A 41-year-old North Carolina woman has been sentenced to a minimum of 10 years in prison for the 2024 shooting death of her boyfriend. Buncombe County Superior Judge Jacqueline Grant ordered Jessica Barnes Ferland to serve between 125 and 157 months in a state correctional facility following the death of 26-year-old Jaquan Devaughen Bowen.
The sentence was handed down after Ferland reached a plea agreement with the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office, pleading guilty to one count of second-degree murder.
The incident took place on October 3, 2024, at a residence on Laurel Loop in West Asheville. Asheville Police Department officers responded to reports of a shooting at approximately 12:34 a.m., where they discovered Bowen suffering from a gunshot wound to the temple.
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According to police reports, Ferland was found at the scene attempting to provide medical aid by holding paper towels to the wound. Bowen was transported to Mission Hospital, where he died the following day.
Criminal investigators determined that the shooting occurred during a dispute regarding a custody case involving Ferland’s children. Prosecutors stated that the couple had been consuming alcohol when an argument began over an affidavit Bowen had written in support of Ferland’s ex-husband. The document reportedly questioned Ferland’s parenting abilities.
During the confrontation, Ferland retrieved a .22-caliber pistol. Prosecutors alleged that Ferland intended to intimidate Bowen when she first pointed the gun at his head and pulled the trigger. The weapon initially dry-fired.
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When she pulled the trigger a second time, the firearm discharged. Ferland’s defense attorney, Sam Snead, stated that his client believed the 60-year-old revolver was unloaded during both attempts.
Following her arrest, Ferland told detectives in a post-Miranda interview that the shooting was accidental. She stated that she did not intend to kill Bowen but wanted him to understand the emotional distress she was experiencing regarding the custody battle.
The District Attorney’s Office confirmed that the decision to accept a plea for second-degree murder, rather than pursuing the original first-degree murder charge, was made after consulting with Bowen’s family.
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