LI Man Gets 25 Years To Life For Murdering Pregnant Estranged Wife: DA

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — Michael Owen, 30, of St. James, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the murder of his pregnant, estranged wife, Kelly Owen, 27, of Farmingdale, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly announced Thursday. Owen killed Kelly in January 2020, the DA said.

Owen was convicted of second-degree murder on July 28, 2023.

"Michael Owen drove to his estranged wife's house on January 15, 2020, with the intention of killing her," Donnelly said in a news release. "Kelly was a young mother and pregnant with Owen's child at the time of her brutal murder. She worked with children and had dreams of becoming a nurse. Michael Owen stole those dreams, and now he will pay for his crimes in prison. Our thoughts remain with Kelly’s family as they continue to mourn her loss."

Kelly was at her apartment on First Avenue in Farmingdale on Jan. 15, 2020; she lived on the same property as her parents and shared custody of her then-6-year-old child with her husband, Michael, from whom she was separated, prosecutors said. Kelly’s father walked the child to school that morning, officials said.

Kelly worked as an aide at an aftercare program at a local elementary school between 3 and 6 p.m. When she did not show up for work, a co-worker called Kelly’s parents, and her parents discovered the their daughter's lifeless body, authorities said.

Kelly was strangled with a rope-like object, and it was determined that she was in the early stages of pregnancy with Michael Owen’s child, investigators said.

Video surveillance revealed that Michael Owen's vehicle was in the victim’s neighborhood at approximately 9:30 that morning, officials said. Michael Owen, who was employed as a cell site technician, parked two blocks away from Kelly’s home and turned his phone off before arriving in Farmingdale, making his cellphone location undetectable, the DA said.

Michael Owen's DNA was found around Kelly's neck, prosecutors said.

Michael Owen was arrested by Nassau County homicide squad officers on Jan. 28, 2020, officials said. He is represented by Joseph Hanshe.