St. Paul man gets 25 1/2 years after drug transaction turned deadly

Mychel A. Stowers pleaded guilty June 10 to intentional second-degree murder in the death of Antonio Sims.

July 25, 2008 at 4:14AM

A 20-year-old St. Paul man was sentenced Thursday to 25 1/2 years for killing a man he had arranged to buy marijuana from in February.

Mychel A. Stowers pleaded guilty June 10 in Ramsey County District Court to intentional second-degree murder in the death of Antonio Sims. Sims, 20, was shot Feb. 11 in the parking lot of JJ's Fish & Chicken on University Avenue in St. Paul.

According to the criminal complaint, Sims was shot after he climbed into the back seat of a car carrying three men. He handed a bag of marijuana to a front-seat passenger, who handed it back.

Stowers, also in the back seat, shot Sims twice. Sims stumbled out of the car and collapsed near the front door of the restaurant. The suspects were arrested when their vehicle was stopped on unrelated violations about two hours later, court documents said.

Edward L. Grayson, 21, who was driving the car that night, pleaded guilty in June to third-degree murder and will be sentenced Aug. 28. Deodre Cush, 23, the front seat passenger, pleaded guilty to aiding an offender. He will be sentenced Aug. 1.

The three men must pay restitution to Sims' family totaling more than $10,000, according to court documents.

PAT PHEIFER

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