No charges yet for aiding Jerry Bowen – Convicted murderer, fugitive awaits federal flight charges
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Officials say no charges have been filed against those who may have aided Shelby County’s Most Wanted fugitive Jerry Bowen during his four-year flight.
Bowen was delivered back into the hands of local law enforcement just before Christmas. He had been on the run since the April 2000 conviction of the murder of his former wife, Brenda Breckenridge Bowen
Following his conviction, Bowen posted a $150,000 bond and was awaiting his June 2000 sentencing.
When that day rolled around, however, he was nowhere to be found until this past December when law enforcement officials, acting on a tip, arrested Bowen at his home in North Charleston, S.C.
Shelby County Sheriff’s Capt. Chris Corbell said the department was investigating whether someone aided Bowen in eluding law enforcement for more than four years.
&uot;Like with anyone who escapes, we always look into the possibility that someone may have helped him,&uot; Corbell said. &uot;It’s a matter of routine to try to determine how he managed to run for this long.&uot;
Corbell said should it be determined that someone did aid Bowen, charges could be filed against that person; however, there are no charges pending.
Bowen remains in the Shelby County Jail following a federal court decision that there was probable cause for a charge of unlawful flight from prosecution.
In 2000, Bowen was convicted by a Shelby County jury of the 1997 murder of his ex-wife. When he failed to appear for sentencing in June 2000, former Shelby County Judge Oliver Head sentenced him to life in prison