Alvin Bowen, a 78-year-old retired Southern Bell executive, was tragically murdered on October 6, 1990, in Goldsboro, North Carolina. His wife, Thelma Bowen, who was 75 years old and blind, was also killed in the attack. The perpetrator, Linwood Earl Forte, broke into their home and was discovered by Alvin. In response, Forte stabbed Alvin multiple times before strangling Thelma to death. To cover up the crime, Forte used a flammable liquid to set fire to the house and their car.
The blaze caught the attention of neighbors, who quickly alerted authorities. Firefighters managed to extinguish the flames before they reached the couple's bedroom, but the crime scene was severely damaged.
The murders of Alvin and Thelma Bowen were part of a series of attacks on elderly victims in the Goldsboro area. Forte had previously attempted to strangle 70-year-old Eliza Jones in her bed on May 26, 1990, but fled when her daughter arrived home. On July 14, 1990, 79-year-old Hattie Davis Bonner was found suffocated in her bed, in a manner strikingly similar to the previous attack. The sudden increase in murders alarmed residents, leading to speculation that a serial killer was active in the area. Initially, local police dismissed this theory, but as investigators noticed similarities between the attacks, they reconsidered. All victims were elderly, the attacks occurred around midnight Friday or early Sunday, and the houses were located next to vacant lots. The female victims were either strangled or suffocated.
Despite these connections, the cases went cold for over a decade. Forte was finally arrested on April 30, 2001, after DNA evidence linked him to the crimes. His DNA had been recorded in the State Bureau of Investigation database following a 1996 conviction for firing a weapon into his wife's home. When investigators matched his DNA to samples collected from the crime scenes, they were able to charge him with the murders. Forte was convicted of the killings of Alvin and Thelma Bowen, as well as the murders of Hattie Bonner and the assault on Eliza Jones. He was sentenced to death for the murders and received additional life sentences for the rapes of Bonner and Thelma Bowen. Forte later confessed to a fourth murder in 1994, but he was never tried for that crime.
The case of Alvin Bowen and the other victims remains one of the most notorious serial murder cases in North Carolina history. Forte's crimes shocked the community, and his conviction brought some measure of justice to the families of the victims. However, the brutality of the attacks and the years it took to solve the case left a lasting impact on Goldsboro residents. Forte remains incarcerated, awaiting execution for his crimes.
