Witnesses testify they saw Marion teen running from crime scene after hearing gunshot

CEDAR RAPIDS — A woman testified Thursday that she heard a gunshot and a female screaming, and when she started to go outside she ran into Keyun McGowan, who was running into the common area of her duplex on May 10, 2023.

Mariah Eldridge, who lived at 3531 Oakland Rd. NE in Cedar Rapids, then looked outside and saw a female on the phone, yelling “He’s been shot and I have his phone.“

McGowan, now 18, of Marion, on trial in Linn County this week for first-degree murder, had been with Mariah’s sister, Alyvia Eldridge, who was staying downstairs in the duplex. Alyvia, then 18, and McGowan, then 17, were friends.

Mariah stayed on the front porch step and her boyfriend went out to the car parked in her driveway. She approached the teen, who later was identified as Mia Updegraff, girlfriend of Cristian Upah, 17, who was shot, and asked her to sit down and take a breath. Updegraff was upset and said she felt sick.

Mariah said she asked her sister what happened but Alyvia said she didn’t know.

McGowan also is charged with two counts of first-degree robbery, and one charge each of going armed with intent, assault while displaying a weapon and use of a dangerous weapon in the commission of a crime. He is accused of fatally shooting Upah while trying to rob him and his girlfriend, Updegraff, of marijuana cartridges and money.

The prosecution will wrap up its case Friday and the defense should start. It’s possible they may also get to openings in the afternoon.

Mariah testified that about 10 minutes before the gunshot, a vehicle had pulled into her driveway and parked behind the house. She and her boyfriend, Nicholas Williams, weren’t expecting anyone. She sent a text to her sister, Alyvia, and she said McGowan’s cousin was coming over, or that’s what McGowan told Alyvia.

Mariah described McGowan wearing a dark hoodie and dark pants that night, which is how others have described what the alleged shooter was wearing.

On cross, Mariah said she didn’t see McGowan with a gun.

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McGowan was ‘scared’ and out of breath after shooting

Alyvia Eldridge, now 19, testified she met McGowan in March 2023 at Compass Alternative school in Marion. They became friends and he had been over to Mariah Eldridge’s duplex when Alyvia was staying there.

On May 10, 2023, McGowan came with Alyvia back to the duplex, she said. He stayed around after school and into the evening. She testified that she kind of wanted him to leave, but he didn’t. He had his phone and was texting. When she saw headlights coming into the driveway, he said his cousin was coming by to see him and he went outside.

According to testimony Wednesday, Updegraff testified that Upah had been texting with someone he called “Jackson” and made a deal to sell him marijuana cartridges at 3531 Oakland Rd. NE on May 10. Updegraff was there and saw the shooter but never saw his face, so she can’t identify him as McGowan.

However, McGowan’s 17-year-old best friend testified that McGowan told him he tried to rob Upah and shot him that night.

Alyvia, during her testimony, said a few minutes after McGowan went outside, she heard a girl screaming. As she was leaving the house to see what was happening outside, McGowan was running past her and went inside.

Alyvia said she saw a girl by the car in the driveway who ran around the front of the car to a person — later identified as Upah — lying in the grass. The girl was crying and screaming and Upah was “hardly moving.” Alyvia asked her what happened and then Mariah came outside and told Alyvia to go inside.

When Alyvia got back inside and went in her bedroom, McGowan was there. She said he seemed “scared” and was out of breath. She asked what happened but he said “nothing” and “went quiet.” Alyvia said she thought it was strange.

McGowan stayed there and fell asleep on the floor, Alyvia testified. He didn’t talk to her much the next day at school and never told her what happened.

Alyvia said she did notice that he didn’t have his phone after the shooting incident. McGowan told her he lost it. She said she’d seen McGowan with a gun, but didn’t see it that night.

Witness told victim ‘stay with me’

Nicholas Williams, Mariah’s former boyfriend, testified a car first pulled in the drive and parked behind the duplex, so he auto started his Dodge Charger, just to let the driver know someone was home and it wasn’t a public parking area. The unknown car then left.

About 10 minutes later, Williams said he heard people yelling — like a “confrontation” of some kind. He heard a female’s voice. He heard a loud noise like a slamming door.

He testified that he told Mariah to stay inside and he went out and saw a female — Updegraff — who was upset and scared. He didn’t realize what was going on at first. Then, Mariah told him she thought someone was shot.

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Updegraff, who recognized Williams from her apartment complex, told him her boyfriend had been shot by someone trying to rob them.

Williams said he went over to Upah and told him, “stay with me.” Upah didn’t respond.

Williams said he didn’t see McGowan or Alyvia when he was outside.

Investigators did not find McGowan’s prints in the car

In other testimony, Cedar Rapids police crime scene investigators testified about the search of Updegraff’s car and what was found at the scene.

Kraig Kruger testified they didn’t find any prints identified as McGowan’s in Updegraff’s car, where the deal drug/robbery allegedly started before it turned into McGowan and Upah fighting before Upah as shot.

Kruger said they also found a phone in the yard, which according to Wednesday’s testimony belonged to McGowan, but the only usable print identified was Updegraff’s.

She testified Wednesday that she found a phone outside the car after the shooting and threw it because she was angry and upset over Upah’s killing.

Thaddeus Paiser testified after they obtained a search warrant for Updegraff’s car, he found an Xbox in the back seat, $203 in cash was found in the front storage console and there was backpack with boxed vaping cartridges in the trunk.

Paiser, who also is a firearms instructor, said he couldn’t determine if the Glock 9 mm bullet found in Upah’s abdomen during autopsy came from the Glock 9 mm gun McGowan owned because the gun that shot Upah wasn’t found.

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