PENSACOLA, FL- An Alabama man will spend the rest of his life in prison after he pleaded guilty to several charges in federal court related to the brutal murder of his estranged girlfriend in Pensacola on January 2, 2025, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida.
Charles Carson-Dowdy, 31, of Mobile, Alabama pleaded guilty to charges of cyberstalking, interstate domestic violence, murder through use of a firearm, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon related to the murder of Starmichael Tucker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida John P. Heekin announced.
According to court documents, Carson-Dowdy, who lived in Alabama, and Tucker, who lived in Florida, began a dating relationship in or about October 2024. During the course of their relationship Carson-Dowdy used cell phones, the internet and a ridesharing business to intimidate and harass Tucker. In December 2024, Tucker flew to California to visit family for the holidays. During that trip, Tucker and Carson-Dowdy engaged in a number of escalating arguments via text message.
Starmichael Tucker
When Tucker returned to Florida on January 1, 2025, the pair had a conversation via text whereby she attempted to break off the relationship with Carson-Dowdy. He then used Uber to get a ride to the victim’s residence in Pensacola to confront her. He brought a Taurus handgun and an extra loaded magazine with him as he traveled from Alabama to Florida, the release said.
The suspect entered Tucker’s home without her permission, and she returned to her home to find him waiting in her apartment. At approximately 8:00 p.m. on Jan. 2, 2025, Carson-Dowdy followed Tucker as she left her apartment and fired at least four shots using the handgun. The victim was struck several times and collapsed in the apartment building parking lot.
Carson-Dowdy then walked up to the victim who was lying on the ground and shot her at least ten more times. He then got into her car, which was parked nearby, and deliberately ran over her several times, first driving forward, then reversing back over her body, then driving forward again. He then fled from the scene in Tucker’s vehicle. Tucker was pronounced dead.
The suspect was ultimately found inside the victim’s car in Spanish Fort, Alabama and was taken into custody. He was in possession of the Taurus handgun used to murder Tucker.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said, “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. 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.”
“Thanks to the excellent investigative work of our state and federal law enforcement partners, and the aggressive prosecution by my office, this offender will be held accountable for the anguish he has inflicted on the victim’s family through his vicious, deadly, and cowardly violence that stole an innocent life. This case underscores the deadly threats posed by dating and domestic violence, and it is more important than ever to obtain justice for the victims, like Ms. Tucker, to ensure this can never happen again.”
The case was a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the State Attorney’s Office for the First Judicial Circuit, and the Spanish Fort Police Department.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, “a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repeal the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime,” the release said.
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