In a grim turn of events that unfolded in 2020, Michael Owen, a 30-year-old New York man, was found guilty of the brutal murder of his estranged pregnant wife, Kelly Owen. The Nassau County Superior Court, presided over by Judge Robert A. McDonald received a severe sentence of 25 years to life in a state correctional facility for the crime.
The incident occurred when Owen, on a cruel impulse, went to Kelly Owen's apartment and strangled her to death. The reasoning behind this horrific act was as shocking as the act itself: Michael Owen did not want to take on the financial responsibility of the new baby's health insurance.
After an exhaustive legal process, a Nassau County jury returned a conviction on a charge of second-degree murder in July 2023.
A New York man, Michael Owen, has been sentenced for the brutal murder of his pregnant wife
District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said,
“Michael Owen drove to his estranged wife’s home on January 15, 2020 with the intention of killing her. Kelly was a young mother and pregnant with Owen's child at the time of her brutal murder. She worked with children and dreamed of becoming a nurse. Michael Owen stole those dreams, and now he will pay for his crimes in prison. Our thoughts remain with Kelly's family as they continue to mourn her loss.
The Nassau County Police Department's Homicide Squad in New York arrested Owen on January 28, 2020, and opened an investigation.
As details of the case emerged, it was revealed that Michael and Kelly Owen married in 2013, had a child together, and separated in March 2018. Despite the separation, they maintained a physical relationship for some time. However, authorities noticed that the relationship turned violent, leading to its eventual end.
Kelly Owen, a nursing student who dreams of becoming a nurse, informs Michael that she is pregnant with their second child. Prosecutors revealed that Michael Owen, who is experiencing financial difficulties and entering a new relationship, does not want another child. His hesitation was emotional and financial, especially regarding the cost of medical insurance for the new baby.
Nassau Police Det. Lieutenant Stephen Fitzpatrick, reflecting on the case, stated:
“He didn't want this baby. He didn't want to give her medical insurance. He had this new relationship he was involved in, and he was in a bad situation.”
Timeline of events in the New York murder
The New York Attorney General's Office provided a description of the events that led to the conviction of Michael Owen for the murder of his estranged wife, Kelly Owen, on January 15, 2020. The crime occurred in the 1200 block of 1st Avenue in Farmingdale within the boundaries of Kelly's parents' home.
On that fateful morning, Kelly's father Owen took her 6-year-old son to school, where the parents shared custody of the child. The prosecutor's office explained that Michael Owen, a cell site technician by profession, orchestrated the attack while the apartment was temporarily vacant.
Surveillance footage, crucial evidence, revealed the presence of Michael Owen in the victim's New York neighborhood at approximately 9:30 a.m. on the morning of Kelly's death. Alarmingly, he strategically parked his car two blocks away and intentionally turned off his phone to avoid detection, making his cellphone's location undetectable, prosecutors explained.
Kelly Owen, an aftercare program assistant at a local elementary school in New York, typically worked between 3 and 6 p.m. A concerned colleague called her parents when she failed to call in sick or show up for duty on that tragic day. Then Kelly's parents discovered her lifeless body inside the apartment in New York.
An autopsy later confirmed that authorities' description of Kelly Owen's cause of death was strangulation by a “rope-like object.” The examination also showed that she was in the early stages of pregnancy. Adding to the seriousness of the situation, investigators found Michael Owen's DNA in the vicinity around the victim's neck.
The unfolding tragedy reached its legal conclusion as Michael Owen was found guilty of second-degree murder, a felony charge.
