Charles Carson-Dowdy, a 30-year-old resident of Mobile, Alabama, has been indicted in federal court on several charges related to the death of Starmichael L. Tucker in Pensacola, Florida. The charges include cyberstalking, interstate domestic violence, murder through use of a firearm, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Carson-Dowdy is set to appear for his initial hearing and arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Hope Thai Cannon at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola on August 28, 2025.
If found guilty on these charges, Carson-Dowdy could face up to life imprisonment.
The investigation is being conducted jointly by multiple agencies: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office; Homeland Security Investigations; the Florida Department of Law Enforcement; and the State Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg is prosecuting the case.
“An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial,” according to information released with this case.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), an initiative that uses resources from various Department of Justice programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) to address violent crime and organized criminal activity across the country.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida serves as one of 94 offices nationwide acting under direction from the Attorney General. Public court documents can be accessed via the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. More details about this office are available at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
