Affidavit details fatal shooting

The document says Michael Stuart Pritchett, 18, told authorities that he and his 22-year-old cousin, William Douglas Gentry Jr., planned to commit a robbery.

McGowan, a University of Virginia graduate, was found shot dead in her home Nov. 9. Four days later, police arrested Pritchett and Gentry and charged both with capital murder.

The search warrant affidavit filed Friday by Charlottesville police Detective Nicholas Rudman outlines the reasons police wanted to search the Dyke home of a woman Gentry described as his wife, according to the document.

The sworn affidavit describes information Rudman said the two men gave investigators during police interviews.

Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy J. Longo wouldn't comment Monday on the details of the affidavit, saying only that the department is "continuing to keep our cards close to our chest."

Police found fingerprints in McGowan's car after it was located near the Rivanna Trail, according to the document. The vehicle disappeared from her home after she was killed and was discovered Nov. 11.

During a police interview that began the night of Nov. 12 and stretched into the early morning hours, Pritchett told city Detective James Mooney that he and Gentry had been at McGowan's home, according to the affidavit.

"[Pritchett] said that it was Gentry's idea to rob someone," the document says.

The two men knocked on McGowan's door, and a woman wearing glasses opened it, according to the affidavit.

"Michael [Pritchett] said that she said 'No' and backed up toward a couch," Rudman wrote, noting that he found eyeglasses next to McGowan's body.

Pritchett told the detective that Gentry shot McGowan, and that he heard two more shots while he searched McGowan's computer room, according to the document. Pritchett said he also shot her before leaving the home, the document says.

The search warrant does not explain why or if McGowan was specifically targeted, and police have declined to comment.

The affidavit says Gentry later sold the .22-caliber handgun used in the shooting. It also says Pritchett gave a .380-caliber handgun to the same person who bought Gentry's gun. Police subsequently recovered both weapons, according to the affidavit.

McGowan's autopsy revealed three wounds from a .22 and one wound from a larger caliber weapon, the document says.

Charlottesville police also searched the Caroline Avenue home Pritchett shared with his grandfather and Gentry. There is a walking path between their home and the area where police found McGowan's car, according to the affidavit.

Authorities removed clothing from the home, including a blue-and-red jacket with red stains on it, according to the document. Pritchett said Gentry was wearing the jacket that night, according to the affidavit.

During his police interview, Gentry said he stayed with his wife and their two children in Earlysville the night McGowan was killed. Police searched the woman's home Friday morning after seeing her defend Gentry on a local newscast the night before, according to the affidavit.

The warrant says police took:

l an "arson can" with burned cloth material;

l a box of .22-caliber ammunition;

l a glove with a red stain; and

l a marijuana smoking device.

Pritchett's defense attorney, Rhonda Quagliana, didn't comment Monday on the affidavit's content but said: "Officials made arrests in this case only a week ago. We are examining all the facts and circumstances. We have had the cooperation of family and friends in a very difficult situation."

Gentry's defense attorney could not be reached Monday evening.

In addition to capital murder, both men face burglary, robbery and firearms charges. They are being held without bond at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail and could face the death penalty if convicted.

City Commonwealth's Attorney Dave Chapman declined to comment Monday on the case or on whether prosecutors would seek the death penalty.

Pritchett and Gentry are due in court Nov. 29 for a preliminary hearing.

McGowan was the development coordinator for the AIDS/HIV Services Group. She had been planning a gala that was held Nov. 10 to celebrate the organization's 20th anniversary. Coworkers discovered her body just after 2 p.m. Nov. 9 after she didn't show up for work.