SC man shot his York County landlord, then cops found child porn. He got 30 years
A York County man who shot his landlord after an argument last year will spend the next 20 years in prison for manslaughter.
And the judge added an extra 10 years on the sentence for Mitchell Charles Strickland on Thursday after deputies found illegal pictures and videos on Strickland’s phone after catching him over 100 miles away in North Carolina.
Strickland, 40, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in York County criminal court in the May 2024 shooting of Steven Stowe, 51, in a plea deal where he originally faced a murder charge. Police caught Strickland on I-85 in Randolph County, N.C., after he shot an unarmed Stowe three times on Stowe’s front porch, prosecutor John Anthony said.
He also pleaded guilty to third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor for child sexual abuse videos and photos found on his cellphone afterward.
Visiting Judge J. Derham Cole Jr. sentenced Strickland to 30 years total: The 20-year max under the plea deal for manslaughter, and the maximum of 10 years allowed under state law for the sexual exploitation.
Victim’s family asks for maximum sentence
Strickland and his wife lived in a camper on Stowe’s property in western York County near Clover at the time of the killing, according to prosecutors.
Stowe’s family members described him in court as a smart person with a good job who loved Alabama football and NASCAR and hunting. Stowe let Strickland and his wife stay on the property in the camper near Stowe’s home to help people who had fallen on hard times, Stowe’s family said. They said the argument was over food and asked for the maximum of 30 years.
Stowe’s wife, Elizabeth, told the judge Strickland was “dangerous” and a “monster” who “deserves every ounce of punishment that he can get.”
York County Sheriff’s Office Detective Eddie Wong told the judge that deputies found “hundreds” of porn images on Strickland’s phone after the “senseless” killing of Stowe. Like Stowe’s family, Wong asked the judge to give Strickland the max of 30 years.
Defense: “Not a monster”
Strickland told the judge he was remorseful for the killing.
“I wish I could go back and change it, but I can’t, and I will live with that for the rest of my life,” Strickland said in court.
He did not say anything about the child sexual abuse material on his phone.
His lawyer, Thomas Bowen of the York County Public Defender’s Office, said Strickland believed Stowe had a gun during the argument, then shot Stowe. The shooting was a tragic incident after a mistaken belief of a threat, Bowen said.
“He is not a monster,” Bowen said of Strickland. “This wasn’t cold-blooded murder.”
Concerning the materials found by police, Bowen said Strickland was a “swinger” who received videos online as a batch. Strickland did not know there was child pornography amongst other adult materials that are legal for adults, his lawyer said.
”He did not know he had child porn on his phone,” Bowen argued.
Bowen asked for a sentence of 12 to 15 years.
Strickland receives credit for 537 days he’s been in jail since his arrest.
An accessory after the fact charge against Strickland’s wife from the shooting remains pending, according to prosecutors and court records.
