The Murder of Amanda ‘Mandy’ Carlson-Bey

Dec 16

Warning, this case discusses crimes against a child.

For this case, I watched an episode of I Was Murdered. It’s season 1 episode 7, titled ‘Devil You Know.’

A young mother is killed protecting her son.

I couldn’t find a picture of Mandy or her son for this case.

Background

Amanda ‘Mandy’ Carlson-Bey was born on July 17, 1977. Mandy grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her mom, Bobbie, split from Mandy’s absentee father when she was about 3.

Mandy became pregnant at 19 years-old with her son, Jereau. She loved her son more than anything, and was described as funny and loved to laugh.

A Pattern

Mandy’s relationship with Jereau’s father, Michael Stewart, wasn’t that great. Michael was described as a charmer, but didn’t seem to be happy when Mandy announced her pregnancy. Michael also didn’t want to pay child support, and wasn’t in Jereau’s life.

When Jereau was about 1, a new man came into their life. Mandy began dating a new man, moved with him to Chicago, and became pregnant. This man was abusive, and was using drugs, which Mandy caught him doing one day. Mandy eventually moved back to Minnesota, and in with her mom.

Mandy seemed to be very excited to be back home, and to have a new baby.

The Crime Scene

On October 21, 1998, Mandy’s doctor contacted Bobbie, and said Mandy had missed an appointment. Bobbie said she left her office, and raced home.

Inside the home, Bobbie found Mandy and Jereau slumped on the couch. Bobbie called 911, and said it looked like her daughter and grandson had been attacked.

The St. Paul police arrived at the home. Mandy and Jereau were found on opposite sides of the couch, and had both been stabbed. Mandy had wounds to her neck, head, arms and torso. The police said Mandy was lying on her back with her hands open like she was reaching for her son.

There was no sign of forced entry, and nothing had been taken. One of the crime scene technicians also noticed that the toilet seat was left up. There was a fingerprint found underneath the lid believed to have been left when it was lifted up.

The Suspects

When the police spoke to Bobbie, they learned that Mandy had two men in her life, Michael, and her estranged boyfriend.

The police spoke to Michael first. He said he had never been to Mandy’s apartment, and hadn’t seen her in months. Michael said he had been at home most of the day on October 21, and had gone shopping. Michael did provide the police with some receipts, and his mom corroborated his alibi. Michael’s fingerprints were also collected, and sent to the crime lab.

The police spoke to a maintenance worker who had been working at the apartment complex on the day of the murder. He said he had seen a black male loitering around Mandy’s apartment. He was shown a photo array, and picked Mandy’s ex-boyfriend out of the lineup.

Mandy’s ex wasn’t happy about the breakup. One of his friends eventually came forward, and told the police that he had confessed to killing Mandy. He was arrested and charged with the murders.

The ex denied the conversation with his friend ever happened. He also said he was in Chicago on the day of the murder, and had used an ATM. His story checked out, as he was seen on surveillance in Chicago. He remained in custody while the police continued the investigation, and his fingerprints were collected.

The Print

The friend eventually admitted to lying about his story because his girlfriend was a friend of Mandy’s.

The police also went back to speak to the maintenance worker. He was shown another photo array, but this time he pointed out Michael as the man seen around Mandy’s apartment.

The crime lab contacted the police, and said they needed a new set of fingerprints from Michael. Michael was contacted and agreed. His print was a match to the one found on the toilet seat.

Michael still denied that he had ever been in Mandy’s apartment until the police confronted him about the fingerprints. Michael then confessed to going to Mandy’s to see her and their son. He said he and Mandy got into an argument. He became angry and grabbed a kitchen knife.

After killing them, he put the knife in his sweatshirt pocket, and later tossed it in a dumpster. He also burned the clothes he had been wearing.

The Conviction

Michael said he didn’t know where he stabbed Mandy, and thought it was in somewhere in the upper body. Michael claimed he didn’t know why he did it, but the police believed it was because he didn’t want to pay child support.

Michael Stewart was convicted of first degree murder and manslaughter. He was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole. He will be eligible for parole in 2035.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Michael is a piece of shit. He killed someone he once claimed to love, killed his 2 year-old son, and Mandy’s unborn child. Michael doesn’t deserve to ever be released, and hopefully he will never be.

Sources

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/119444598/amanda-louise-carlson-bey

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/mn-supreme-court/1086013.html

https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/59147cefadd7b0493443735a

https://www.postbulletin.com/news/killer-tells-court-bad-things-happen