During the dating relationship, Carson-Dowdy used cellular telephones, the internet, and a ridesharing business to engage in a course of conduct with the intent to harass and intimidate the victim,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in the news release.
A few months after their relationship began, Tucker was visiting family for the holidays in December 2024, when she and Carson-Dowdy had been arguing over text messages, according to prosecutors.
While heading home to Florida, Tucker tried to break up with Carson-Dowdy via text on January 1, 2025, prosecutors said.
“In response,” according to prosecutors, Carson-Dowdy ordered an Uber ride and traveled to her Pensacola apartment for a confrontation.
He was allegedly armed with a handgun.
Carson-Dowdy ultimately broke into Tucker’s apartment and waited for her arrival, according to prosecutors.
After she returned home, the evening of January 2, 2025, Carson-Dowdy followed Tucker out of her apartment, aimed his gun at her back and shot her, prosecutors said.
She collapsed, then Carson-Dowdy shot her about 10 times “at close range” in the parking lot, according to prosecutors.
Following the shooting, Carson-Dowdy got in Tucker’s car and repeatedly drove over her, prosecutors said. She died as a result of the attack.
After driving off in Tucker’s car, Carson-Dowdy was later arrested in Spanish Fort, Alabama, according to prosecutors.
“We cannot lessen the profound sadness caused by Ms. Tucker’s murder, but thanks to this aggressive prosecution by my office that secured a life sentence for Carson-Dowdy’s heinous crimes, we can guarantee that this criminal will spend the rest of his pathetic life locked behind bars where he belongs,” Heekin said.
Information regarding Carson-Dowdy’s legal representation wasn’t immediately available.
