Trooper Johnny Bowman

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It’s been 28 years since Trooper Johnny Rush Bowman opened the front door of his Manassas, VA townhouse to a killer.

Back then, investigators trying to find out who stabbed the 31-year-old Virginia State Police trooper 45 times in his front hallway had no DNA testing, no national crime databases and no worldwide social networks to help in their hunt.

But today, a task force of state police investigators, Manassas police detectives and representatives from the Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office are turning to those things to bring Bowman’s killer to justice.

Keeping the word out through postings on Facebook and the state police website might spark a memory, or guilt, in someone who can help solve the case, they said.

“I think time can change people’s hearts and that’s what I’m looking for,” state police Special Agent Michael Elliott said Thursday, on the 28th anniversary of Bowman’s death. “There are people out there who have the information to solve this case. I believe it’s time to contact me and get it off their chest.”

Bowman, a former Marine and father of a 2-year-old girl, was in bed asleep on Aug. 19, 1984, his daughter next to him, when the doorbell rang at his Bristoe Station townhouse about 4:15 a.m.

His wife, Terri, and brother Bobby Bowman – who was visiting – later told police they heard the man at the door say “I’m with the [expletive] electric company!”

Next came an attack described by detectives at the time as overkill.

Bowman was slashed and stabbed over and over with a knife — in his stomach, upper chest, face, shoulders, back and neck.

His brother tried to stop the attack, but slipped in Johnny Bowman’s blood.

The killer ran, leaving behind aviator sunglasses, an auburn wig and a light brown construction helmet.

In 1986, a fellow state police trooper was named a suspect in the attack but prosecutors said they did not have enough evidence to charge him and the trail grew cold.

In 2005, state police created the now nine-member task force to take another look at Bowman’s death. Members have read through piles of paper in the case files, talked again to witnesses and once again studied the evidence.

It seems likely the man who killed Bowman left behind traces of himself in such a bloody and violent attack, but state police would not discuss what, if any, forensic evidence has been submitted for testing.

Elliott, the lead investigator, also declined to talk about how many new leads the task force has received over the last five years, and how often the group meets.

But he said he believes the best hope in finding Bowman’s killer will come from a tip.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 15th, 2012 at 4:33 pm and is filed under $50,000+, Cold Case, Unsolved Murder, Virginia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.