Joshua Ryan Bowland, a 31-year-old white male, died late on August 28, 2019, after a confrontation inside a home at 156 Camp Ground Road in Independence Township near Avella, Pennsylvania. Authorities said the home was connected to Bowland’s mother, Josephine Bowland, and her significant other, Arnold Lee Webster. What began as an argument turned deadly when Webster shot Bowland once in the chest.
The Washington County coroner’s office ruled the death a homicide, and Bowland was pronounced dead at the scene around 11:29 p.m.
The dispute reportedly unfolded after Bowland returned a car he had borrowed from his mother. Accounts from court proceedings described tension outside the home involving Bowland and his girlfriend, April Birtwell, before the argument moved inside. Josephine Bowland tried to calm the situation, but the conflict escalated into shoving. Investigators said Webster ordered Bowland to leave, then grabbed a rifle, chambered a round, and warned him that he would be shot if he did not go. Police alleged that Bowland called Webster’s bluff and was not advancing or threatening him when Webster fired the fatal shot.
When troopers arrived, they found Webster on the front porch and Bowland dead on the floor between the kitchen and dining room. Webster allegedly acknowledged ownership of a sawed-off shotgun found in the home, and police later returned with a search warrant. Investigators reported finding the sawed-off shotgun under a mattress and several other firearms under Webster’s control, a significant issue because Webster had a prior felony record that barred him from possessing guns.
Webster was initially arrested at the scene on a weapons-related charge tied to the sawed-off shotgun, but that charge was later withdrawn while the investigation continued. In May 2020, authorities filed more serious charges against Arnold Lee Webster, including homicide, manslaughter, and multiple felony counts of prohibited possession of firearms. A district judge later held the charges for court, and Webster remained jailed without bond while the case moved forward.
The case ended with Webster pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in Washington County Court. In October 2020, he was sentenced to four to eight years in prison for killing Bowland. The plea marked the legal conclusion of a case that began as a domestic argument inside a rural Washington County home and ended with Bowland’s death, Webster’s arrest, and a manslaughter conviction.
