272. Murder In The Hurricane - Crystal McDowell

Summary

Murder In The Hurricane: The Crystal McDowell Case

Podcast: Murder With My Husband
Host/Author: OH NO MEDIA
Episode: 272
Release Date: June 9, 2025

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1. Introduction to Crystal McDowell's Case

In this episode of Murder With My Husband, hosts Peyton and Garrett Moreland delve into the tragic story of Crystal McDowell, whose life took a devastating turn amidst the chaos of Hurricane Harvey. The case underscores how natural disasters can complicate criminal investigations, but ultimately, the truth emerged despite the obstacles.

2. Early Life and Past Traumas

Crystal McDowell's early life in Baytown, Texas, was marred by significant trauma. Born to parents struggling with severe drug addiction—specifically Crystal Meth—Crystal endured a tumultuous childhood. At the age of 11, she faced further tragedy when both parents succumbed to AIDS-related complications stemming from their addictions within six months of each other, leaving her orphaned.

Her struggles continued as a teenager when, at 13, Crystal was abducted by a sex trafficker. During her captivity, she was held in a chicken coop and subjected to relentless sexual assault. Demonstrating remarkable resilience, Crystal managed to outsmart her captors and escape, subsequently living with her aunt and uncle, Jeff and his wife.

Notable Quote:

Peyton Moreland [07:23]: "Kid after Crystal meth."

3. Marriage with Steve McDowell

Crystal's life began to stabilize as she pursued a career in aviation, becoming a flight attendant for a decade before switching to real estate. In 2007, she married Steve McDowell, a man described by friends as "a big kid at heart" with a passion for video games and sports cars. While Steve exhibited an almost obsessive affection for Crystal, characterized by gestures like giving massages and brushing her hair, Crystal appeared to be the more dominant partner in the relationship.

Together, they had two children: Madden (born in 2009) and Maui (born in 2012). For several years, the couple enjoyed vacations and adventures, embodying a seemingly happy family dynamic. However, beneath the surface, cracks began to appear. Crystal, driven and ambitious, grew increasingly resentful of Steve's lack of financial contribution, leading to growing tensions.

4. Divorce and New Relationship

After a decade of marriage, Crystal initiated divorce proceedings due to the deteriorating relationship. Despite the process appearing amicable externally, underlying issues persisted. During the divorce, Crystal began dating Paul Hargrave, a jeweler. Friends noted Crystal as being happier than ever, both personally and professionally, as her real estate business flourished.

However, the timing of the divorce coincided with Hurricane Harvey's approach, complicating the situation further. In June 2017, while still technically married and living together to renovate their family home, Crystal was already involved with Paul—another layer of complexity as she was finalizing her separation from Steve.

5. Disappearance Amidst Hurricane Harvey

On August 25, 2017, Crystal's life took a tragic turn. After spending the night at Paul's house, she left in her black Mercedes at approximately 7:35 AM to pick up her children from Steve's place, intending to watch the Mayweather McGregor fight with Paul. However, Crystal never returned, sparking concern among friends and family.

Notable Quote:

Peyton Moreland [04:31]: "They need to find Crystal fast because Hurricane Harvey is making landfall basically as soon as she goes missing."

Crystal's disappearance coincided with Hurricane Harvey's landfall, leading to catastrophic conditions that severely hampered police efforts. As the storm wreaked havoc, Baytown experienced major flooding, making traditional search and rescue operations nearly impossible.

6. Investigation and Family's Efforts

With official resources stretched thin due to the hurricane, Crystal's uncle, Jeff Walters, took proactive steps to locate her. He and Paul initiated their own investigation, including posting a $15,000 reward on social media for information. Frustration grew as the police struggled to prioritize Crystal's case amid the disaster.

Amidst the chaos, Crystal's abandoned Mercedes was discovered at a Motel 6 parking lot, though the condition of the vehicle made it difficult to extract usable evidence. The car's unlocked state and the placement of keys suggested potential staging, further complicating the case.

7. Breakthrough in the Case

As investigators revisited suspects, both Steve and Paul underwent polygraph tests, both failing and raising suspicions. A significant breakthrough occurred when security footage from the Motel 6 parking lot revealed a man resembling Steve driving Crystal's car and subsequently visiting a nearby gas station. Despite the footage's limitations, the contextual evidence strongly implicated Steve.

Notable Quote:

Garrett Moreland [28:52]: "It's 100% Steve. It has to be. Has to be."

Further investigation revealed toxic dynamics between Crystal and Steve. Crystal had previously attempted to divorce Steve twice, with the first attempt thwarted by Steve's threats of self-harm if she left him. Additionally, Steve harbored delusional intentions, planning a cruise trip to re-propose to Crystal despite their pending divorce.

8. Steve McDowell's Confession and Trial

Under mounting pressure and fearing for the safety of his children, Steve eventually confessed to the murder of Crystal McDowell. He detailed that on the morning of August 25, after a confrontation where Crystal rejected his intent to reconcile, he choked her to death, covered her face with a bag, and disposed of her body in a wooded area near their home—a site later obscured by storm debris.

During the trial in 2019, Steve portrayed the incident as a "crime of passion," a defense that in Texas can significantly reduce sentencing. However, the abundance of circumstantial evidence and his eventual confession led to his conviction for first-degree murder. Steve was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Notable Quote:

Peyton Moreland [37:37]: "He should just ... Maybe because what?"

Despite attempts to alter his story, including claiming that a chokehold was merely an overzealous hug, the evidence against Steve was overwhelming.

9. Aftermath and Impact on the Family

The case left deep scars on Crystal's family, especially her seven-year-old daughter, Maui, who witnessed her mother's death. In 2024, Maui courageously shared in a podcast her decision to cease all contact with her father, emphasizing the enduring trauma inflicted by the incident.

Notable Quote:

Peyton Moreland [40:45]: "The truth will always find a way to reveal itself. Sometimes it just takes a little time... That is the case of Crystal McDowell."

Crystal's children were placed with her relatives, finding solace and support amidst their profound loss. The case serves as a poignant reminder of the hidden struggles individuals may face and the enduring quest for justice amidst unimaginable circumstances.

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Conclusion

The tragic story of Crystal McDowell highlights the intersection of personal trauma, turbulent relationships, and the unpredictable nature of natural disasters in criminal investigations. Despite the initial setbacks caused by Hurricane Harvey, perseverance from Crystal's family and critical investigative breakthroughs ensured that justice was ultimately served.

Notable Quote:

Garrett Moreland [41:35]: "Things are bigger when you have kids. I get that love for sure it's hard. It makes people do crazy for sure."

This episode underscores the resilience of individuals in the face of adversity and the relentless pursuit of truth, even when nature itself seems determined to obscure it.

Transcript

[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

And I'm Garrett Moreland.

[Peyton Moreland]

And he's the husband.

[Garrett Moreland]

And I'm the husband. Happy Monday. Welcome back. New Monday, new episode. We're here with you guys. Today's gonna be a good episode. To reminder, if you want bonus content to check out our Patreon and Apple subscriptions, it's also all ad free. Thank you for supporting us. Thank you for loving us. Sorry for laughing. I looked to my left and I saw Daisy doing something crazy in the backyard.

[Peyton Moreland]

Well, now she's pooping.

[Garrett Moreland]

She's pooping.

[Peyton Moreland]

I see her. Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

Good for her. Good for her, Good for her.

[Peyton Moreland]

All right, do you have your 10 seconds?

[Garrett Moreland]

For my 10 seconds, nothing too crazy, but something that I was thinking about is I was thinking about, like, currently Peyton and I live in Utah. For those who don't know. And you know, I feel like for the most part, it has four seasons. We have a winter, we have a little bit of a spring. Look, we have a pretty decent fall, and we have a summer. Something I hate everywhere, no matter where I'm at, is wind. Yeah, I hate wind. I'm. I hate it. Like, I feel like wind just ruins everything. I'm not talking about a little breeze. I'm talking about wind. That just reminded me. Oh, never mind. I don't think you'll get it.

[Peyton Moreland]

What?

[Garrett Moreland]

In Ted Lasso, when he says talking about practice, not the game, we're talking about practice. But I know there'll be a lot of people out there that get this and they'll laugh at that.

[Peyton Moreland]

What does practice have to do with anything?

[Garrett Moreland]

It's the way I said it. I'm talking about wind.

[Peyton Moreland]

Oh, okay.

[Garrett Moreland]

You know what? I think we need to take a 20 minute break so I can show pain. That episode on telasa and then we'll come back and record the episode.

[Peyton Moreland]

I would rather. I just know I don't want to watch that.

[Garrett Moreland]

For anyone who watches Ted Lasso, you know what I'm talking about. Anyways, that's my 10 seconds. That is my rant. Let's get into this week's episode.

[Peyton Moreland]

Our sources for this episode are CBS News, Investigation, Discovery, Outsmart Magazine, Chilling Crimes, Yahoo, abc13.com EntertainmentNow.com, nBC News, Mirror.co.uk. there are a lot of cold cases out there, and that's because covering up a crime is sometimes easier than most of us think. I can't even count how many times we've seen very obvious suspects walk free on this show and how even the weakest covers have managed to keep a case out of court. I'm talking shoddy alibis, a lack of good motive, destroyed or tampered with evidence. But every now and again, we see a really lucky cover just seemingly fall into the perpetrator's lap. A faulty eyewitness description that throws detectives off scent, a critical piece of evidence that was never bagged or tagged. Or as we'll see in today's case, Mother Nature herself running interference on the investigation. And while she may have created the perfect storm for detectives, the sun did eventually come out, shedding light on the person truly responsible for a young mother's death. So take a ride with me now to baytown, Texas, about 26 miles east of Houston. We are in the year 2017 and 38 year old Crystal McDowell is finally getting the happiness she deserves in life. Crystal, a local real estate agent, is getting back into the dating scene after a recent divorce. She's dating someone new and for what may be the first time in her life, she's actually waking up every day really happy. She's excited about the future, about what this new relationship will become. And that's something a bit foreign to Crystal, who had it unbelievably hard for most of her life. So let me back up a bit and tell you who Crystal McDowell is. Crystal has, from what I can tell, spent most of her life in Texas, but her childhood was anything but picturesque. Crystal was born to two parents with a pretty big drug problem and her parents drug of choice was Crystal Meth, to be specific. And some sources say that she was actually named after this because her name is Crystal. But her uncle begs to differ, saying Crystal was actually named after her grandmother. I feel like that's a pretty weird thing for sources to report. It might just be like toxic reporting.

[Garrett Moreland]

Kid after Crystal meth. Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

Nonetheless, this sort of rampant drug abuse in the home of course, made things challenging for Crystal, who didn't have any siblings that she could rely on. And when she turned 11, things only got worse. That year, both of Crystal's parents passed away from complications from AIDS related to their addictions. They actually died within six months of each other, which meant now Crystal was on her own. I'm not sure where Crystal lived For the next two years or what her life was even like at that time. But. But I know the hard times weren't over yet, because When Crystal turned 13, another unthinkable tragedy happened. She was abducted by a sex trafficker. And I'm not sure how long Crystal was taken for, but I know she was forced to live in a chicken coop while she was subjected to sexual assault.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, sorry. We just went from 0 to 100.

[Peyton Moreland]

And she's only 13.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

But Crystal managed to outsmart her kidnappers. She escaped, and after that, she went to live with her aunt and uncle Jeff.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like, is this confirmed? Yeah, like, confirmed sources.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like, yeah, she literally had an awful life.

[Garrett Moreland]

Holy crap.

[Peyton Moreland]

So she goes and lives their aunt and uncle, Jeff Walters and his wife, where it seemed like she finally was on a happier path. Crystal went to school and then went on to become a flight attendant for the next 10 years. Eventually, she decided it was time for a change and began working in real estate instead of. But even before that career move, Crystal met someone she was certain was her knight in shining armor. A man who swept her off her feet and promised her a life she'd only ever dreamed of. A man named Steve McDowell. Now, a lot of people who knew Steve said he was kind of like a big kid at heart. He loved video games and sports cars. But more than anything, he really did seem to love Crystal. Friends said he almost had an obsession with her. He would give her massages and rub her feet at the end of a long day. He would brush her hair if she asked, to the point where people actually said his obsession with Crystal, despite her being his girlfriend, seemed a little unhealthy. But that meant that Crystal was definitely the one in control of the relationship, Even after they got married in 2007. It also didn't hurt that she seemed to be the breadwinner for the family. Crystal was the one who went to work. While Steve did a lot of parenting for their two children they eventually had.

[Garrett Moreland]

I'm trying to figure out. Maybe it's just a hindsight sort of thing, but you know how they were saying despite them being in a relationship, he was just so obsessed with her?

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

I feel like that's just because they know what happens at the end of this case, and we don't. You know what I'm saying? Because, like, normally you look at a relationship and you're like, oh, they're obsessed with each other. Like, no big deal.

[Peyton Moreland]

Well, I don't think Crystal was obsessed with him, which is why they're saying it was unhealthy because he was like, would have done anything. She said she wore the pants in the relationship type thing. Okay, so maybe they thought he was getting run over a little bit, and that's why they're claiming that.

[Garrett Moreland]

I don't know.

[Peyton Moreland]

Either way, that's what people in their life said. So they had two children. A little boy who was born in 2009 named Madden, and a little girl born in 2012 named Maui. And for a while, this dynamic seemed to work for the couple. They loved vacationing and going on adventures. For Crystal's 33rd birthday, Steve even took her on a skydiving trip. But by 10 years into their marriage, it was clear that things had stopped working as well as they were. Cracks were forming. Crystal was putting some distance between her and Steve. It honestly just seemed like all the romance had fizzled. Crystal, who was ambitious and driven, might have even built up a bit of resentment for Steve, who never really helped out financially. And eventually, Crystal filed for divorce. And honestly, from the outside, it looked pretty amicable. The former couple had plans to sell their home and part ways. But first they wanted to fix it up and make some changes so they could get the best price for it.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

And in the meantime, Crystal helped Steve buy something else. And then he offered to have her move in there while renovations were being done to their old family home. So while the two were finalizing their divorce In June of 2017, they were still living together, which was especially interesting considering Crystal was already dating someone new. So they move out of there family home to do renovations. They're getting divorced. Crystal ends up moving back in with Steve in a place she's paying for for Steve and the kids. Okay, but she's dating someone new while living with her soon to be ex husband.

[Garrett Moreland]

All right.

[Peyton Moreland]

So six months after separating from Steve, Crystal had begun seeing a jeweler named Paul Hargrave. And according to Crystal's friends, this was the most upbeat they had ever seen. Her. Crystal literally posted on her Facebook page in the summer of 2017 saying, quote, I've never been happier in my whole life than I am right now. Crystal and Paul seemed to really balance each other out, and Paul made up for a lot of the things that Steve lacked. He and Crystal were also making plans for a future together. They were booking a trip to Belgium for the end of summer 2017. It also helped that Crystal's real estate business seemed to be doing better than ever. But there might have been some concerns around her properties come the end of August that year, because a huge Storm was headed towards Baytown, Texas, both literally and figuratively. Hurricane Harvey was picking up speed in the Atlantic and it was moving towards North America fast. As Crystal and the rest of Texas kept an eye on the growing storm, she continued her plans as usual. On August 25 that morning, she woke up after spending the night at Paul's house. She planned to go pick up her kids at Steve's place that morning and then was going to meet up with Paul after work to watch the highly anticipated Mayweather McGregor fight.

[Garrett Moreland]

I remember watching that fight. Yeah, that's about it. I mean, I have opinions on it, but it was so long ago. Who cares? Entertaining. Entertaining.

[Peyton Moreland]

So Crystal got dressed and left Paul's house at around 7:35 that morning in her black Mercedes. But over the course of the day, people were texting Crystal and she wasn't answering them back, which was weird because Crystal's really fast to respond. She's on her phone all the time for work as a real estate agent.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, it's true.

[Peyton Moreland]

And while it's a little alarming, the bells don't go off until that night when Crystal never makes it back to Paul's house to watch the fight. And that's when Paul calls Crystal's uncle, the one who practically raised her after her parents passed away, Jeff Walters. Now, of course, after hearing that Crystal was on her way to Steve's place that morning before she was last seen, Once Paul calls Jeff, Jeff reaches out to him and Steve, her ex, soon to be ex husband, tells him, yeah, she sent me a message this morning at 7:01, he received a text that said, on my way. Do you have water? Looks like I may stay here with the kids. It seems just like rain because of the storm. It seemed like Crystal was maybe changing her plans for the weekend. As Steve said, she wrote something about how she was coming to get the kids and was going to take them to Dallas. Only after that, after these texts, she never arrived. Now, I don't know what was in Dallas or why Crystal was going to take the kids there, especially with this huge storm headed their way. Maybe it was to get out of the line of fire. But there's a major sense of urgency here. They need to find Crystal fast because Hurricane Harvey is making landfall basically as soon as she goes missing. So her uncle reports her missing the following morning, but the police don't even get a chance to do much because the storm is picks up pace and within a matter of hours of them reporting her missing, Baytown, Texas is already experiencing major damage. What a horrible Timing.

[Garrett Moreland]

I mean, yeah, horrible timing.

[Peyton Moreland]

Because there's gonna be no resources.

[Garrett Moreland]

No, the police can't help just everything. Everything about it. Absolutely horrible timing.

[Peyton Moreland]

How do you go out honestly for your loved one?

[Garrett Moreland]

Unfortunately too a good time to get away with murder.

[Peyton Moreland]

Which is why I started the case the way I did.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yep.

[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

Eventually the storm passes and the local police have to start taking Crystal's case more seriously. Now, hearing that she's recently divorced, the first person they call in for questioning is Steve McDowell. But Steve reassures them, we have a really amicable divorce. Technically, she was even still living with him at their condo while. While their own house was getting renovated to put on the market. I mean, yes, granted, she slept the night at Paul's house that night, but she stayed at the house with Steve and the kids often.

[Garrett Moreland]

There's really no other choice, unfortunately. Like, it has to be Steve. And if it's not Steve, I'm going to be pretty surprised, but it's got to be Steve.

[Peyton Moreland]

So as they're talking to Steve about his wife's disappearance, they find him cooperative, even kind, a little friendly. The only thing that really stands out to them is that Steve is still wearing his wedding band, which says maybe he's not emotionally over it yet, but that's hardly enough for them to hold him on any charges. Right now, there's absolutely nothing else that worries them about Steve, which is why they move on to the other person that's closest to Crystal. And also the last person to technically have seen her that day, her new boyfriend, Paul. Now, Paul is a different story because like I said, he's the last person they know to have seen Crystal alive. Paul's like, why would I have anything to do with this? We're happy. We're in love. We even planned a trip to Europe. But police learn this actually wasn't the only trip they had talked about taking. Crystal apparently invited Paul to go on this family cruise, one that Steve was also going on. Paul apparently tells Crystal, this sounds kind of awkward. Maybe you two should just go. But Crystal offers to talk to Steve, says she's gonna see if he'll sit the family vacation out so her new boyfriend Paul can go instead, basically replacing Steve on this family vacation with Paul.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay, so.

[Peyton Moreland]

So Paul tells police, listen, Steve wasn't happy about this conversation. I mean, I probably wouldn't be either if my ex wife was kicking me out of a vacation with my entire family. So while this is a red flag in Paul's eyes, the police don't necessarily agree. Instead, they still sort of feel like Paul's someone who needs to be ruled out. Especially when Paul does something a little suspicious, or at the very least, absentmindedly. Apparently, Paul had security footage from outside his house of Crystal getting into her black Mercedes and driving off that morning.

[Garrett Moreland]

Wow.

[Peyton Moreland]

So proof that she left the house.

[Garrett Moreland]

Interesting.

[Peyton Moreland]

Only he didn't share this with police when they Interviewed him or talked to him. He actually gave the footage to the media when he did an interview with them.

[Garrett Moreland]

Well, if he's trying to get away with murder, that is extremely smart.

[Peyton Moreland]

So the police are thinking, this is shady. Why wouldn't he have given this to us to clear his name. And apparently, when they ask for it, it actually takes them a few days to get the footage from Paul. However, there's still not enough for them to be calling either of the guys in her life a suspect. That is, until they follow up on a tip that had been submitted by one of Crystal's friends over social media. So, a few days after Crystal goes missing, her abandoned car is spotted in a parking lot of a local motel 6. Now, police don't have very high hopes of pulling evidence off the vehicle, since any prints or DNA would have likely been destroyed or washed away with the hurricane. But when they get there, they do find something really weird about the car. It's parked in a very messy way. It's not in a spot, really, so it's definitely drawing attention. Plus, the car is unlocked, and the keys are just sitting on the dashboard inside. So when police look at this, they're like, this looks staged. Almost like whoever left this car wanted it to get stolen. But with the giant hurricane, no one was really looking to steal a car over the weekend. So police tow it out of the parking lot, which is still flooded, by the way, and they bring it in for evidence. But now they're wondering, did Crystal actually leave her car here on purpose, or did someone do it for her? A question that's answered pretty quickly once they start looking into her phone and credit card records, because they haven't been used since the day she disappeared, which, as we know by now on this podcast, is not a good sign. So they go back and revisit some of their best suspects. They speak with Steve, Uncle Jeff, and Paul again. And both Paul, the new boyfriend, and her Uncle Jeff, who she's close to him, kind of helped raise her, are like, listen, you need to look at Steve, the ex husband. Paul tells police that Crystal seemed afraid of him at times and was apparently terrified to tell Steve about Paul when they first started dating. And Uncle Jeff says Steve had always creeped him out, that he actually reminds him of Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, if you. That's freaky.

[Peyton Moreland]

It's just like, you know when you just have this feeling about.

[Garrett Moreland]

You're just like, something's off.

[Peyton Moreland]

And both of these guys are like, hey, this is how we feel. It's not to. There's really necessarily anything that's done, but this is just how we feel. About 10 days after Crystal's disappearance, they decide to give both Paul and Steve a polygraph test, and both of them fail. Now, obviously, this isn't enough to make an arrest, but the police are about to get another big break in the case.

[Garrett Moreland]

Wait, that's so ironic. Both of them fail.

[Peyton Moreland]

I know. Honestly, at this point, is it like. I think they only use polygraphs to try to get people to crack it.

[Garrett Moreland]

Just an interrogation tactic at this point.

[Peyton Moreland]

Kind of like in the Chris Watts case. They gave him that polygraph and interrogation and then came back in and are like, dude, you felt you need to tell the truth. And then he cracks and tells the truth.

[Garrett Moreland]

I feel like enough. There should be enough information and enough people should know by now, like, if. If they're trying to get you to do a polygraph, you just laugh.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

Because it's like, okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

So they get a big break in the case. They've just gotten access to the security footage from outside the Motel 6 where her car was left. Here's what they find. They learn that the car was parked in the motel parking lot in the early hours of August 26th. So this is less than a day after Crystal originally went missing. And there's a man driving it in the security footage. He gets out of the driver's seat. And when they zoom in on this footage, they find that the guy looks a heck of a lot like Crystal's ex husband, Steve. At first, they aren't totally sure. They do, however, watch this person take a bag out of the car with them and go over to a trash bin and pull out what looks like clothes before stuffing it in the bin and pushing it to the bottom. Now, eventually, this guy disappears from the frame. Here's where it gets pretty obvious. A few hours later, a car stops at a gas station across the street that you can still see on this footage. A man gets out, walks over to the Motel 6, and seemingly checks to see if Crystal's black Mercedes is still there. You know, who owned the car that was parked at the gas station? Because you might not have enough detail to see the man, but you definitely have enough detail to see what type of car. Steve, her ex husband, has the same car, which means even if he's not involved, he definitely drove to a gas station across from where her car was left abandoned after she went missing and went and looked at her car and never told police.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, I mean, it's at this point. I mean, it's 100% Steve. It has to be. Has to be. Which is insane, by the way.

[Peyton Moreland]

So police are, like, they're pretty sure he is the one in the footage that dropped the car off earlier. Obviously, this doesn't really prove that Steve did anything to Crystal, like, because they don't have any evidence of murder. So police rush back out to the scene to see if they can find any more evidence. They're looking for the bag that he threw in the trash, but when they get there, this bin is empty. Whatever was in it had floated out during the storm. The flooding, it had emptied it. Which leaves detectives with a few options. One of them being, we need to get Steve to confess. But in order to do that, they also need to dig deeper into what was really going on between Steve and Crystal so they can confront him with a motive. It turns out Crystal hadn't just filed for divorce from Steve once. She had actually tried to divorce him twice.

[Garrett Moreland]

Wow.

[Peyton Moreland]

The first time was only a year after they got married in 2008. Apparently, Crystal didn't go through with it because Steve had made some pretty scary threats. He told her he was going to take his own life if she divorced him. Even Steve's adult daughter from his first marriage before Crystal said things were not perfect between Crystal and Steve. Honestly, far from it. She said they were pretty toxic for each other. They drove each other crazy. And when she heard the two were finally calling it quits in 2017, she was relieved. But then his adult daughter started noticing that Steve was acting a bit off. His daughter said she noticed Steve had changed his profile picture on Facebook to a picture of a grave, and then the grim Reaper, and then back to a picture of him and Crystal the freak, before finally not having a picture at all. And this was all in a matter of a couple of days.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's wild.

[Peyton Moreland]

She's like, what is my dad doing? It was around this time that Crystal actually called 911 in regards to Steve. She told police that he had disappeared with the kids and he didn't come back with them for several days, which is technically kidnapping. This must have been extremely terrifying for Crystal, because in the past, when she told Steve she was going to leave him, he had made threats to hurt himself. So what if he was killing their children, too? So how can you blame Crystal for staying with him for so long? I mean, she's terrified of what he might do if she leaves. But Steve was clearly very delusional about the whole situation and still very obsessed, because remember that cruise? I Mentioned the one Crystal was taking her family on, and she asked Steve if he would stay home so her new boyfriend could come. Well, apparently, Steve was even more upset than she realized because he had big plans for them on that trip. Even though their divorce had already been finalized, he was planning on going on this trip and re proposing to Crystal on that vacation. He'd bought a new suit and a white dress for her to bring with him in case she said yes.

[Garrett Moreland]

She's dating somebody else, man.

[Peyton Moreland]

So hearing all of this, police are starting to realize maybe Paul's telling the truth.

[Garrett Moreland]

Sorry, did you say he bought a suit in a white dress?

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

So they could, like she said yes.

[Peyton Moreland]

Actually do it on the ship, which is just. All right, so police are now like, hey, there is motive, and Crystal has a good reason to be scared of Steve. By this point, police feel confident ruling out Paul as a suspect. And now they firmly believe Steve is their guy. Yeah, but they still need him to confess if they want to arrest him. And they're calling him in almost every day to talk. But he stays firm, saying, no, I loved Crystal. There's no way I would kill her. I'm innocent. So they need something that concretely puts him at the scene. This shows that he was 100% the guy who dropped Crystal's car off at the Motel 6. Because if they confront him with that, maybe he'll crack. So they start thinking, okay, obviously, if he drove her car there, he had to get home. And that's when they look around at other security footage in the neighboring area, and they see that the man who dropped off the car actually walked to a nearby Walmart. Afterwards. He went inside, he came out with a bicycle, and then comes out to ride it home. And after looking closer at the footage inside the store, I mean, this footage is going to be a lot clearer, a lot closer. They are pretty confident that this. That Steve is their guy. By the way, there's a lot of pressure to get Steve in handcuffs by now because he has custody of the two kids. And investigators are getting worried he might do something to them, too, if they don't act fast enough.

[Garrett Moreland]

How have we not come out with a better or more regulations around this? I mean, Josh Powell, because, well, it just happened. It's all over the news right now. Yeah, the guy killed his three daughters and they can't find him.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yes. It just happens a lot.

[Garrett Moreland]

Bugs me. It really irks me.

[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

No. So they think, no, we've got it. I'm gonna be so mad. I'm gonna be so mad.

[Peyton Moreland]

They say, fine, you go home, spend one more night with your family tomorrow, give us your confession. And they leave. Now, from what I gathered, the visit was supervised when they saw their father that night. But Steve makes another call later to his daughter from his first marriage. And he tells her, can you come home for the night from college? It's probably the last time I'm gonna see you. She makes a drive down to Baytown at 3:30 in the morning. And when she gets there, he tells her that at 10am the local police are going to come get him. He starts giving her photo albums, financial statements, pretty much trying to get all of his affairs in order to. And that's when she realizes. My father did something to Crystal. Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

And shockingly, he doesn't hurt the kids.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, thank goodness.

[Peyton Moreland]

He doesn't run. He doesn't try to hop a plane. The next morning he goes down to the station as promised and offers his statement about what happened the final morning Crystal McDowell was alive. And here's what he says. Crystal did make it back to his house that morning. And apparently Steve picked a fight with Crystal for having spent the night at Paul's home. Crystal told Steve, listen, you need to move on. I'm not in love with you. We are divorced. And that's when Steve snapped. Steve approached her from behind, put her in a chokehold. Crystal apparently yelled out that Steve was scaring her. He squeezed harder. Crystal stopped moving. Then he says he covered her face with a bag, tied her up and put her and her stuff in the car.

[Garrett Moreland]

Go, man.

[Peyton Moreland]

He waits the whole day. And then the following morning, while his kids were still asleep, he drove out to a wooded area near his home to get rid of the body. And then he left her car in the motel parking lot. But now the next part of their agreement obviously is that Steve has to lead detectives to the body. And that's going to be a little hard because 15 days after killing Crystal on September 9, 2017, he drives them out to the wooded area which has now been covered with trees and debris from the storm. So it takes a lot of searching, but they do eventually find Crystal's body. That day, 42 year old Steve McDowell is finally charged with her murder. If you think about it, Steve might have gotten away with this. Had his conscious not got the best of him, because again, all they had was security camera footage. They didn't have a body. They didn't even have evidence of a murder. Honestly, the storm was so bad, Crystal's body might not have ever been found because she'd kind of been buried.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, I was gonna say that. Not that I want it to go this way, but if he didn't confess and just got an attorney and played hardball, he honestly might have gotten away with this.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah, I don't think all they had was security footage.

[Garrett Moreland]

There's not enough evidence to put someone away for murder.

[Peyton Moreland]

And on that security footage, it's not like you can look at it and concretely say, yeah, that's Steve. They're just using context.

[Garrett Moreland]

It's just like, oh, he got a bike. Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. And. And who says he even actually saw the car?

[Garrett Moreland]

Good thing he. Good thing it scared him enough to confess, otherwise he would have gotten away with it.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. So Steve does claim that this was a crime of passion, which apparently in the state of Texas can get someone out of jail in as little as two years. So when it came time for the trial in 2019, that was Steve's approach. But his story had changed a bit too. He said that he actually had sex with Crystal that morning when she came over, and that the choking was the result of a hug that he took too far. Ooh, quite the excuse.

[Garrett Moreland]

He should just.

[Peyton Moreland]

Maybe. Maybe because what?

[Garrett Moreland]

That's the craziest thing I've ever heard.

[Peyton Moreland]

So after five days of testing testimony, a lot of circumstantial evidence, they found Steve guilty of first degree murder. A day later, he was sentenced to 50 years in prison for his crime.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, first degree murder, okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

Perhaps one of the most heartbreaking details, though, of this case that was revealed at trial was that the couple's now seven year old daughter, Maui, witnessed her mother's death.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, my gosh.

[Peyton Moreland]

She later said she saw her father place his hands over her mother's nose and mouth. So she just was there the entire time. And after her father told her to stay in the bedroom and not tell anyone about what had happened.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, the trauma makes me so sad.

[Peyton Moreland]

So after their father's imprisonment, both kids went to live with Crystal's family nearby. And in 2024, the then 12 year old Maui said in a podcast that she and her brother were no longer speaking to their father. And that was a decision they had made together. But Maui's brave confession goes to show that even in the perfect storm, Poor girl. The truth will always find a way to reveal its. Sometimes it just takes a little time and that is the case of Crystal McDowell.

[Garrett Moreland]

There's just so much to it the fact that she already had such a traumatic life traumatic difficult life growing up and going through all that and was.

[Peyton Moreland]

Finally happy and I wanted for her.

[Garrett Moreland]

Ex husband the killer who she had kids. It's. I just, I can't. It's. I mean a lot of these are the same type of cases sadly where it's like if I can't have you, nobody can can't handle no it's like especially when they have kids too. It's like you have kids like things are bigger I listen things are bigger.

[Peyton Moreland]

Than this I get it love for sure it's hard. It makes people do crazy for sure.

[Garrett Moreland]

I get that but going ceremony yeah there's so many routes killing someone get blows my mind go to the hospital.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like if you're having those thoughts just get help because again love makes people do crazy things as well as hate but like there are ways to make it okay in your brain.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's why it's so sad.

[Peyton Moreland]

All right you guys, that was our episode and we will see you next time with another one. I love it and I hate it. Goodbye. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to progressive and save hundreds. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations.