A man charged with killing his wife, the vice mayor of a Florida city, has pleaded not guilty.
Stephen Bowen, 40, entered the written plea to charges of first-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence. A grand jury indicted Bowen last week for allegedly killing his wife, Nancy Metayer Bowen, 38 in April.
On April 28, Judge Ernest Kollra ordered the indictment to be unsealed. Messages were left by USA Today Network with Bowen’s attorneys, Glenn Roderman and Philip Johnston.
How was Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen killed?
Stephen Bowen is accused of shooting his wife three times the evening of March 31.
That evening, he slept downstairs in the couple’s home while his wife’s dead body was in their master bed upstairs. Nancy Metayer Bowen missed some meetings the morning of April 1, which alarmed colleagues who reached out to police.
Stephen Bowen initially denied knowing where his wife was. A motive for the shooting has not been released.
Broward public defender’s office asked to be withdrawn from case
The Broward County public defender’s office filed a motion April 6 asking to be dismissed from the case because of “personal and professional relationships with the alleged victim.”
“Based on the seriousness of the charge, it would violate Mr. Bowen’s rights to effective assistance of counsel, due process and a fair trial to be represented by an office whose top members had a personal and professional relationship with the alleged victim,” according to the motion, which was granted.
Roderman and Johnston then took over the case.
Who was Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen?
A Florida A&M University graduate, Bowen was first elected in 2020 and won re-election in 2024.
Bowen also had a masters of heath and science from Johns Hopkins University. She worked as the Florida Caribbean Vote Director for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. Her political career began in 2011 when she interned at the White House and for former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.
Michelle Spitzer is a journalist for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. As the network’s Rapid Response reporter, she covers Florida’s breaking news. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Husband charged with killing wife, Florida vice mayor, enters plea
Reporting by Michelle Spitzer, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
