After Four Days of Trial, a 2014 Murder Case was Handed to the Jury

By Jakob Rios [former] - March 30, 2022
Court | Daily Stories | Documents | Homicides | stabbing | Suspects | Victims |

Mark Bowser is accused of stabbing 39-year-old Tracy Womack more than 40 times during the early hours of Sept. 20, 2014, in an apartment on the 4600 Block of Benning Road, SE. After four days of trial, his case was handed off to the jury.

Attorneys in the case delivered their closing arguments on the fourth day of Bowser’s trial. The 39-year-old defendant is charged with first-degree murder while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a dangerous weapon and obstruction of justice. With jurors out of the courtroom, defense attorney Dorsey Jones argued his motion for a judgment of acquittal on all charges. 

Jones said no one saw his client kill Womack and the witness Bowser allegedly assaulted did not have a direct view of him. The prosecutor shot back, saying they have a witness who claims to have seen the defendant walk into the bedroom where Womack was found after the stabbing. 

DC Superior Court Judge Milton Lee denied Jones’ motions.  

The jury then was called in for a biology lesson from the prosecutor’s final witness. This witness, a DNA analyst, continued her testimony from the previous day. She said DNA from three people was found on Bowser’s shirt, including a match for Womack. 

The witness said there was a one in 1.5 sextillion chance that the blood could belong to a random white person, a one in 120 quintillion chance it could belong to a random Black person and a one in 410 quintillion chance it could belong to a random Hispanic person. 

The other DNA samples are believed to have belonged to Bowser and an unknown individual.  Blood was also found on Bowser’s jeans; however, the witness said there weren’t enough alleles on the blood sample to meet the threshold required for reliable testing. 

During his cross-examination, Jones challenged the witness by discussing DNA transfer. Humans can shed DNA, and Jones asked if someone who opened a door and touched his tie may get the DNA of the previous person who touched the doorknob on his tie. 

The witness said this was true. She later confirmed to the prosecution that Jones’ hypothetical would involve skin cells, which are not visible to the naked eye. After completing their re-direct examination, the prosecution rested their case.

Bower’s defense counsel did not call any witnesses.

During closing arguments, the prosecutor crafted an image of the day Womack died. She said it was a regular day, up until the moment Bowser entered Womack’s bedroom. She reminded the jurors of the first witness they called, who said she heard the two fighting, including a cry of “you cut me, you stabbed me,” from Womack. 

Two other witnesses reportedly ran to the apartment, trying to intervene. All of the witnesses picked Bowser out of a photo lineup, using a nickname associated with the defendant.

The prosecutor said surveillance footage shows Bowser leaving the apartment covered in blood and holding a knife. He was arrested the next day wearing the same clothing.  

The prosecutor also mentioned that Bowser and Womack had been seen together, fondling and kissing. When she was found, some of her clothes were pulled down.  Though Bowser is not facing sexual abuse charges, the prosecutor argued this may shed light on Bowser’s alleged motive.

The final part of her closing statement focused on a letter Bowser sent his ex-wife, which prompted the obstruction of justice charge.

The prosecutor said the letter was sent from DC Jail using a fake name and a fake address, stating, “those b******,” referring to two witnesses, were “lying on my name.” She continued reading from the letter, in which Bowser tells his ex-wife to instruct a friend to give the witness some water, which the prosecutor alleged meant PCP. The letter also featured a drawn-out map, allegedly showing where a witness could be found.  

“I ask you to bring the only verdict consistent with the evidence as guilty on all counts,” the prosecutor said.

Jones maintained that his client made no explicit plans to obstruct justice in the letter. During his closing arguments, Jones reminded the jury that the main witness, who claims she saw Bowser enter Womack’s room, was high on PCP at the time. 

Jones recalled all the times witnesses had to be reminded of things they said about the homicide in previous years that contradicted their testimony at trial. The prosecutor countered this by noting that the homicide happened more than seven years ago, arguing it would be more suspicious if they remembered every detail.

Still, Jones pointed out testimony that another person was in the apartment at the time, who the prosecutor did not call because he was drunk when the homicide happened.

“It is not the defense’s burden to prove the client as innocent it is the prosecution’s burden to prove him guilty,” Jones said, asking the jury to find his client not guilty on all counts.

Judge Lee read the jurors their jury instructions before dismissing them for the day. They are scheduled to begin deliberating on March 30.