Thursday, September 28, 2023
By Corinne Saunders | Outer Banks Voice on June 5, 2023
The case against Shayne Michael Perry, the Kitty Hawk man charged with the second-degree murder of 60-year-old William Jeffrey “Jeff” Bowlin on Aug. 14, 2022, came up in Dare County Superior Court on June 5, but was continued again, this time to Oct. 30.
The case had previously been continued from Feb. 6 to April 3, then to June 5.
When Perry’s name was called in court on Monday, a representative of the public defender’s office requested the continuation to the October administrative session date. Thomas Routten, the head public defender, is Perry’s lawyer, District 1 District Attorney Jeff Cruden told the Voice in February.
“Set this for an additional administrative hearing on October 30 for continued plea negotiations,” Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Jerry Tillett said.
If a plea deal were negotiated and accepted, it would mean the case would not go to trial.
Each of Perry’s court dates so far have been administrative sessions.
An earlier Superior Court administrative session will take place in July, but several members of the public defender’s office will be unavailable at the time—including Routten’s wife, Christan Routten—as was mentioned in court on Monday.
Routten did not respond to the Voice’s requests for details on the plea negotiations by this story’s deadline. The Voice also unsuccessfully attempted to reach Cruden for comment.
In April, the case was continued to June 5 because the parties were waiting for the autopsy report and toxicology report, District 1 Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Bland told the Voice at the time.
Bowlin was found in Martin’s Point with a gunshot wound to his chest around midnight on Aug. 14, 2022, according to the Dare County Sheriff’s Office. Dare County EMS transported the victim to The Outer Banks Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
A highly regarded local contractor, Bowlin was shot while “protecting a member of his family,” according to his obituary, which ran in the Outer Banks Voice on Aug. 19, 2022.
Perry was 30 at the time of his arrest. About a month later, on Sept. 8, 2022, Perry was found guilty in Dare County District Court of a Jan. 21, 2022 assault against Bowlin’s daughter, Olivia, and sentenced to 60 days. In that incident, Perry struck Olivia Bowlin above her left eye, causing that area to swell, according to case documents.
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Just a mom
The public defender of this accused should be accountable for their responsibility to bring forth a trial of one’s peers in a Reasonable amount of time. It is so hurtful to linger these things.
My mother’s sister was killed in a hit and run in California 3 years ago and the accused has been skirting his day in court due to the disgusting “norm” nowadays when going forth to trial.
Stop the madness for all and just do your jobs and go to trial or do the plea deal as long as the son of gun is found guilty of stealing a man’s life and a family’s loved one.
I pray it gets done in October because if it doesn’t move forward it is truly cruel and heinous punishment to the victims of this crime.
Ibxfolks
Quick and speedy trial…what’s that?
Jay
LeeAnn Fletcher died in July 2020. Next month will mark 3 years since her death and the alleged defendant has not gone to trial. Are the old school Outer Banks influences delaying the trail? It might be time to pick a new judge or move the trial out of Dare County. Just think if defendant is found innocent we might have a killer still on the loose!
Mark Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice
By my notes, the next scheduled court date for the suspect in that case is on Aug. 28
Justin
Looks like there won’t be a trial. They’re working out a plea deal.