Christopher M. McCowen is an American man convicted of murder. McCowen was found guilty in the 2002

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...

and murder of Christa Worthington, a former fashion writer whose family had lived in

Truro, Massachusetts Truro is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, comprising two villages: Truro and North Truro. Located slightly more than 100 miles (160 km) by road from Boston, it is a summer vacation community just south of the nor ...

, for generations. McCowen was charged with the crimes in April 2005, more than three years after the discovery of Worthington's body in her Truro home on January 6, 2002. McCowen had lived on

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mon ...

since about 1998 and had been a

garbage collector A waste collector, also known as a garbageman, garbage collector, trashman (in the US), binman or (rarely) dustman (in the UK), is a person employed by a public or private enterprise to collect and dispose of municipal solid waste (refuse) and ...

whose regular route included Worthington's home. McCowen was charged on the basis of

genetic fingerprinting DNA profiling (also called DNA fingerprinting) is the process of determining an individual's DNA characteristics. DNA analysis intended to identify a species, rather than an individual, is called DNA barcoding. DNA profiling is a forensic tec ...

and incriminating statements he made during a police interview. On November 16, 2006, he was convicted of

first-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...

aggravated Aggravation, in law, is "any circumstance attending the commission of a crime or tort which increases its guilt or enormity or adds to its injurious consequences, but which is above and beyond the essential constituents of the crime or tort itself. ...

rape, and aggravated armed

burglary Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murde ...

. He was sentenced to

life without parole Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

. In December 2010, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court denied an appeal for a new trial.Court denies appeal for man convicted of Cape writer’s murder
. Boston Herald. December 10, 2010.

References

External links

Cape Cod Times: Christa Worthington murder case
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCowen, Christopher African-American people American people convicted of burglary American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment American people convicted of murder American people convicted of rape People convicted of murder by Massachusetts Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Massachusetts Living people Criminals from Massachusetts Year of birth missing (living people)