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Bowen arrested in ongoing manslaughter case

Moberly Monitor-Index & Democrat - 7/16/2020

Jul. 16--A Moberly man accused of causing his girlfriend's death in 2017 through domestic violence, recently was arrested again on unrelated domestic assault and harassment charges.

Danny Bowen, 39, was charged July 1 with third-degree domestic assault and first-degree harassment for an incident that happened a few days prior.

Those charges sparked another warrant for an ongoing case, in which Bowen is facing charges of felony first-degree manslaughter and five felony charges of first-degree child endangerment, not involving sexual contact. The latter charges stem from a 2017 car crash near Huntsville, which killed Bowen's then-girlfriend, Nicole Ashbaker, and injured Bowen and four children in the car.

In that case, Bowen, who was sitting in the passenger's seat of Ashbaker's car, allegedly struck Ashbaker in the face several times while she was driving, according to court documents. Bowen intitally told police that he had been on his phone during the crash and that Ashbaker swerved to avoid hitting a rabbit, which he claimed had caused the accident.

Two children who were in the car told interviewers at Rainbow House in Columbia that Bowen and Ashbaker were arguing, however, and that Bowen repeatedly hit her and tried to grab the steering wheel, which they claimed caused the crash, according to documents.

Bowen's most recent charges stem from a June 29 incident in which he allegedly assaulted a woman who had an ex-parte order of protection against him for about a month. The woman told police that Bowen showed up at her home around 2 a.m.June 29 and was yelling. When she went outside to tell him to leave, Bowen allegedly grabbed the woman's hair, pulled her into his vehicle and said they were going to leave town, she told police. The woman said she hit Bowen across the face to get away from him and he ultimately left the area, the documents state.

A neighbor told police they had seen Bowen sitting in the road that night, yelling at the woman, the documents state.

Bowen was arraigned July 6 and appeared in court Monday for a bond reduction hearing. He was released on his own recognizance for the most recent charges, but he still is listed in the Randolph County Jail's inmate roster. A $25,000 cash only bond was ordered after he was served a warrant Tuesday for failing to abide by the judge's orders in his manslaughter cases.

Bowen opted to bring the manslaughter case to trial in October after backing out of a plea deal. A trial was scheduled for late January, but pushed back to late March. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the case was continued and does not yet have a scheduled trial.

"At this point in time, it is uncertain when we will be able to resume jury trials due to the current COVID-19 situation," said Randolph County Prosecuting Attorney Stephanie Luntsford. "We may be looking to revisit later in the fall or winter, but we are unsure at this time."

ecliburn@moberlymonitor.com

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