Dennis Lee Bowman, 71, of Hamilton has pleaded guilty to murdering a woman in Virginia in 1980 in one of two cold cases now solved.
Bowman was arrested last year at a gas station in Burnips and was also charged with murdering his his adopted teen daughterA 71-year-old Allegan County man accused in two cold-case killings, including his adopted teen daughter in 1989. He has been sentenced to life in prison in connection with the Virginia case.
Bowman was accused of killing and raping 25-year-old Kathleen O’Brien Doyle in September 1980. She was the wife of a U.S. Navy pilot who was deployed at the time of her death.
Bowman was charged with murder for the 1989 killing of his 14-year-old adopted daughter, Aundria Michelle Bowman. Authorities found new leads a year ago that led them to a shallow grave on Bowman’s property, in the 3200 block of 136th Avenue in Monterey Township. The skeletal remains found later were identified as that of Aundria.
Bowman is expected to be returned to Michigan to face trial for his adopted daughter’s death.