Carol M. Bowne, née Ehly was a 39-year-old woman who was stabbed to death by her obsessed ex-boyfriend Michael Eitel on June 3, 2015, at her home in Berlin, New Jersey.[3] Eitel was a convicted felon having served five years in prison.[4] Prior to her murder, Bowne filed a restraining order against Eitel as well as submitted an application to obtain a firearm permit. Firearm permits in New Jersey are legislated to take a maximum of 30 days to be issued.[5] At the time of her murder, 42 days after her permit request, Bowne had not been issued a firearm permit.[6] As a result of Carol Bowne's murder, the gun laws in New Jersey were altered to make it easier for domestic violence victims to own and carry firearms.[7]
Carol M. Bowne | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Carol M. Ehly June 6, 1975 | ||
| Died | June 3, 2015 (aged 39) Berlin Township, New Jersey, United States | ||
| Cause of death | Stabbed to death | ||
| Occupation | Hairdresser | ||
| Spouse |
Roy T Bowne Jr (died 2012) | ||
| |||
Background
editCarol Bowne was a hairdresser in the township of Berlin, New Jersey. Bowne had lived in Berlin her whole life and was said to be "caring and friendly".[8] Those who knew her were also worried about her safety.[8] Bowne's husband died in a 2012 motorcycle accident. Eitel had been his friend, and moved in with Bowne to provide support after her husband had died.[9]
Bowne filed a restraining order against Eitel that March after abuses such as hitting her, smashing her face into her trucks dashboard, breaking her nose, splitting her face and strangling her.[10] Eitel violated the restraining order on many accounts by stalking, damaging her car, house and cyber bullying Bowne.[10] Bowne requested the Berlin Township Police to walk her into her house when she had finished work from 9 pm to 10 pm but was turned down due to a "lack of manpower".[10] Only on one account was an arrest warrant issued. According to state law, police cannot be held liable for failure to protect citizens, with or without a civil protection order.[10]
Michael Eitel was a 45-year-old convicted felon, previously convicted of violating a restraining order during a September 2006 kidnapping of his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint with her one-year-old daughter.[10] Eitel was charged with aggravated assault, carjacking and a weapons offense and was sentenced to five years imprisonment.[4]
Death
editBowne was fatally stabbed outside of her home late at night on Wednesday June 3, 2015. Images of Eitel committing the murder were captured on the building security system.[9]
Aftermath
editOn Saturday June 6, 2015, Carol Bowne's fortieth birthday, Eitel was found dead. He had killed himself in the garage of a previous ex-girlfriend's home on Holly Drive, the same street he had grown up on, and two miles from Carol Bowne's home.[4]
The process of legally obtaining a gun varies in legislation across states in America. At the time of Bowne's murder, New Jersey's firearm permit application process involved a 30-day processing period.[5] The murder of Carol Bowne resulted in a change to New Jerseys Gun Control Laws by Governor Chris Christie following her death in 2015.[7] The legislation stated that "those living under a direct or material threat" could apply to receive a firearm permit in 14 days, not 30.[7] This change was subsequently reverted in 2019 by Governor Phil Murphy in an attempt to make New Jerseys gun control policies the "strongest" in America.[11][failed verification]
Bowne's attack was not the first of its kind in New Jersey. In 2009, Letizia "Lisa" Zindell was strangled by her ex-boyfriend the night he was released from jail, violating his restraining order; Bowne's mother wrote an opinion piece published in the Courier-Post, relating Zindell's incident to Bowne's.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Obituary of Carol M. Bowne". Knight Funeral Home. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
- ^ "Obituary of Roy T. Bowne". Knight Funeral Home. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
- ^ Simone, Ginny (July 31, 2015). "Why Did New Jersey Fear Carol Bowne?". America's 1st Freedom. National Rifle Association of America. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
- ^ a b c Walsh, Jim. "Murder suspect found dead". Courier-Post. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
- ^ a b Adomaitis, Greg (2015-06-06). "N.J. gun association calls Berlin woman's death an 'absolute outrage'". NJ.com. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
- ^ Petrolino, John (28 October 2020). "Did NJ Gov. Murphys' Invitations to Pro-Freedom Groups Get Lost in the Mail?". Ammoland.com.
- ^ a b c Friedman, Matt (2015-06-30). "Christie announces change to N.J. gun policy". NJ.com. NJ Advance Media. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
- ^ a b Petrolino, John (2018-03-23). "Do you Know Carol Bowne? An Open Letter to New Jersey Assembly". AmmoLand.com. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
- ^ a b Adomaitis, Greg (June 5, 2015). "Berlin murder victim told neighbor about gun permit application, then nothing". NJ.com. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Ehly, Kathie (January 30, 2018). "COMMENTARY:A brokenhearted mom vs. a failed system". Courier-Post. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
- ^ "Governor Murphy Strengthens New Jersey's Gun Laws by Signing Safety Measures to Protect Residents". www.nj.gov. Office of the Governor. Retrieved 2020-02-06.