KANSAS CITY, Kan. — An Atchison man who pleaded guilty to kidnapping and killing a 5-year-old girl in July of 2014 will spend the rest of life in prison. Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson revealed on Tuesday that Marcas McGowan was sentenced in federal court on Tuesday, following a guilty plea he entered in May.
On July 18, 2014, McGowan led police on a chase through Atchison into Missouri, and then back to Leavenworth. Police said that he was firing at them during the chase, and they found 5-year-old kidnapping victim Cady Harris dead from a gunshot wound in his car.
Forensic evidence revealed that Cady died from being shot at close range in the back of the head, and investigators said shell casings consistent with a “Jennings Nine” were found in the front seat of his car, and McGowan was the only person who shot a 9-millimeter handgun during the crime spree. Leavenworth officers who chased McGowan were cleared of wrongdoing about a month after the deadly shooting.
A domestic dispute between McGowan and Cady’s mom, Christina Harris, preceded the chase and shooting. During an argument, McGowan threatened Harris with a gun, and when she called 911, McGowan took Cady and drove away as police arrived to their home.
McGowan then led the officers on a chase, reaching speeds of nearly 100 miles per hour before he crashed through a barricade and was shot when he refused to obey officers’ commands.
McGowan’s life sentence is the statutory minimum penalty for his plea. He also received at 10-year sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm.