Post by CCADP on Aug 23, 2005 7:02:36 GMT -5
D.A.: Death penalty unlikely in death of Martin woman
By Steve Ferris, Herald-Standard
08/23/2005
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Fayette County District Attorney Nancy Vernon talks with the press at the Uniontown state police barracks about the arrest of Eric Lee Bowser, 30, of Bennington Road, Hopwood, in connection with the death of a 20-year-old Martin woman. Dave Rafferty/HS
Fayette County District Attorney Nancy D. Vernon said she doesn't believe the death of 20-year-old April Lincoln, whose body was found in Redstone Creek last week, involved the aggravating circumstances needed to pursue the death penalty against the man accused of killing her.
Vernon, at a press conference Monday at the state police barracks in Uniontown, said she wasn't yet certain if aggravating circumstances exist, and she hasn't decided whether to seek capital punishment against Eric Lee Bowser, 30, of 148 Bennington Road, Hopwood, who has been charged with killing Lincoln.
She said she will proceed with first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse charges against Bowser, who police arrested Saturday.
Vernon said Bowser allegedly caused an injury that caused Lincoln to hit her head. She described it as an "intentional violent act."
The cause of death is blunt force injuries to the head and a skull fracture, she said.
Bowser then allegedly put her body in the creek and covered her with rocks, Vernon said.
"We think drug use is a significant factor in this case," she said when asked about a possible motive. The drug involved was crack cocaine, she said.
Bowser is being held in the Fayette County Prison without bail, pending a preliminary hearing tentatively scheduled for Aug. 29 before Magisterial District Justice Mark Blair.
The investigating officer, state police trooper Scott Krofcheck, said identifying the body was the first priority, and then he followed up on the missing-person report Lincoln's mother filed.
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Lincoln lived with her mother in Martin, police said.
Krofcheck said Bowser was the last person Lincoln was seen with.
He said information he gathered indicates that the two did not know each other previously, but he also has unconfirmed reports that they did.
She was reported missing Aug. 6 and was last seen with Bowser and three other males.
Police interviewed all four of them and one's brother after passersby discovered the woman's body in the creek under a railroad trestle about 100 yards west of West Coffey Street, North Union Township, on Aug. 17.
The three men who were with Bowser told police that two of them dropped off Bowser and Lincoln near the intersection of North Mount Vernon Avenue and Gilmore Street in Uniontown late Aug. 6 or early Aug. 7, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The affidavit states that during an Aug. 19 interview with police, Bowser said after he and Lincoln smoked crack cocaine along the creek, he turned away from her and heard a noise.
He said Lincoln was lying on her back, blood was coming from her head and she wasn't breathing, according to the affidavit.
Bowser said he waited there for about 45 minutes before he put her body in the creek and covered her with rocks, according to the affidavit.
He was re-interviewed Aug. 20, and he said she fell and hit her head on a rock after he pushed her, according to the affidavit.
Court records show Bowser pleaded guilty to a theft charge filed by Uniontown police in 2003 and was sentenced to two to 12 months in prison.
Records also reveal he pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia in 1999 and was sentenced to 12 months of probation.
©The Herald Standard 2005
By Steve Ferris, Herald-Standard
08/23/2005
Email to a friend Voice your opinion Printer-friendly
Fayette County District Attorney Nancy Vernon talks with the press at the Uniontown state police barracks about the arrest of Eric Lee Bowser, 30, of Bennington Road, Hopwood, in connection with the death of a 20-year-old Martin woman. Dave Rafferty/HS
Fayette County District Attorney Nancy D. Vernon said she doesn't believe the death of 20-year-old April Lincoln, whose body was found in Redstone Creek last week, involved the aggravating circumstances needed to pursue the death penalty against the man accused of killing her.
Vernon, at a press conference Monday at the state police barracks in Uniontown, said she wasn't yet certain if aggravating circumstances exist, and she hasn't decided whether to seek capital punishment against Eric Lee Bowser, 30, of 148 Bennington Road, Hopwood, who has been charged with killing Lincoln.
She said she will proceed with first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse charges against Bowser, who police arrested Saturday.
Vernon said Bowser allegedly caused an injury that caused Lincoln to hit her head. She described it as an "intentional violent act."
The cause of death is blunt force injuries to the head and a skull fracture, she said.
Bowser then allegedly put her body in the creek and covered her with rocks, Vernon said.
"We think drug use is a significant factor in this case," she said when asked about a possible motive. The drug involved was crack cocaine, she said.
Bowser is being held in the Fayette County Prison without bail, pending a preliminary hearing tentatively scheduled for Aug. 29 before Magisterial District Justice Mark Blair.
The investigating officer, state police trooper Scott Krofcheck, said identifying the body was the first priority, and then he followed up on the missing-person report Lincoln's mother filed.
Advertisement
ZIP code where you park at night.
Do you currently have auto insurance? Yes No
Have you had a U.S driver's license for more than 3 years? Yes No
Has any driver in your household had 2 or more accidents or moving violations in the last 3 years? Yes No
Lincoln lived with her mother in Martin, police said.
Krofcheck said Bowser was the last person Lincoln was seen with.
He said information he gathered indicates that the two did not know each other previously, but he also has unconfirmed reports that they did.
She was reported missing Aug. 6 and was last seen with Bowser and three other males.
Police interviewed all four of them and one's brother after passersby discovered the woman's body in the creek under a railroad trestle about 100 yards west of West Coffey Street, North Union Township, on Aug. 17.
The three men who were with Bowser told police that two of them dropped off Bowser and Lincoln near the intersection of North Mount Vernon Avenue and Gilmore Street in Uniontown late Aug. 6 or early Aug. 7, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The affidavit states that during an Aug. 19 interview with police, Bowser said after he and Lincoln smoked crack cocaine along the creek, he turned away from her and heard a noise.
He said Lincoln was lying on her back, blood was coming from her head and she wasn't breathing, according to the affidavit.
Bowser said he waited there for about 45 minutes before he put her body in the creek and covered her with rocks, according to the affidavit.
He was re-interviewed Aug. 20, and he said she fell and hit her head on a rock after he pushed her, according to the affidavit.
Court records show Bowser pleaded guilty to a theft charge filed by Uniontown police in 2003 and was sentenced to two to 12 months in prison.
Records also reveal he pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia in 1999 and was sentenced to 12 months of probation.
©The Herald Standard 2005