Mackenzie Cowell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mackenzie Nicole Cowell April 1, 1992 |
| Disappeared | February 9, 2010 Wenatchee, Washington, United States |
| Died | February 9, 2010 (aged 17) |
| Cause of death | Homicide by strangulation and stabbing |
| Body discovered | Crescent Bar, Washington, United States |
| Resting place | Wenatchee City Cemetery |
| Occupation | Student |
Mackenzie Nicole Cowell (April 1, 1992 – February 9, 2010) was a 17-year-old American youth who went missing and was murdered in February 2010. She was last seen at the beauty school she attended in Wenatchee, Washington. Her body was discovered on the banks of the Columbia River four days later on February 13, 2010. A post-mortem examination determined she had been strangled, stabbed in the neck, and had suffered blunt force trauma to the head.
After an extensive investigation, police implicated 29-year-old Christopher Scott Wilson – a beauty school classmate of Cowell's – in her death. Police began to suspect Wilson after several people came forward claiming that he had a fascination with death and serial killers. Wilson was arrested after DNA evidence linked him to the crime scene. Police later found Cowell's blood in his apartment.
In a plea agreement, Wilson pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to just over 14 years in prison. Wilson later attempted to withdraw his guilty plea, stating that he only accepted the plea agreement because he felt he would not have received a fair trial. He was freed from Monroe Correctional Center on December 11, 2023.