Stephen Bowen went to lengths to conceal the weapon he reportedly used to fatally shoot his wife, Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen, a well-known and charismatic figure in South Florida political circles, according to police.
He drove around Broward County over the course of several hours trying to cover his tracks as the clock ticked down until his wife’s death was discovered, an arrest affidavit reveals.
Stephen Bowen, who worked as a certified radiologic technologist at the Delray Medical Center, expressed an interest in guns and marksmanship, spending time at the Homestead Training Center. He is also a Mason affiliated with the Most Worshipful Union Grand Lodge of Florida.
Here’s the timeline around April 1, when those who knew the vice mayor began to worry for her safety and when Stephen Bowen was found and arrested at a fellow Mason’s apartment in Plantation.
Night before April 1
A neighbor spots Metayer Bowen walking her dog at around midnight, according to police.
Later that night, Stephen Bowen shoots his wife three times with a shotgun in their upstairs bedroom, hitting her at least once in the left shoulder, he reportedly told his uncle. He heads downstairs and goes to sleep.
8 a.m.
A city employee receives a text titled “Discussion Items” from Metayer Bowen’s phone number, then the vice mayor misses a Coral Springs Charter School Board of Directors meeting at 8:30 a.m. and a City Commission meeting at 9 a.m.
9:26 a.m.
The city employee who said she received a text from the vice mayor that morning reaches out to Stephen Bowen about trying to reach Nancy. Her husband responds that he texted his wife, and she wasn’t picking up, records show.
Employee: “I got a text from her this morning at 8 a.m. She didn't show up for this morning’s Charter School board and commission meeting.”
…
Stephen Bowen: “Where is she? Her car is not at home.”
Employee: “Please call back Major DeRosa who called you/texted you.”
9:53 a.m.
Stephen Bowen is seen on home security footage arriving at his uncle’s house in Lauderdale Lakes and talking on the phone outside the front door, according to police. He’s let inside the home and stays just over two hours, footage shows. His uncle later told police that when his nephew arrived, he said he had killed his wife and asked his uncle to hold onto a shotgun, police said.
When his uncle asked him why he had done it, Stephen Bowen responded that he “couldn’t take it anymore,” according to the affidavit. His uncle later told police that his nephew said Metayer Bowen was rolled in a comforter and garbage bag.
Other family members arrive at the home, and Stephen Bowen says he’s going to meet an attorney, with the understanding a relative will take him there.
9:59 a.m.
Police Chief Brad Mock texts Major E. DeRosa about concern from city officials over the vice mayor’s absence.
10:26 a.m.
Police respond to the couple’s home in Coral Springs. Neither of their vehicles is there.
11:23 a.m.
Stephen Bowen’s parents show up to their son’s home after Metayer Bowen’s mom told them law enforcement was looking for Metayer Bowen, according to investigators. His parents tell police the last time they spoke to their son, on March 31, he mentioned he had a panic attack at work and was going to speak to his wife. They didn’t know “of any marital issues between the couple,” according to the affidavit.
11:30 a.m.
Police begin a missing person investigation.
12:09 p.m.
Stephen Bowen is seen leaving his uncle’s home alone in his Ford F-150.
12:30 p.m.
A detective goes to the couple’s home and sees two “defects” on the outside of the second-floor wall and drywall debris that had fallen to the ground. “The outward, explosive-like damage was consistent with damage caused by projectiles,” police wrote.
At the same time, Stephen Bowen reaches out to his friend and fellow Mason, saying he was near the other man's apartment complex, the friend later tells police. Bowen asks to stop by.
12:58 p.m.
License plate readers get a hit on Bowen’s truck in Fort Lauderdale, then 40 minutes later, Fort Lauderdale police say they've found his truck in a parking lot in Plantation and set up surveillance.
They reportedly watch Bowen meet with his Mason friend, then Bowen hands over a bag that appears to contain a firearm case. The friend enters the nearby apartment building and walks out without the bag, police said.
1:51 p.m.
Four hours after Stephen Bowen arrived at his uncle’s home, his uncle calls 911 and reports that his nephew killed his wife, according to the affidavit.
Unclear time
Police enter the couple’s home in Coral Springs through a sliding glass door and find Metayer Bowen’s body in the bed in the second-floor bedroom, partially wrapped in a garbage bag and blankets. She’s pronounced dead at 2:24 p.m.
2:35 p.m.
Law enforcement officers arrest Stephen Bowen at the apartment in Plantation. His friend recalls to police that as Bowen is being taken into custody, he says, “Oh s***, they’re here for me.” Coral Springs police pick him up, and he invokes his right to counsel.
Unknown time
Investigators obtain search warrants for the couple’s home and the friend’s apartment in Plantation. They report finding three shotgun shells in the blankets that Nancy Metayer Bowen was wrapped in, and evidence that Stephen Bowen had used a pillow as a firearm silencer. Law enforcement then say they found a shotgun in the friend’s home in the bag Bowen was seen carrying earlier.
3:53 onward
Investigators interview Bowen’s friend and family members.
Stephen Bowen was booked in Broward’s main jail on premeditated murder and tampering with evidence charges. He’s being held on no bond.
Vice Mayor Metayer Bowen was a prominent member of the South Florida Haitian American community and was considered a political up-and-comer, reportedly eyeing a Congressional run.
Olivia Lloyd is an Associate Editor/Reporter for the Coral Springs News, the Pembroke Pines News and the Miramar News. She graduated from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Previously, she has worked for Hearst DevHub, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and McClatchy’s Real Time Team.
