Bowman Murder Trial & verdict(Cold Ohio Case)

[kitty1]

Wow! Thanks for the info NightOwl. I forgot about all the houses on Sylvania west of Douglas. I think I know exactly where it is at. I can't believe I never heard of this crime that happened practically in my back yard!!! BTW, I hate the Blade's new site!! It goes to the home page and I can almost never find anything I'm looking for.

[NightOwl]

Kitty1, Here's another article from 2008 from WTOL 11 what a monster!

I agree with you about the Blade.


Escape from Evil: Recap of a News 11 Special Report



(WTOL) - It was the most traumatic experience of her life, and it happened more than 40 years ago. Linda Boxell was stalked and nearly abducted as a teenager.

Over the years, she was able to put the fear of that incident behind her until just a couple of years ago when she says she recognized the man who tried to grab her and couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Linda Boxell and Patty Jardin have been friends for more than 40 years, and they often talk about the unusual circumstances that brought them together on Haverhill in 1967.

Linda was 19 years old and had just moved into her first apartment downtown near St. V's. She worked at commercial services in a building on Sylvania near Upton. One wintry night she didn't have bus money, so she decided to walk home alone. Just a few blocks up, a man pulled up beside her in a car and offered her a ride.

'You're cold why don't you get in?' That's what he asked, Linda explains. "I said, 'No I don't want to do that.' So I went a little farther. He went around the block and stopped again. 'You sure?' he said. I said, 'No, I don't wanna."

Linda adds, "He was very smooth. He was very persistent -- a business person. He had a suit on, dressed really nice... had all the right answers."

Still, something told Linda she shouldn't get in the car. When he wouldn't leave her alone, she ran into Start Drug Store on Sylvania near Martha and asked the pharmacist for help.

"I went in and said, 'There's this man following me, and I'm really afraid.' He said, 'Wait here for a little while.' So I waited for 10 minutes. When I went out, I went a few more blocks..."

That's when Linda saw the same car following her, so she tried to lose him by ducking into the old Mancy's Ideal Restaurant on the corner of Sylvania and Phillips.

"I went up to the bar, and said, 'Can I have a cup of coffee?' When I went up there, the man came in, and I just about died. He sat next to me and slipped a napkin to me and wrote a number on it. I said, 'What's that?' He said, 'That's how many women I've had.'

"I thought, 'I have to get out of here.' At that time, there was a Weisenberger car dealership and I ran in and I was telling them 'This man's after me.' He grabbed me and said 'That's my daughter -- we're having domestic problems.' So I slipped out of my coat, got away from him, and went through the service department. Around the back of the service department, there was a dry cleaners on Hawthorne St."

Patty tells us, "A young girl came running in and said someone was chasing her and could I help her. I said 'sure' and together we called the police and they came.

"That night when the police took me home, I went to bed with a knife. I told Maureen I'm so afraid he's out there, and we both moved back with our parents right after that," Linda says. "He knew what I looked like, and I knew what he looked like because we were face-to-face at Mancy's."

For the next 40 years, Linda never saw the man again. Not to say she ever forgot about her close call, but she lived a busy life. She raised two sons, became a doting grandmother and started her own interior design business.

Then one night in 2006, Linda's past came back to haunt her. "I was lying in bed watching the news, and there was a picture of this man. They had this man they were looking for that killed this girl in Toledo. I just had chills all over me. Even though, he was a lot older, I said 'That's the man. That's the man who had me."

In 2006, police issued an arrest warrant for Robert Bowman for the murder of a Toledo girl back in 1967 -- a cold case murder that was reopened, and reinvestigated using DNA technology. Police believe Bowman abducted Eileen Adams, held her captive in his basement, raped her, strangled her and dumped her body in a Monroe County field.

Linda remembered how shocking the murder was all those years ago. But as she listened to the news report in 2006, she realized there were some eerie similarities to her case. Eileen Adams was just 14 years old. Linda was 19 in 1967. Police believe Bowman kidnapped Eileen when she got off her school bus on Sylvania Avenue... the same area Linda had been followed. Also, Linda's stalking incident happened sometime in November or early December of 1967, which is right around the time Eileen Adams was murdered.

Last month, after two years of searching, police in California found Bowman and arrested him. He's been brought back to Toledo to face murder charges for a crime committed more than 40 years ago. Linda can't help but think about what could have happened to her if another young lady hadn't offered her help on that desperate night.

Walking today, Linda tells Patty, "I can thank you for my life."

With a hug, Patty tells her, "Somebody had a bigger plan for you."


http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=9389421

[kitty1]

Thanks for the article NightOwl. Gives me the creeps. She was definetly lucky!!

[NightOwl]

Found this in Los Angeles Times January 21, 2007.

Bowman settled in Miami area where he owned a Business Brenda Manufacturing Company, that made high-end purses in North Miami the company named after his daughter, sold its handbags at Nieman Marcus & Saks Fifth Avenue.

Has anyone out there seen a purse made by this bastard?

[NightOwl]

As in the interview Post #22 this monster has all the answers!

The Toledo Blade 8/19/2011


Detective gives last testimony in state murder case
Bowman's ex-wife, DNA led to review


In the years since Eileen Adams' body was discovered in a Monroe County field in 1968, police pursued hundreds of tips and investigated dozens of potential suspects, a Toledo police cold-case detective said Thursday.

In all those years, only one eyewitness ever linked anyone to the death of the 14-year-old Sylvania Township teenager: Robert Bowman's ex-wife, Detective Bart Beavers said.

Detective Beavers testified in Lucas County Common Pleas Court Thursday about reopening Miss Adam's decades-old murder case in 2006. He was the final witness to testify in the state's case against Bowman, 75, who is charged with murder in the first degree.

Specifically, the detective testified he reviewed hundreds of pages of reports generated from Miss Adams' disappearance on Dec. 18, 1967, and from the investigation that followed the discovery of her body on Jan. 30, 1968.

He said he also reviewed a subsequent investigation that began in 1981 when Bowman's former wife, Margaret, went to police with information implicating her husband.

Noting the advancements of science, Detective Beavers said he requested DNA tests on items of the victim's clothing.

With both Ms. Bowman's statement and DNA evidence linking Bowman to a semen stain on the victim's underwear, the Detective Beavers issued a warrant in November, 2006.

Bowman was arrested in California two years later.

Thursday, Detective Beavers read portions of his report describing two separate interviews with Bowman after his arrest in 2008.

He noted that despite being asked direct questions, Bowman was evasive and said he would not talk about the case.

When confronted in the interviews about DNA evidence that linked him to the victim, Bowman said even if the semen discovered was his, "that doesn't mean I killed her," Detective Beavers said quoting his report.

The detective then testified that Bowman offered possibilities about how the stain may have gotten on the victim's clothing, including the suggestion that Miss Adams was wearing his wife's underwear.

Detective Beavers noted that during the two interviews, Bowman would often stray from the subject of the investigation.

He said Bowman spoke of evil and vampires, and even referred to himself as "the devil to the devil."

The detective acknowledged that Bowman never made a direct admission and agreed with defense attorney Pete Rost that Bowman often gave "nonresponsive answers that bordered on ridiculous."

Detective Beavers further acknowledged that some of Bowman's statements were in response to prompts from detectives who were attempting to get him refocused on the Adams case.

According to earlier testimony, Miss Adams was last seen in 1967 on a city bus after school as she traveled to her sister's West Toledo home.

She was found in a frozen field with her hands tied in front of her, her ankles tied with a cord connected to her neck, and a nail driven through the back of her skull.

Her head had been hit so severely that the impact had split her skull in half, experts have testified.

Toledo Police Detective Bart Beavers testifies about the Eileen Adams' case. THE BLADE/JETTA FRASER Enlarge | Photo Reprints
Ms. Bowman testified Monday that she discovered a young girl tied up in her basement some time around Christmas, 1967, and that her then-husband threatened her and her newborn baby if she told anyone.

She further testified he [Bowman] said he was forced to kill the young captive after learning that his wife discovered her.

Retired investigators testified Bowman was interviewed in early 1982 when he was living in a burned-out, abandoned restaurant but that there was not enough evidence to arrest him at the time.

Detective Beavers acknowledged Thursday that the DNA evidence found on Miss Adams' clothing was not compared to other suspects.

And he further acknowledged that not all evidence collected in 1968 was tested for DNA.

Mr. Rost questioned the detective about a list of possible witnesses that Detective Beavers created using police reports over the years.

Of the 241 people listed, Detective Beavers agreed 54 were at one time investigated as "possible suspects" and in fact some had admitted to the crime.

The detective later said all of those names were either cleared through an investigation or no other information linked them to the crime.

And Ms. Bowman was the only witness who linked a suspect specifically to Miss Adams' death, he testified.

Throughout the nearly two-week trial, 16 witnesses have testified on behalf of the state and more than 80 exhibits, including photos, have been admitted into evidence.

The defense is expected to present witnesses Friday.

http://www.toledoblade.com/Courts/2011/0...-case.html

[NightOwl]

Bowman Murder Trial Jury began to deliberate this afternoon - as of 5 p.m. no news. They are prepared to bring in food and stay all night if need be.

[NightOwl]

What a Jury!



From The Toledo Blade 8/22/2011

Bowman murder jury to resume deliberations Tuesday 8/23/2011


The Lucas County Common Pleas jury in the Robert Bowman murder trial was sequestered to an area motel Monday evening, and is expected to resume deliberations Tuesday morning.

The jury, which began deliberating at about 12:15 p.m., decided at about 9 p.m. to stop for the night, and is scheduled to start back up at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Lucas County Prosecutor's Office.

[trixie]

Hung jury.


http://www.toledoblade.com/Courts/2011/0...trial.html

[Lady Cop]

oh no!! will they retry it?? i can't believe that! what did they do, import the jurors from pinellas county florida?? Jesus!!

[trixie]

Nope, that's Toledo's finest! I'm not sure if they will retry it. I hope so.

[NightOwl]

I'm sad for the family! I was afraid of a hung jury last night.

Monday the 29^th a pre-trial hearing has been scheduled to set a date for a new trial.

[NightOwl]

Here we go again! I cannot imagine what the victims family is going through.



The Toledo Blade (August 30^th 2011)
New trial date set in slaying of girl in 1967

Bowman is to return to court Oct. 11; jury pool to increase

A week after a Lucas County Common Pleas Court jury was unable to reach a verdict in his murder trial, Robert Bowman was given a new trial date Monday.

Bowman, 75, is to go to trial Oct. 11 on a charge of first-degree murder for the 1967 slaying of a Sylvania Township teenager. He faces life in prison if convicted.

His first trial ended Aug. 23 in a mistrial after a jury of nine women and three men couldn't reach a consensus. The jury deliberated nearly 12 hours over two days before being released. A juror who declined to give her name said the jury was stuck at a 10-2 vote in favor of conviction.

Jurors declined to comment as they left the courthouse after the mistrial last week. Most could not be reached for comment Monday; some declined to talk.

Judge Gene Zmuda said Monday the court intends to call a "substantially larger" jury pool, believing it will take longer than the 2 ¹⁄₂ days needed to pick a jury this month because of recent media attention.

Bowman is accused of killing Eileen Adams, 14, who was last seen Dec. 18, 1967, on a bus after school. Her bound body was found in a Monroe County field Jan. 30, 1968.

The case went unsolved for nearly four decades until cold-case detectives reopened it in 2006 and a warrant was issued for Bowman's arrest. He was arrested in California two years later. He was indicted Oct. 31, 2008, and is being held in lieu of $500,000 bond.

Seventeen witnesses testified over seven days during the first trial that included more than 85 state exhibits and about a dozen from the defense.

Among the state's witnesses were DNA experts who testified about linking Bowman's DNA to a semen stain found on the victim's clothing. Also testifying was Bowman's former wife, Margaret, who said she saw a young girl bound in her basement in December, 1967, when she lived with Bowman and their daughter on West Sylvania Avenue.

[Lady Cop]

LIFE. shit, he's 75.


Robert Bowman, 75, was sentenced to life in prison Friday, just moments after a Lucas County Common Pleas Court jury convicted him of murder in the first degree for the 1967 slaying of a Sylvania Township teenager.

Jurors deliberated for about 11 ½ hours over two days before reaching a verdict just before noon. The conviction came nearly 44 years after Eileen Adams was reported missing after failing to arrive at her sister’s home after school.

Her body was found 43 days later in rural Monroe County.

“When a person reads about a child’s disappearance in the newspaper, or hears an Amber Alert on the radio, or sees on TV that a missing child has been found dead, there’s always shock and disbelief. … But then the next big story comes along, and they forget, they forget about the child and the child’s family,” Miss Adams’ sister Maggie Kirschman said in court before Bowman’s sentencing. “Unfortunately for my siblings and myself, there is no forgetting. The short life and brutal death of Eileen Adams has never been just a story to us. Eileen was our sister. We can never forget.”

Witnesses testified over eight days that the 14-year-old Sylvania Township teenager was last seen Dec. 17, 1967, as she was traveling on a city bus to her sister’s West Toledo home after school.

Her body was found Jan. 30, 1968, in a Monroe County field bound in a braided, brown rug. Her hands were tied in front of her and a cord was wrapped around her neck and attached to her bound ankles. A nail had been driven into the back of her skull.

Among the 20 witnesses that testified — including four for the defense — was Bowman, who testified for about 3 ½ hours. Also testifying was his ex-wife, Margaret.

Ms. Bowman testified that she had seen a young girl with tape over her mouth tied up in a small room in her basement. She further testified that after learning of her discovery, Bowman told her that he was forced to kill the young victim.

Ms. Bowman said Bowman threatened her and her newborn baby if she told anyone what she saw. She testified that she eventually went to police 14 years later after leaving him.

Despite her statement, Bowman was not arrested when first investigated in 1982 and the case went cold again.

Witnesses testified that the investigation was reopened in 2006 using DNA found on the victim’s clothing, specifically a semen stain that was linked to Bowman.

DNA analysts concluded that the likelihood that the semen was from someone other than Bowman was 1 in 4.15 million.

Judge Gene Zmuda imposed the life sentence, noting that Bowman was finally held accountable for his actions decades ago. When offered an opportunity to speak before being sentenced to prison, Bowman said he would adjust to life in prison as he has adjusted to other situations.

“I recognized the pain and suffering that I just have heard from the family of Eileen Adams, I am not responsible for that,” he said. “I have no remorse. I have no reason for remorse.”

Bowman said he intended to appeal the conviction.

Attorneys from both the prosecutor’s office and the defense, as well as the family, thanked the jury for their hard work on the case.

Bowman’s first trial in August resulted in a mistrial after the jurors were unable to reach a consensus. That panel was hung at a 10-2 vote to convict.