Do you know who murdered Michael Fowler? In the early morning hours of September 14, 1988, the body of a young Caucasian male, 19-year-old Michael J. Fowler, was discovered lying on the side of the road in the 9000 block of North Oliver Street in Sedgwick County, Kansas. He had been shot multiple times. An investigation into his death was launched, but for decades, the case has remained cold, with no arrests made.
On the evening of September 13, 1988, Fowler was with a female friend.
They later met up with an acquaintance, Eddie Jason Coolinge, who also went by the names Eddie Hale and Jason Hale. Fowler, Coolinge, and another individual were seen together at the Circle Cinema, an adult video store. Later that night, Fowler's car was found parked near his parents' home with his keys and wallet inside. At approximately 1:00 a.m. on September 14, a 911 caller reported hearing screams and gunshots in the area where Fowler's body was later found.
The investigation identified two main persons of interest: Eddie Jason Coolinge, who is believed to be the last person to have seen Fowler alive, and another mutual acquaintance, 19-year-old Daryl Weaver. Both men were known to associate with Fowler, and the three of them were known to frequent parks in the Riverside area and the Circle Cinema. During the investigation, Coolinge reportedly failed two polygraph tests. Weaver later told detectives that Coolinge had confessed to killing Fowler and had also mentioned that a man named "Tiny" had been hired to carry out the murder for $10,000. However, Weaver initially withheld this information from police out of fear of Coolinge.
Despite these leads, the case remained unsolved. Both Coolinge and Weaver have since passed away, Coolinge in 2000 and Weaver in 2014, adding another layer of difficulty to the investigation. The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office continues to seek information from the public, hoping that someone with knowledge of the events surrounding Michael Fowler's death will come forward and finally bring closure to his family. The identities of "Terry," a person Coolinge claimed to be with around the time of the murder, and "Tiny" remain unknown.
