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Inset: Jessica B. Ferland (Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office). Background: The street in North Carolina where Ferland killed her boyfriend Jaquan Devaughen Bowen (Google Maps).
A 41-year-old woman from North Carolina is facing a minimum of ten years behind bars after fatally shooting her boyfriend. The incident occurred following a dispute where he supported her ex-husband in a custody battle involving their children.
In Buncombe County Superior Court, Judge Jacqueline Grant sentenced Jessica Barnes Ferland to serve between 125 and 157 months in a state prison for the 2024 killing of 26-year-old Jaquan Devaughen Bowen, as per official statements.
The Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office revealed that the sentence was issued following Ferland’s agreement with prosecutors, where she admitted guilt to a charge of second-degree murder, reducing her initial first-degree murder charge.
On October 3, 2024, around 12:34 a.m., Asheville Police Department officers responded to a reported shooting at the 100 block of Laurel Loop in West Asheville, approximately 125 miles from Charlotte. Upon arrival, they discovered Bowen with a gunshot wound to his head.
Ferland, identified as Bowen’s girlfriend, was found applying paper towels to his wound in an attempt to control the bleeding when authorities arrived. Officers initiated emergency medical procedures before Bowen was transported to Mission Hospital with critical injuries.
The investigation determined that just before the shooting, Ferland and Bowen were on her porch arguing about Bowen’s role in Ferland’s legal dispute over custody of her children. Investigators said both had consumed alcohol that evening.
“The dispute involved an affidavit Bowen had written in support of Ferland’s ex-husband’s custody case, which questioned Ferland’s parenting,” prosecutors wrote in the release. “Seeking to intimidate Bowen, Ferland retrieved a .22-caliber pistol and pointed it at his head and pulled the trigger. The weapon initially dry-fired, prompting Bowen to shrug in response. Enraged, Ferland pulled the trigger a second time, and the gun discharged, striking Bowen in the temple.”
A dry fire means there is no bullet in the gun’s chamber when the trigger is pulled.
After the shooting, Ferland called 911 and remained at the home until authorities arrived.
In a post-Miranda interview with detectives, Ferland insisted that the shooting was “accidental,” claiming she “did not intend to kill Bowen.” Rather, Ferland said she just wanted Bowen to “take her seriously and to understand her grief in losing custody of her children.”
Sam Snead, Ferland’s defense attorney, contended that his client believed the 60-year-old revolver was not loaded both times she pulled the trigger, the Citizen Times reported.
One day after the shooting, Bowen succumbed to his injury and was pronounced dead.
The DA’s office said it only reached the plea agreement with Ferland after consultation with the victim’s family.