In the late hours of October 19, 2014, 32-year-old Kimberly Bowman left her home in Hammond, Louisiana, for what her sister believed was a quick trip to a store. A driver for UPS, Bowman had recently gotten engaged and moved to the area. She was born in Georgia but raised in Lacombe. Early on the morning of October 20, 2014, firefighters in New Orleans responded to a vehicle fire in the 2700 block of Desire Parkway.
Inside the scorched car, they made a grim discovery: the body of Kimberly Bowman.
An autopsy later revealed a more sinister story than the fire suggested. The Orleans Parish Coroner determined that Bowman had not died from smoke inhalation but from a gunshot wound to the chest before the fire was set. Her death was ruled a homicide. Investigators believed the murder took place in Tangipahoa Parish and her body was then driven to New Orleans, where the car was set ablaze in an attempt to destroy evidence.
The investigation into the death of the white female led authorities to identify a suspect through a tip. Christopher Eason, 26 years old at the time, was charged with second-degree murder in connection with Bowman's death. Authorities alleged that the killing occurred during a drug transaction. Eason was already incarcerated on other charges when he was pinpointed as the suspect in Bowman's murder.
During the trial, testimony from a witness, Don Michael Raines, shed light on the events leading up to the fatal shooting. Raines testified that he had previously sold marijuana to Bowman. On the night of her death, Bowman had contacted him looking to make a purchase. Raines, who did not have any drugs to sell, directed her to an area where someone else might be able to help her. He testified that he informed the defendant, who was nearby, that a woman would be arriving to buy marijuana. Raines then heard two gunshots and saw a car speeding away from the scene.
