Couple Charged in Murder of Woman Who Was ‘Executed’ in Belmont Cragin Home

(WTTW News)(WTTW News)

A man and woman are allegedly pointing the finger at each other after a 22-year-old woman was executed in her Belmont Cragin home as she begged for her life last month.

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Lonesha Strong, 18, and Marshawn Owens, 20, have each been charged in the Feb. 10 murder of 22-year-old Johnae McGowin, who was fatally shot in February. Strong is charged with first-degree murder, while Owens is charged with felony murder. Both defendants were denied bail by a judge during a hearing Thursday.

According to Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy, Owens allegedly began messaging with McGowin on Facebook Feb. 9, saying he knew her from high school. The pair continued messaging and agreed to meet up, with Owens making his way to McGowin’s home in the 2600 block of North Laramie Avenue.

But McGowin was unaware that Owens was dating Strong, according to Murphy.

After Owens left to meet McGowin, Strong accessed his Facebook, found their conversations and sent a disparaging message to McGowin, Murphy said. At around 6:40 a.m., Strong could allegedly be seen on video exiting a bus and walking to McGowin’s home, where she found Owens waiting by an open front door.

Both could be seen on surveillance video going into the apartment, and then leaving together five minutes later, according to Murphy. Hours later, one of McGowin’s co-workers arrived at her home after she failed to show up for work and found her lying naked on the ground, dead from a single gunshot wound to the head.

Murphy said both Strong and Owens were arrested a month later on March 10, and in interviews with police, each blamed the other for McGowin’s death.

Strong allegedly told detectives that she had gone to the home to confront McGowin, after Owens told Strong he’d cheated on her. According to her, an argument broke out and Owens — whom she said had brought a gun — told Strong to kill McGowin. But she claimed she couldn’t pull the trigger and Owens instead forced McGowin to her knees and shot her, Murphy said.

Owens, however, told police Strong arrived at the home and began arguing with both Owens and McGowin. She allegedly told Owens he was in charge of “clean up” and he put a blanket down on the ground before Strong shot McGowin in the head as she pleaded for her life.

Owens added that Strong was upset that McGowin had fallen onto Strong’s shoes after she’d been shot, and that he took McGowin’s phone and laptop with him as he left the home, according to Murphy.

“They put her on her knees and they execute her by shooting her in the head in her own apartment,” Murphy said during the hearing. “Regardless of which defendant actually pulled the trigger, both are accountable for the murder.”

Owens and Strong are each due back in court for a hearing April 5.

Contact Matt Masterson: @ByMattMasterson[email protected] | (773) 509-5431


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