Bowden
Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Jack Weaver sentenced Jennifer Naomi Bowden to 35 years in prison last Thursday for the death of her child in 2016. Bowden previously pled guilty to one count of reckless manslaughter, a Class B felony, for leaving her child in a hot vehicle for many hours. The child died of hyperthermia.
She was indicted in September 2016 on one count of reckless manslaughter. She was originally arrested in April 2016 after an officer responded to the area of Monroe County Hospital after receiving a complaint of a vehicle speeding on South Alabama Avenue.
The officer located the vehicle entering the hospital and followed it to the emergency entrance, where Bowden was taking her unresponsive 7-month-old son.
The child was pronounced dead a short time later, officials said at the time. Due to the suspicious nature of the child's death, an investigation began.
District Attorney Steve Wadlington said at the time that the child's death was caused by hyperthermia, which is extreme overheating.
Bowden was rearrested on charges of public intoxication in the cemetery where the child is buried in Excel in June 2016.
The following week District Judge George Elbrecht revoked Bowden's bond at the request of the District Attorney's Office.
Her sentencing hearing was previously scheduled Nov. 7, but was rescheduled after Bowden's attorney, Will Coxwell, requested a continuance due to confusion regarding Bowden's past crimes. There was confusion whether Bowden previously went through a pretrial diversion program for alleged crimes in 2007 in another county. Under the Habitual Felony Offender Act the issue of whether Bowden received pretrial diversion impacts the range of punishment she is subject to receive. Judge Weaver granted the motion.
At the sentencing hearing Thursday, Coxwell attempted to mitigate Bowden's sentence. He argued there was still confusion as to whether Bowden was allowed to complete a pretrial diversion for the alleged crimes in 2007 and that those crimes should not be taken into account when deciding Bowden's sentence.
Coxwell also argued that Bowden's alcoholism should be considered when sentencing her. He argued that Bowden took full responsibility for her actions but that her alcoholism was so severe she was not aware that she had left her child in the car on the fateful day.
Coxwell called witnesses to testify that Bowden could still be a productive member of society and that she had turned her life around.
District Attorney Steve Wadlington briefly argued that it was proper for Judge Weaver to consider Bowden's previous crimes when determining her sentence and that the state was well aware of Bowden's alcoholism; she was charged with reckless manslaughter, not murder.
After both sides rested, Judge Weaver announced Bowden's sentence. He sentenced her to 420 months in prison minus time served. Bowden was to begin serving her sentence immediately.
