Unfolding Court Proceedings: Outer Banks Man’s Murder Case Delayed to July

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

MANTEO – Shayne Michael Perry, a 30-year-old man from Kitty Hawk, is facing charges in the August 14, 2022 fatal shooting of 60-year-old William Jeffrey Bowlin of Martin’s Point. The court proceedings, which were due to take place at the Dare County Superior Court, have been postponed again, with the hearing now set for July 8th.

The Incident Background

In a tragic series of events, William Jeffrey Bowlin was shot while reportedly “protecting a family member”, according to his submitted obituary. Perry had been arrested for first-degree murder, with a bond of $750,000 secured for him, but the charge was later amended to second-degree murder on September 26, 2022.

Notably, less than a month following Bowlin’s demise, Perry was found guilty by the Dare County District Court for an assault against Bowlin’s daughter that had taken place on January 21, 2022. For this assault, in which Perry had struck Olivia Bowlin above her left eye leading to swelling, he was sentenced to 60 days.

Legal Developments

Thomas Routten, Perry’s attorney and chief public defender for the First Judicial District Public Defender’s Office, has filed a “motion to recuse” on February 29th. This motion proposes that the judge, Womble, who was the district attorney at the time of the incident, be recused from the case when it goes to trial.

This daring move by Perry’s defense has not been addressed in last week’s court hearing but has sparked discussions about conflicts of interest and judicial impartiality. It seems though, that this motion may turn out to be irrelevant as Womble’s trial calendar does not have him returning to Dare County this year, according to District 1 District Attorney Jeff Cruden.

Further Details and Implications

Previous motions to recuse Womble have been generated in other counties within District 1, which consists of seven counties, and “each one so far has been denied”, as stated by Cruden. “Womble didn’t feel like he had sufficient contact with the case to recuse himself”, he added.

As of November 27, during the last time Perry’s case was on the docket, plea negotiations were ongoing. Perry was still in custody up to that date and had not yet accepted the state’s plea offer. However, Routten had revealed a spark of hope by declaring that “we are hopefully continuing with plea negotiations”.

So far, Perry’s trial has been delayed seven times by his defense. As the murder trial of the Outer Banks man is now scheduled for July 8, it remains to be seen how the defendant will plead and what the jury’s verdict will be.