Coral Springs vice mayor’s husband charged with premeditated murder in her death
Stephen Bowen, the husband of slain Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen, now faces two felony charges following his arrest.
Bowen, 40, faces one charge of premeditated murder and one charge of tampering with evidence, according to Broward Sheriff’s Office records.
If convicted, he could face the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
Nancy Metayer Bowen, 38, was found dead at her home Wednesday, April 1, during a wellness check requested by fellow commissioners after she missed two morning meetings.
According to an email from State Rep. Marie Woodson, a vigil will be held in her honor on from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, April 3, at Coral Springs City Hall. Visitors are encouraged to bring white candles and wear orange.
Coral Springs Police Department Chief Brad Mock said that her death was linked to an apparent domestic violence incident.
Stephen Bowen had his first court appearance in front of Judge Corey B. Friedman the morning of Thursday, April 2. The judge found probable cause and ruled to hold him on no bond on the first-degree murder charge, and $50,000 bond on the tampering with evidence charge.
Metayer Bowen, the first Black woman and Haitian American to become a commissioner in Coral Springs, was elected to her first term in 2020 and was re-elected in 2024. She was an alum of Florida A&M University and the Vice Chair of Haitian Outreach for the Florida Democratic Party.
Metayer Bowen was a rising political star who was set to launch a Congressional bid for the seat held by Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick on Thursday, according to people familiar with the matter.
Democratic State Rep. Marie Paule Woodson described Metayer Bowen as a “beautiful soul,” saying the news shocked her.
“I can’t make any sense out of it, because Nancy was a little sister to me,” Woodson said. “We have met the husband several times. Me and my husband, every function that we go to; sometimes they sit with us. We talk. I never, never had a clue that something like that would have happened.”
Like others, she described Stephen Bowen as quiet.
“Even though he was quiet, he would talk,” Woodson said. “We would go to different functions and her and her husband, my husband and myself, we would have conversations. ... He was a very quiet, but very talkative person, too.”
Though not the type to approach people, he was approachable and engaging, Woodson said. She recalled dropping Metayer Bowen at her home in Coral Springs after attending joint events together with Stephen Bowen also present.
“I never had any clue, any idea, and he was there. This is really, really hard for me to deal with,” Woodson said.
This story was originally published April 2, 2026 at 8:44 AM.
