A vice mayor in Florida who made history as her city’s first Black woman and first Haitian American female commissioner was found dead in her bedroom, covered with blankets and dark trash bags, after being shot three times by her spouse, who told family members he “couldn’t take it anymore.”
Stephen Bowen, 40, faces charges of first-degree murder and evidence tampering in the death of his wife, Nancy Metayer Bowen, 38, who served as vice mayor of Coral Springs, Florida. Officials discovered her remains on April 1 following reports from concerned coworkers that she failed to attend municipal meetings planned that day.
The grim discovery came during a welfare check at the couple’s home in the 800 block of Northwest 127th Avenue. That morning, Commission Relationship Manager Luwam Ghermay texted Bowen to ask where his wife was after she missed a 9 a.m. commission meeting with Coral Springs Police Chief Brad Mock.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Bowen had killed his wife the night before. A neighbor reported seeing Metayer walking her dog around midnight, likely only hours before she was killed.
When officers arrived at about 10:20 a.m., they observed exterior damage consistent with gunfire. Bowen’s parents, who came to the scene shortly after, told detectives their son had said he experienced a panic episode at work the previous afternoon. His mother said she was unaware of any marital issues between them.
A major development came when officers received a 1:51 p.m. emergency call from Bowen’s uncle, Owen Small. He said his nephew had appeared at his home around 10 a.m. that day and admitted to doing “something” to his wife, saying she “was not alive.”
The probable cause affidavit states Small told detectives Bowen shot her three times with a shotgun the previous night and later lay down on the lower level.
Officers tracked Bowen’s F-150 to a parking lot in Plantation, where they saw him hand a bag resembling a gun case to another man. That person, later identified as Leslie Washington Jr., told detectives the two were Freemasons meeting to plan an upcoming event. Washington said Bowen also gave him ammunition containers and had removed the vehicle’s license plate.
Bowen was arrested at 2:35 p.m. on April 1. Washington overheard him say, “Oh ****, they’re here for me,” as officers took him into custody. Bowen immediately invoked his right to an attorney.
Inside the home, investigators found Metayer Bowen’s body on a bed in the upstairs primary bedroom. Detectives also recovered three shotgun shell casings, a scorched cushion, and a cord fashioned as an improvised silencer.
The 38-year-old made history in 2020 as Coral Springs’ first Black female and first Haitian American elected official. She was re-elected unopposed in 2024 and served as vice chair of the Florida Democratic Party. She had been preparing to announce a primary challenge against indicted Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick for Florida’s 20th Congressional District on April 2 — the same day her body was found. She had also recently buried her brother Joshua, 26, who died by suicide in December after battling schizophrenia; he survived the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) expressed his sorrow, calling Metayer Bowen “one of the nicest people” he’d worked with and saying she was “always fighting for her community.”
The city released a tribute calling her “more than a public servant” and “a light in our community” whose “leadership was grounded in compassion, strength, and an unwavering commitment to others.”
Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen said she “served her community with dedication and heart” and that her influence “will be felt across Broward County.”
Metayer Bowen’s family called her a “cherished member of our family” and “a sister, a daughter, and a friend whose warmth and laughter filled every room.”
Stephen Bowen is being held at Broward Main Jail without bail on the murder charge and faces an additional $50,000 bond for the evidence-tampering count.
On April 6, the Broward County Public Defender’s Office filed a motion to withdraw from representing Bowen, saying it was “ethically precluded” because several staff members had personal and professional ties to Metayer Bowen. The filing said continued representation would violate Bowen’s right to effective counsel and a fair trial. Court records also show Bowen has been declared indigent, leaving his future legal representation unresolved.