48 Hours - A Student of Murder

Episode Date: February 28, 2016

Was the shooting of a Seattle man a random incident of road rage, or was the gunman a self-taught killer intent on finding the perfect moment to kill? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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It was early evening of August 31st, 2012, when Yancey Knoll left work and headed home. He started driving his battered old Subaru up Interstate 5. At some point, he encountered a man in a BMW. He had no way of knowing that he was going to be dead in 10 minutes. Yancey Noah was just a guy who lived in North Seattle, had a girlfriend and a dog, liked to climb mountains. He was one of us. When you prosecute murder cases for as long as we have, the random nature of death is what gets in your head.

He was my best friend for 22 years. He was my touchstone. He was the guy who kept me grounded. People adored him. The last few moments of Yancey Knowles' life were pulling up at a stoplight. The BMW pulled up next to Yancey, Noel's life were pulling up at a stoplight. The BMW pulled up next to Yancey's Subaru. Yancey turned and saw this car and this man next to him.

He saw the gun pointed at his head and he saw the bullet that shattered the window and tore apart his face and then he turned and was shot three more times in the head the witnesses really didn't know what had happened. They heard the shots and then they saw the BMW pull into oncoming traffic, screeched out, leaving tire marks, going so fast that when the car hit a hill it took air and then sped out of sight. When I arrived that day at the murder scene, it was dusk. They had yellow crime scene tape around Yancey Knoll's Subaru. There was blood outside the driver's door.

The driver's seat was saturated with blood. When police respond to a murder, they're looking for a reason. Was anybody mad at Yancey? Did Yancey have any enemies? There might have been some kind of road incident, some kind of traffic incident. And what are people thinking? That there's a killer on the loose? There was a killer on the loose. Anybody could have been the next target. Police didn't know they were looking for a student of murder.

Someone who would kill just to kill. I'm Peter Van Sant. Tonight on 48 Hours, Student of Murder. Have you ever wondered who created that bottle of sriracha that's living in your fridge? Or why nearly every house in America has at least one game of Monopoly? Introducing The Best Idea Yet, a brand new podcast from Wondery and T-Boy about the surprising origin stories of the products you're obsessed with

and the bolder risk-takers who brought them to life. Like, did you know that Super Mario, the best-selling video game character of all time, only exists because Nintendo couldn't get the rights to Popeye? Or Jack, that the idea for the McDonald's Happy Meal first came from a mom in Guatemala? From Pez dispensers to Levi's 501s to Air Jordans, discover the surprising stories of the most viral products. Plus, we guarantee that after listening, you're going to dominate your next dinner party. So follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to

The Best Idea Yet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus. It's just the best idea yet. Hotshot Australian attorney Nicola Gaba was born into legal royalty. Her specialty? Representing idea yet. the major groups within Melbourne's underworld, and she's informing on them all. I'm Marsha Clark, host of the new podcast, Informants Lawyer X. In my long career in criminal justice as a prosecutor and defence attorney, I've seen some crazy cases, and this one belongs right at the top of the list. She was addicted to the game she had created. She just didn't know how to stop. Now, through dramatic interviews and access, I'll reveal the truth behind one of the world's most shocking legal scandals. Listen to Informant's Lawyer X exclusively on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts,

or Spotify, and listen to more Exhibit C true crime shows early and ad-free right now. This case is about the presence of evil in our world. It was like a bomb had dropped. None of us is ever safe. Any of us could have been Yancey Knoll. Prosecutors Adrian McCoy and Kristen Richardson say the murder of Yancey Knoll in 2012, shot to death in his car while stopped at a red light, put the city of Seattle on edge. The police went all out. They took it very seriously.

Police are still looking for the suspect. Nancy Noel was shot and killed one week ago tonight. Right now, the shooter is on the loose. How big a story was this? This was a very big story. Allison Grandy is a reporter for Cairo 7, a CBS News affiliate. We have shootings in Seattle. We don't necessarily have many shootings in that area of Seattle, that time of day, and that type of victim. What were you hearing? Did Yancey Null have any enemies? From talking to his friends, Yancey didn't have any enemies. He was an outdoorsy guy who enjoyed fine wine, loved what he did working as a wine steward at QFC.

Hey, what's your name? Yancey. Bottom line, 42-year-old Yancey Knoll was a good-hearted, happy, go-lucky guy. Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah! And, friends say, the idea that Yancey exploded into a road rage battle is ridiculous. He drove like a grandma. He was very, very careful. Longtime friend, Brad Kenny. He had a Subaru wagon, not known for its speed.

Was he an angry man? No. Was he impulsive? No. Reckless? Never. Verbally abusive? God, no. Not even close.

He was so careful and mindful with how he interacted with people. Investigators suspect Yancey and his killer crossed paths around 7 p.m. on Interstate 5, just north of Seattle. It's possible that there was some sort of confrontation, and Yancey pulled up to the intersection thinking nothing of Seattle. It's possible that there was some sort of confrontation and Yancey pulled up to the intersection thinking nothing of it. Do you think he ever knew what hit him? Never. He was killed instantly, thank God. He had no idea what happened.

The details of this shooting were curious to say the least. Right here, five shots were fired with remarkable accuracy. It was at about this time of day, and the shooter killed Yancy Nol just a few feet from other motorists. I hear five rapid shots, kind of like a pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. Friends Kevin Watts and Angelo Rama were driving together when they heard those five pops behind them. The next thing they saw was a car speed away into oncoming traffic. I drove by and I was like, that's kind of weird that someone wouldn't wait for a red light. Upset that the driver had run the red light, the two friends hit the gas and gave chase.

We couldn't catch up to him. How fast did that vehicle peel out of here? Zero to 60 in like two, three seconds. He was gone. Rama and Watts gave up the chase and returned to the scene where a Subaru was still at the curb with its motor running. The friends had a sinking feeling that those pops they'd heard likely were gunshots. I saw a lot of blood. I saw where the bullet holes were, and I realized that there was absolutely nothing I could do. The shooter's bullets had hit Yancey four times in the head.

A fifth bullet missed its intended target, but very nearly claimed a second victim. It sounded like a huge explosion. Patricia Schulmeister, now 92 years old, got up to see what was happening and nearly tripped over a bullet. She told us how it got there. The bullet came through our fence, came through the pane of glass. It hit the big lampshade that was on top of that big lamp through this hallway. And before it landed, it hit this picture of my precious K-cap, Miss BP, and then it dropped to the floor. Schulmeister took the bullet and headed outside, where she spotted a crime scene investigator.

I tapped him on the shoulder and held out my hand and gave him the bullet. The bullet was a 9mm, fired from a Glock pistol like this one. It was a solid piece of evidence in a case that, at that point, didn't have much. We didn't know if it was a targeted shooting or if it was a random shooting or anything about what it was. The case was about to consume detectives Frank Clark and Dana Duffy for the next two years. Yancey had no criminal history, no history of being a hothead. We really didn't have a lot to go on.

After closely inspecting the crime scene, the detectives realized Yancey's window was down, and the shooter had fired those five shots right through his own passenger side window. That's so strange to me. The shooter would shoot through the passenger side window of his car at someone else. Have you ever heard of such a thing? No, it was strange to us as well. That was a huge piece of evidence. The police now knew the shooter's car had a broken passenger side window. And there was more. Even though witness Angelo Rama had only glimpsed the fleeing car for a split second, something registered.

My first guess was an M4. It's a BMW car. The one that I saw was a convertible. It was silver. Was the top up or down? It was down. And when he was driving by, I noticed it had really, really nice silver rims. Armed with his detailed description, the police advised the public to be on the lookout for that BMW model with that broken passenger side window. As for the driver, I looked at the person who was driving the car because I'm really good with faces. Kevin Watts helped a police artist come up with this remarkably detailed sketch of the shooter. Within a week, the sketch was released to the public,

along with grainy still photos of the car from a nearby security camera. We knew that police in Seattle were looking for a silver BMW and they were pulling them over. All over the city? Yes. Yes. Police were desperate to stop the killer from striking again,

not knowing if or when he would. Two weeks went by, and then... A suspect surfaced who surprised everyone. When you see something like this from somebody who has it all together, he's not crazy. He's just evil. In the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Peru and New Zealand, lies a tiny volcanic island.

It's a little-known British territory called Pitcairn and it harboured a deep, dark scandal. There wouldn't be a girl on Pitcairn once they reach the age of 10 that would still a virgin. It just happens to all of us. I'm journalist Luke Jones and for almost two years I've been investigating a shocking story that has left deep scars on generations of women and girls from Pitcairn. When there's nobody watching, nobody going to report it, people will get away with what they can get away with. In the Pitcairn Trials, I'll be uncovering a story of abuse and the fight for justice that has brought a unique, lonely Pacific island

to the brink of extinction. Listen to the Pitcairn Trials exclusively on Wondery+. Join Wondery in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. As a kid growing up in Chicago, there was one horror movie I was too scared to watch. It was called Candyman. The scary cult classic was set in the Chicago housing project. It was about this supernatural killer who would attack his victims if they said his name five times into a bathroom mirror. Candyman. Candyman?

Now we all know chanting a name won't make a killer magically appear. But did you know that the movie Candyman was partly inspired by an actual murder? I was struck by both how spooky it was, but also how outrageous it was. We're going to talk to the people who were there, and we're also going to uncover the larger story. My architect was shocked when he saw how this was created. Literally shocked. And we'll look at what the story tells us about injustice in America. If you really believed in tough on crime, then you wouldn't make it easy to crawl into medicine cabinets and kill our women. Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, early and ad-free on Wondery Plus and the Wondery app. Police are still looking for the suspect. And he was driving a silver BMW. In his 20s or 30s.

Did witnesses say? Plea for anyone with information. In the two weeks that followed Yancey Knoll's brutal execution, cops received hundreds of tips about that dark-haired suspect in a silver sports car. It seemed at that time like everybody in the city of Seattle was driving a BMW Z4 or a Z3. Then, on September 14th... A woman calls in an anonymous tip. For the first time, this mysterious man has a name. And she provides a name of Din Bowman and his address,

which is less than 10 blocks from the shooting site. which is less than 10 blocks from the shooting site. When we pulled up a photo of him, matched the description of our sketch. Did his hairstyle match? Yes, and the age description matched. And yet, the 29-year-old Din Bowman appears to be the most unlikely of potential suspects suspects he's a dazzling engineer with an inventive imagination the golf ball hits the lever of this press which drives the drill which spins the wire like this rube goldberg contraption he created just for fun it swings over and hits this water bottle the bottle the water bottle is a magnetic plunger

the people that we've spoken to have described him as brilliant. A genius? Others have titled him as a genius. Which then triggers this flamethrower. Bowman was only a 12-year-old when he entered college. In his 20s, Bowman opened his own business, a boutique engineering company called Vague Industries, that specialized in robotics. And then, in 2007, Bowman met Jennifer Palm, a successful dentist at an education seminar. They were married a year later. I thought they were what I considered to be a power couple. Very, very sophisticated. Jess and Matta was a friend of the Bowmans. What were they like as a couple? Loving. The

both of them, I think, understood one another. But it was up to detectives Duffy and Clark to figure out Din Bowman, and they quickly learned that he had owned a BMW. We wanted to know, does he still have that BMW? Is it still at his house? And immediately we came up with a plan that we're going to set up a surveillance on his residence. A stakeout. A stakeout. A tense week went by with no sign of the BMW coming or going.

But then the garage door opens up just enough for the detectives to spot a silver sports car. Based on that information, we're able to obtain a search warrant. Before dawn on September 21st, 2012, as Din and Jennifer were leaving for work, police swooped in to arrest Din Bowman. Din was placed in handcuffs and transported down to our office. Just letting you know, this is a police facility and everything is being recorded, okay? I'll just let you know that. Bowman has to wait two hours for detectives to arrive to question him.

While he's killing time, Bowman doesn't appear to be concerned. He enjoys some snacks and a cup of coffee. Exasperated, Bowman complains his precious time is being wasted. Will you knock it? Yes, sir. Yes. wasted. He was pretty confused about the whole thing. It was kind of weird. Bowman also didn't realize that in another room, his wife, Jennifer, had agreed to answer questions from detectives Clark and Duffy. Have you heard of any murders like within a few blocks of your house in the last few weeks? I'm not sure. You're not sure? It's a yes or no question.

I'm not sure. We call it the I'm not sure interview. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. We call it the I'm not sure interview. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. Because her responses were overwhelmingly, I'm not sure. So your honesty right now is paramount. I understand. I'm not sure what I can tell you. Jennifer didn't know that the detectives had already inspected Dinn's BMW and had discovered from these markings that the passenger side window had been replaced. Remember, investigators were certain the killer had fired through that glass. The first thing we did was open the passenger door and you could see glass shards in the well of the door jamb.

door and you could see glass shards in the well of the door jam. Also within the garage, there was this fresh smell of paint. That's because the BMW's silver rims had been painted black. What about the paint smell that we're smelling in there? I'm not sure. Do you know anything that goes on in your house? For nearly four hours, investigators hammered Jennifer for answers. And I'm tired of you sitting there playing dumb. While the interview was going on, investigators entered the Bowman's house, which was surprisingly bare. We knew that Jennifer was the primary breadwinner in that household. And we knew from serving some of our search warrants that she made probably $250,000 a year.

But when we got into the home, she had hardly any bedroom furniture. Her mattress laid on the floor. In the kitchen, investigators found these post-its. Most of them love notes, but one really caught their eye. It said something to the effect of, to the best shooter in the wild, wild west, bang, bang, XXOO. We found that very significant. As they went room to room,

investigators discovered a small arsenal of weapons and ammunition. Everything except the suspected murder weapon, a 9mm Glock. When detectives finally got to Bowman, they hoped he would answer a few questions. But Bowman was smart enough to shut down the interview. Do you want to talk to a lawyer or do you want to talk to us first? Well, I guess I'd like to talk to a lawyer.

Bowman might have been done with the detectives, but they were far from finished with him. You're going to be charged with a crime. Of what? Murder. Of what? Murder. Of what? Of who? Murder of a human being. Okay.

It was something to see. At least 45 friends of murder victim Yancey Knoll packed a raiment court this morning to get a look at this man. You watch this man walk in and you see this unassuming person and you go, why? Why would you do this? Din Bowman has been in custody for four months for the murder of Yancey Knoll. And at this hearing, Bowman learns his bail is set at a stunning $10 million, a sum he cannot make. He hasn't shown any sign of guilt or even fear. Brad Kenney is desperate for answers. It just fills you with so much anger.

While Bowman appears stoic in court, prosecutors say the alleged killer has a quirky side that emerges in hundreds of recorded jailhouse phone calls with his wife, Jennifer. They had pet names. Din was Bunny. And Mrs. Bowman, Jennifer, was Snuggles. Bunny and Snuggles.

Bunny and Snuggles. When they talk to each other, they talk in baby talk. Bunny, Bunny, how are you? I'm doing good. How's my little snuggle cake? I just wrote you an email. Yay. It was very strange.

Very strange. I miss so many things right now. Very strange. Everyone warned us, don't listen to the jail calls. Don't listen to the jail calls you'll want to throw up. Meanwhile, back among the grown-ups, detectives Frank Clark and Dana Duffy were methodically building their homicide case against Bowman. They discovered that for years, the tech-savvy genius had been downloading these books, articles, and videos to his computer

on the subject of death and murder. It's not that he just had a little bit of it. He had tons of it. And then there was Bowman's obsession with this man. Bond. James Bond. And it showed in Bowman's computer videos. That's Din Bowman driving a car at high speeds around an obstacle course. And here he is blasting away in shooting demonstrations where he proved he was an expert marksman with either hand.

I don't believe that Den Bowman got up that morning thinking, today's the day that I'm going to shoot somebody. This situation presented itself somehow. But once it did, then all his self-training and research kicked in. We're going to talk about shooting through glass. And one of Bowman's videos, made by a firearms expert, really shocked police. I've come into a situation where I feel threatened by somebody off to my passenger side. It was a play-by-play of Yancey's murder.

Of course, I recognize, I come down, I grip, I cross parallel, extend, touch, press. I recognize, I come down, I grip, I cross parallel, extend, touch, press. If you want to know how to shoot somebody in traffic from your very fancy sports car, it was an awfully helpful video. He didn't even have to roll down his window. Prosecutors came to believe Bowman wanted to kill someone just for the thrill of it. Why would he commit this murder in broad daylight where there are witnesses around who could see his car, perhaps see him? What's the fun of it if there's no challenge, if there's no witnesses, if there's no need to get away, to speed off and fly through

neighborhood streets and hide your car in your garage. That was the fun for him. Soon after the murder, police say that Bowman went to his computer where he had his vast library of murder-related books, including arrest proof yourself. How to cover up a murder, how to get rid of a gun, how to get rid of gunshot residue. And police say Bowman now had an accomplice, Jennifer Bowman, aka Snuggles. Do you understand how serious this is right now, Jennifer? Jennifer, to me, seemed very, very nervous. Tell us the truth.

Poor eye contact. I could see that she was shaky. Tell me the truth right now. I have told you the truth. Jennifer never asked for a lawyer and handed over her purse where police found receipts that aided the investigation. Do either of you have the belief that Jennifer had prior knowledge of this attack? I don't think she had prior knowledge, but I believe that at some point Din told her what happened.

She had to know something because the next day she went to Portland with him. Why'd you go to Portland? It was just a little day trip, a little road trip. A trip that led to this auto glass shop where police say Bowman began to cover up his crime. His wife by his side. She didn't very standoffish. She didn't say much. Repairman Jeff Shields. He just seemed like he needed a window right away.

Bowman told Shields the BMW window had been shattered by a thief while he and Jennifer were eating in Portland. What time of day was the window broken? We found it in the afternoon. At approximately what time? It was right after we ate lunch. But detectives say a restaurant receipt from Jennifer's purse, told a different story. They were never there for lunch. They went there at dinner time.

Three weeks later, the Bowmans visited a tire store in northern Seattle. Manager Doug Haskett says Bowman used the name Peter while his wife avoided eye contact. She was a blonde, and she just kind of looked at the ground. She rarely wouldn't talk to anybody. Bowman bought four cheaper tires to replace the expensive BMW tires. How would he get new tires? Because during our investigation, the media released that there were tire tread tracks left at the scene. Why did he get new tires?

I'm not sure. Were the other ones worn out? I'm not sure. What if we put you on a polygraph test today? You'd feel it like a sack of potatoes. I mean, I can tell your line is looking at you. Police say they later found the set of expensive, practically new BMW tires inside Bowman's workshop at Vague Industries.

The murder weapon was never recovered, but prosecutors felt they had enough evidence to try Din Bowman for first-degree murder. Please rise. And he would soon take the stand and tell a story he had long kept secret. If I didn't do something right then, I was going to die. Frank, what do we have here? Peter, we're in the evidence warehouse of the Seattle Police Department. Two vehicles, side by side, once again.

Just as they were on that summer evening in August 2012. This is Din Bowman's BMW Roadster Z4 and Yancey Knoll's Subaru. What brought them together is unclear. The result of their encounter is not. What goes through your mind when you look inside this car? Sadness, devastation for Yancey. His family lost a loving member. Murder is very ugly.

It's never pretty. And now, on November 19, 2014, two years after Yancey Noll was savagely gunned down, his alleged killer enters the courtroom to face the charge of first-degree murder. Please rise. Court is now in session. By the time of trial, he looked like he was 13. Din Bowman is transformed.

Gone is the confident, cocky young man who first met with detectives. Do you want to talk to a lawyer, or do you want to talk to us first? Well, I. Do you want to talk to a lawyer or do you want to talk to us first? Well, I guess I'd like to talk to a lawyer. And in his place is what appears to be a clean-cut college student. This guy doesn't look like a killer, and that's not at all uncommon for defendants to change their appearance in order to appeal to the jury.

Bowman's mother a native of vietnam and his father a boeing engineer are in court every day to support their only child but his cooing wife jennifer his snuggles is nowhere to be seen we are ready to begin opening statements prosecutor ador Adrian McCoy tells jurors that the motive for murder wasn't greed or jealousy. This was a fulfillment of a quest. But something far more macabre. A quest to know what it would be like to kill someone. like to kill someone.

McCoy attempts to take the jury inside Bowman's mind by showing these training videos recovered from his computer. We're going to talk about shooting through glass. From video to thousands of pages of research on killing another person, prosecutors paint a portrait of a premeditated murder. It was the equivalent of the Library of Congress on death. You ever seen anything like this before in your career? Not even close. Why was all that stuff on his computer?

He hoarded information. He had a lot of things on his computer that are totally bizarre. Having possession of it doesn't mean anything. Mr. Bowman was actually trying to create a library of basically everything. Bowman's lawyer, prominent defense attorney John Henry Brown, whose former clients include serial killer Ted Bundy, says there's no evidence that Bowman ever read or watched any of these materials. There were thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of pages about engineering techniques, but also there was all this bizarre stuff that the prosecutors used in order to make up their motive.

As the defense presents its case, Brown takes a big gamble. He puts Din Bowman on the stand. I felt like it was just this crazy bad dream and I was just running from a monster. And Brown knows he's risking it all on Bowman's ability to sway jurors and convince them that he was the victim of road rage. If I didn't do something right then, I was going to die. Bowman explains that it all began when he accidentally cut off Yancey Knoll on the interstate. There was sort of a stream of swearing.

I think the phrase that caught my attention was, you better learn how to drive that fancy car, or you're going to get yourself f***ed up. Bowman says Yancey closely followed him off the interstate to this traffic light, where they both stopped. And it was that point when I got, wham! Yeah. That wham, Bowman says, was a wine bottle thrown by Yancey that hit him in the head. He's an absolute liar.

That's sacrilegious to Yancey. He would never throw and waste wine on somebody like that. I remember seeing his eyes really, like, bulging. And, like, as he was kind of, as he was yelling, I would describe it as just, like, violent hatred that you would, I had only seen in the movies. Did you think it was possibly a gun? Yeah, yeah.

I was scared. Fearing for his life, Bowman says he pulled out his 9mm Glock, pointed it at Yancey, and fired. You intentionally shot him? Yes. Was it your intent to kill him?

No. Road rage is by definition not premeditation. And Bowman says he shot Yancey Knoll in self-defense. I remember opening my eyes, seeing that I had the gun in my hand, and I just dropped the gun and stepped on the gas. Though Bowman claims he was the victim, he didn't call the police. Panicked, Bowman says he collected evidence from his car, including the wine bottle and the gun, and threw it all away.

Throwing away of the evidence that would support his own story. This is a guy who's genius level IQ, right? Well, yeah, but a lot of geniuses I know don't have a lot of common sense. You threw away the evidence that you could show the police to prove you were not a criminal. Right? I didn't think they would even believe me. But prosecutor Kristen Richardson isn't buying a word of Bowman's story. You don't think that most husbands would go home to their wives and say, oh my God, I almost got killed. I figured the more that he talked, the worse it was going to get for him.

You're an expert shooter. What was your target? There was no aiming involved in this. Okay, well you did a pretty good job, didn't you? Because you hit him four times in the head, including the temple, right? That surprised me. For three days, Richardson hammers away at Bowman. You lied to your parents. You lied to your wife, right?

Is that a question? But he never loses his composure. Mr. Bowman, you have no trouble answering yes or no to Mr. Brown. Is there something wrong with the way I ask questions of you? No. It seemed like a strange question. Okay, well, that's the first no I think I've gotten from you, so I guess the point's been made.

I have nothing else. Thank you. You may step down, sir. Thank you. As Din Bowman steps down, the question is, did he convince the jury that he killed Yancey Nole to save his life? I think Din deeply believed that the jury would see that. Self-defense is justifiable homicide. Or simply for the thrill. Is he guilty of murder in the first degree?

Yes. I will never forget Yancey. Every time he hikes this trail, Brad Kenny thinks of his friend Yancey Knoll. I really miss him. It's never going to be over, and I'll always miss him. I mean, it's good to be be here but it's really difficult. After three weeks and 31 witnesses, Din Bowman's murder trial is coming to a close. He hasn't shown one iota of remorse. He's just completely stoic. I think we're ready for the jurors. On December 9th, 2014, more than two years after Yancey Knoll's murder, and coincidentally, Din Bowman's 32nd birthday, jurors begin deliberations.

It's the worst part of the job, waiting for a verdict. But it's just the nature of it. You always doubt yourself. One person not doubting himself is Din Bowman, as he confides to his wife, Jennifer, in recorded jailhouse phone calls. We should chastise the jurors if they take longer than tomorrow. Jennifer has not appeared a single day of Bowman's trial, but she stays in constant contact and has no doubt whatsoever of his innocence. This is obvious they need to acquit.

Like, how could they consider anything else? You'd have to be completely irrational to believe anything else. Be seated, please. On day three, the jury returns. I understand the jury has reached a verdict. I will read the verdict form. We, the jury, find the defendant, Thomas Ben Bowman, guilty of the crime of murder in the first degree as charged. Guilty. The jury didn't buy Din Bowman's claim. He admits he killed Noel, but says it was road rage. First degree murder required premeditation.

It's a total surprise to Bowman, but sweet relief to Yancey's girlfriend and his supporters. The verdict is read. What was that moment like for Din? Well, he was so emotionally upset. He said, I can't believe it, I can't believe it, I can't believe it. Three weeks later, a very different looking Din Bowman

is back in court for sentencing. Mr. Bowman made some bad decisions. The once cocky boy genius is gone as the reality of the guilty verdict sinks in. And his parents step forward to beg the judge for mercy. I know this is my fault.

Defense attorney Brown must finish reading her statement. Our son's acts are our fault. reading her statement. Our son's acts are our fault. My husband and I, we provide and allow him to learn a gun for self-protection. Brown, a seasoned trial lawyer, can't help but show emotion as Dinn's mother asks the judge to send her to prison in place of her only child. Please ask you to allow myself to substitute any punishment by placing myself in Din's role.

It was heartbreaking to watch his mother at sentencing, for her to offer herself in his place to do his punishment for him. That's real. Moments later, it's Bowman's turn. Dan, are you able to speak? But Yancey's girlfriend and his supporters refuse to listen. I'm disappointed that the jurors didn't believe me. And the first words out of Den's mouth when he's asked to make a statement at sentencing is not about his parents or his heartbroken mother or Yancey's friends or family. It's, I can't believe the jury didn't believe me. That's his focus. I don't envy your task of having to make the burden of deciding my fate.

And I'm sorry for placing you in that situation. And all I can ask is for your mercy and for your help. As the judge is about to deliver Bowman's sentence, he has something he feels compelled to say. I feel very sorry for your parents, Mr. Bowman, and I want to tell them that it is not their fault. Mr. Bowman is responsible for his own actions. Bowman gets 29 years and one month,

slightly less than the maximum. The case against Din Bowman is over, but the police feel there's unfinished business. Was Jennifer misleading or dishonest or lying at any point during this questioning? Yes, she was. I would very much like her to be charged with a crime. The crime of helping her husband cover up Yancey's murder.

Frank, would you like her to be charged with a crime? Yes, I would. Jennifer today has changed her name and her job. She opened the door. But we tracked her down in Seattle. Hey, Jennifer. Peter Van Sant, 48 Hours. Why did you lie to detectives?

Why did you help your husband cover up a murder? You can talk to us. No answers still. Ultimately, the state attorney chose not to bring charges against Jennifer, and she in turn has cut off all ties with the man she once endearingly called her bunny. Today, the house the couple lived in sits empty. The two cars at the heart of this case remain in a police warehouse. But the memories of Yancy Nole remain as alive as ever. Ready?

Ready? Ready? Get it! Oh! After the verdict, Den Bowman attempted suicide. Jennifer and Den are now divorced. Should Jennifer Bowman also have been charged? Chat now with correspondent Peter Van Sant on Twitter. If you like this podcast, you can listen ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a quick survey at wondery.com slash survey.