In the early morning hours of New Year's Day 2023, the life of Clark Francisco Bowdry, a 30-year-old Black male, was tragically cut short on a street in New Orleans. At approximately 4:03 a.m. in the 1600 block of Clio Street, police responded to a call of a shooting. Upon arrival, they discovered Bowdry suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a local hospital by emergency services but was ultimately declared deceased.
The Orleans Parish Coroner's Office later confirmed that the cause of death was from the gunshot wounds he sustained.
Known affectionately as 'Cisco' to his friends and family, Clark was a father to his daughter, Kaliyah Rheesa Marie Bowdry. Born in Concord, California, he had established a life in New Orleans where he worked as a personal trainer. He was the cherished son of Rheesa Maria Richard LeBoyd and Clark Alphonso Bowdry Jr. His death left a profound void in the lives of his loved ones, who would spend the next two years seeking justice for his killing.
The investigation into the homicide, led by the New Orleans Police Department, soon identified a suspect. Detectives developed and positively identified James Moliere as the perpetrator, and an arrest warrant was issued for one count of second-degree murder. On January 17, 2023, Moliere surrendered to the NOPD's Violent Offender Warrant Squad and the U.S. Marshals at the Orleans Parish Justice Center and was arrested and booked.
The legal proceedings that followed culminated in a trial where prosecutors detailed the events of that fatal morning. It was revealed that Bowdry had been arguing with two other individuals when Moliere confronted him armed with an AR-style rifle. A physical altercation ensued between the two men, which ended with Moliere shooting Bowdry multiple times. In June 2025, a jury delivered a unanimous guilty verdict, convicting James Moliere of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice for the death of Clark Bowdry, bringing a measure of closure to a family that had endured unimaginable grief.
