A judge Thursday denied bond for Stephen Bowen, 40, the husband of Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen, who has been charged with premeditated murder and evidence tampering in connection with her death.
Bowen, who is Jamaican, made a brief first appearance in Broward County bond court, where the judge found probable cause and ordered him held without bond.
According to a Coral Springs Police Department (CSPD) probable cause affidavit, Bowen is accused of shooting his wife inside their home on the night of Tuesday, March 31. The killing came to light the following day when Metayer Bowen failed to appear for scheduled meetings, including a city commission session where she was expected in her role as vice mayor. Concerned colleagues and family members made repeated attempts to reach her before police conducted a welfare check at the home in the 800 block of Northwest 127th Avenue.
Police found no response at the residence and observed what the affidavit described as damage to the home’s exterior that appeared “explosive-like” and consistent with projectiles. A SWAT team later forced entry, discovering Metayer Bowen’s body in an upstairs bedroom. Investigators said her body had been wrapped in blankets and placed inside garbage bags. Spent shotgun shells were found nearby, and a preliminary examination revealed a gunshot wound to her shoulder.
The affidavit outlines witness statements indicating that Stephen Bowen admitted to shooting his wife multiple times with a shotgun the previous night and then sleeping downstairs. Investigators also say Bowen attempted to have a witness hold a bag containing the weapon. Surveillance and license plate reader data reportedly helped track Bowen’s movements, including locating his pickup truck in Fort Lauderdale. Authorities said he tried to dispose of evidence, handing off a bag believed to contain a firearm to another person. Bowen was taken into custody on Wednesday afternoon. Authorities have not publicly identified a motive.
Newly released arrest documents provide additional context. According to the report, Bowen told his mother on Tuesday afternoon that he had a “panic attack” he intended to discuss with his wife. The next day, police said, Metayer Bowen was found dead.
Police said colleagues became concerned Wednesday morning when the vice mayor did not show up for a scheduled meeting. An hour later, a city staffer texted Bowen asking if his wife could call. “Texted her,” Bowen replied. “She is not picking up.” Police said he had, in fact, killed her overnight.
CSPD Officer Daniel Powers wrote in the report that Bowen’s mother said he had spoken to her around 4 p.m. Tuesday about having a “panic attack at work” and planning to discuss it with his wife. “She did not know of any marital issues between the couple,” Powers wrote.
Police launched a missing persons investigation and noted damage to the home consistent with force and projectiles. Bowen’s pickup truck was tracked to an apartment complex in Plantation, where officers observed him handing a bag to another man. A 911 call from his uncle just before 2 p.m. enabled police to access the home without a warrant. The uncle told investigators Bowen had arrived at his home around 10 a.m. and said, “he did something to her,” confirming she was dead.
Inside the home, police found three shotgun shells and a pillow fashioned with burn marks and string, “as if it were fashioned as a makeshift silencer.” By 2:35 p.m., Bowen was taken into custody and invoked his right to a lawyer. Investigators said Bowen had requested his fellow Freemason friend remove the gun bag and ammo boxes, unaware of the crime Bowen had committed.
During interviews with his uncle, Bowen reportedly admitted that he shot Metayer Bowen “three times with a shotgun the previous night and then slept downstairs” and described what he did with her body. “When asked why (he killed her), Stephen Bowen said that he ‘couldn’t take it anymore,’” the report states.
Tributes poured in for Metayer Bowen following news of her death. She was the first Black woman and first Haitian American elected to the Coral Springs City Commission and was known for her work on environmental justice issues. U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz noted she had been preparing to announce a run for Congress before her death.
