Hurricane revealed brutal murder of mum who was killed over husband's jealousy

The murder of Crystal McDowell could have been the perfect murder if it hadn't been for a hurricane, prosecutors said.

The brutal murder of a mother-of-two by her jealous ex-husband might have gone unsolved—if not for a hurricane.

Crystal McDowell began life with a very difficult childhood but went on to build a successful career as a real estate broker. As the True Crime Stories podcast explains: “Crystal McDowell's life was marked by turmoil and adversity from the start. Born to parents who named her after the drug crystal meth, she faced numerous challenges growing up.

"Her parents who died within six months of each other when Crystal was just 11 years old succumbed to complications from AIDS, which they contracted through substance abuse.”

By the time she was 13, Crystal went through more hell when she was abducted by a sex offender who kept her in a chicken coop and subjected her to a sustained sexual assault, reports the Mirror. Crystal managed to outwit her captor and escape, showing determination and presence of mind that typified her adult life.

The brave woman went on to get a job as a flight attendant and later met her husband Steve McDowell, a popular character described by friends as being “like a big kid,” with a love of fast cars and video games.

The couple had two children, who they named Madden and Maui, but by the time Steve and Crystal were approaching their tenth anniversary, major cracks had appeared in the marriage.

Chambers County District Attorney Cheryl Lieck told Dateline that Crystal’s jet-setting job came with significant temptations. They explained: “She had numerous lovers throughout her marriage, men and women.”

The pair separated but continued living together as they tried to upgrade their house before selling it. Crystal, now 37, dived back into the dating scene.

Within six months Crystal began dating a jeweller named Paul Hargrave, and friends told CBS News that she was the happiest they had ever seen her.

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On August 25th, 2017, Crystal was supposed to meet her family to watch the highly anticipated Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight on TV. However, she never showed up. The last known sighting of her alive was a grainy CCTV image capturing her getting into her black Mercedes outside Hargrave’s house earlier that morning.

Crystal’s uncle reported her missing, but before a search could begin, Hurricane Harvey hit. The massive storm made landfall in Texas and Louisiana, causing catastrophic flooding and claiming over 100 lives.

With police resources diverted to deal with the disaster, the search for Crystal was largely left to her family. The investigation took a crucial turn when Crystal’s cousin, Jade, received a tip that a car resembling Crystal’s Mercedes had been abandoned outside a motel.

Despite the challenging conditions, investigators managed to reach the motel, as explained in the podcast.

He continued: “[Crystal’s] car was parked haphazardly in the parking lot with the keys in the ignition – it appeared that whoever left Crystal's car there did so with the intention of having it stolen.”

With the case increasingly looking like a murder inquiry, Chambers County Deputy Cody Hammes was sent to interview Crystal’s ex-husband, Steve. Hammes noted that Steve "didn't appear to be acting normal." Despite being divorced, Steve was still wearing his wedding ring and seemed unusually calm given the circumstances.

Detectives also had suspicions about Hargrave, who claimed he was in the shower when Crystal left on that fateful morning and hadn’t actually seen her go. He provided CCTV footage from outside his house as evidence, but instead of giving it to the police, he handed it directly to the media.

The search for Crystal was also hindered by the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, stalling the investigation. However, a closer look at the motel’s CCTV footage revealed that a man resembling Steve had abandoned Crystal’s car. After several interviews, Steve made an extraordinary offer to prosecutors; he would lead them to Crystal’s body if they allowed him one last night at home with his children.

Though risky—Steve could have harmed himself or tried to escape—the District Attorney approved the deal. The next morning, Steve confessed to killing Crystal in a fit of "sudden passion" after a heated argument where she revealed she had been unfaithful throughout their marriage, accusing him of not being "dominant enough in the bedroom." Under Texas law, this "sudden passion" defence carried a lesser penalty than premeditated murder.

In a shocking twist at Steve’s trial, the couple’s seven-year-old daughter, Maui, testified. In a videotaped statement, Maui described how her parents were arguing about Crystal seeing another man. She told how she saw her father place his hands over her mother’s nose and mouth, watching as Crystal struggled to breathe until she lost consciousness. Maui said her father then instructed her to stay in her room and not to tell anyone what she had witnessed.

This damning eyewitness account led to the rejection of Steve’s "sudden passion" defence, and he was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Texas Ranger Steven Jeter later told Dateline that if the hurricane hadn’t prevented someone from stealing Crystal’s car, the crime might never have been solved. "His plan fell apart with the rain," Jeter said.

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