(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department)
A 37-year-old Kenosha Man was supposed to stand trial on September 23, 2024, for the alleged attempted murder of his girlfriend by setting her on fire with lighter fluid as she slept. The trial, unfortunately for the victim and her family, was abruptly canceled.
Myron Faith Bowie, 37, of Kenosha was alleged to have poured lighter fluid on his girlfriend as she slept and lit her body on fire. She was very badly injured, but fortunately, survived after being taken to the hospital via flight-for-life. Bowie had burned this victim in the past and there was overwhelming evidence of his guilt. The next day, on July 31, 2023, Deputy District Attorney, and candidate for DA, Carli McNeill charged Bowie with Attempted 1st Degree Intentional Homicide. She later added multiple serious felonies, including Mayhem, and five counts of Second Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety for endangering the children in the house at the time. He faces close to 150 years in the Wisconsin Prison System.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Even with an almost certain guilty verdict on the horizon, McNeill tried to cheat. Fortunately for the rule of law, Bowie’s defense attorneys caught McNeill’s shenanigans. According to the official court transcripts, McNeill intentionally did not turn over evidence to the defense, like photos of the crime scene and other reports out of Cook County, IL.
In addition to addressing other issues, defense attorney Kristyne Watson told the court: “I did want to make an additional record that as I was preparing for this case over the weekend it came to my attention that there’s some additional discovery that has not been turned over… That includes the photos that were done by the fire investigators in this case so those are still an outstanding issue.”
When confronted with her misconduct, McNeill told the judge, “the State does not intend to use [the evidence at trial.]” According to many defense attorneys, McNeill is wrong. This is something that McNeill either knew or should have known, being a prosecutor for 10 years. “This is law school 101,” said a local defense attorney. “The Kenosha DA’s office cheats even when they have slam dunk cases. It’s outrageous.”
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Many Kenosha County judges may have let McNeill get away with her blatant violation of the Brady law. Not Judge Dougvillo. He is fair and gave McNeill a sharp rebuke, saying in part:
“…if the State was aware of those photos, those should have been obtained and provided over to defense. The fact that you’re not using it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t need to be disclosed.”
Judge Dougvillo then adjourned the trial to next year, to give the defense attorneys time to fix McNeill’s deliberate lack of disclosure.
Local defense attorney Michael Cicchini was not familiar with this case, but he has published extensively on prosecutorial misconduct. In the 2007 Seton Hall Law Review, he explained that, with regard to misconduct at trial, the system is set up so that prosecutors are motivated to cheat when their case is both weak and strong. He wrote:
“Under the existing framework, if a prosecutor has a strong case, the misconduct will only make it stronger. There is virtually no risk of reversal because the trial court and reviewing court will simply find that, given the strength of the State’s case, the defendant would have been found guilty even without the misconduct, and therefore denying him a new trial will not prejudice him. If, on the other hand, the prosecutor has a weak case and faces a likely acquittal, the misconduct will once again help the case. In this situation, the misconduct increases the chance of conviction or, even in the rare case of mistrial or reversal, gives the prosecutor a chance at a new trial.”
25 Responses
She looks really smug, doesn’t she ??
This is our next head of the DA’s office ??
Not if my vote counts !!
Vote Solis !!!!!!!!!!
it’s pathetic the judge has to tell Crooked Carli McNeill what the law is. She is a terrible prosecutor and she has to go. She doesn’t know the law. She’s a typical liberal and ignores the law unless it benefits the liberals or herself.
BLDM
What does that mean?
Black Lives Don’t Matter
It is unprofessional conduct for a prosecutor not to disclose potentially exculpatory evidence in its possession. If the evidence was potentially exculpatory and in the state’s possession, it should have been disclosed. Were there Cook County records potentially exculpatory and in the state’s possession? The law requires disclosure of all potentially exculpatory evidence in the state’s possession and that could be something from, say, Eau Claire — not just what’s in the local DA’s file. On the other hand, if the DA has the Cook County records in the file, then disclosure is necessary. But if those records only exist in Illinois and aren’t in the DA’s file, the duty to obtain and turn them over isn’t the same as, say, something that may be in Eau Claire. Nonetheless the Kenosha DA’s office has long had an “open file” policy and by its own policies shares what’s in the file with the defense. Did that not happen here?
Who gets to decide what is an is not exculpatory?
That’s a very tough call. Defendants will say everything is, of course. Prosecutors may think otherwise but can get into trouble if they screw up and don’t turn over something that should have been so that’s why there’s an open file. They can ask a judge to decide what is and what isn’t.
Rather than go through all of that, why not just turn it over? It is, after all, nothing personal or confidential. It sounds like it’s a government-generated report or photographs relating to the case itself.
Solis.
She needs to go, why are we Keeping her, this is again corrupt and not the way the Law is handled, she is another one that things and feels she can do whatever she wishes, this is Bad very Bad something stupid like this could let a guilty person go free. again, why is she still employed, her smug look and body language should be fired on the spot.
Vote well and they will be gone. Give change a chance. Vote Solis!
She looks like a little piggy.
Carli McSqueal!
I hope people will share the link to the story, or at least mention to their friends the track record of the current and proposed future DA’s office in Kenosha. This goes to the very core of what every citizen has to fear in Kenosha.
I would have thrown her ugly mug in jail for not disclosing everything!😜
What would you expect ? This crazy eyed slob learned from an even bigger crook , Mike Gravely.
We cannot let her waddle into this office . Vote Solis !!!
sharp rebuke, saying in part: ????? These are nothing but empty words from an empty robe.
“…if the State was aware of those photos, those should have been obtained and provided over to defense. The fact that you’re not using it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t need to be disclosed.”
the case should have been dismissed
No, Carly should be dismissed, don’t let this guy back out on the street when the problem is Carl.
more wasted dollars because of a for sure grant of an appeal because of this. bunch of clowns working in all govs
No, luckily the judge was made aware and the trial was pushed back, specifically to give the defense time to prepare with the information/documents/whatever the stuff was now included in discovery. So, while an appeal could still be possible for other reasons, it wouldn’t be for lack of disclosing these things. However, it is still tax dollars for more time in the Kenosha court system. And you have to figure, if this man were innocent, the pushing back of the trial has caused him more time sitting in jail. And if he’s guilty (and really either way), has caused the victim and her family more grief having to endure a dragged out trial. So Carli’s screw up has definitely carried consequence. The general public really doesn’t have a clue just how curious the DA’s office really is, and for that I’m really worried she’s going to win.
*corrupt
We need to have a huge turn out and vote Solis!!!
It’s called a Brady Violation. And it is unethical and you can loose your law license over it. I’m not impressed with the Kenosha District Attorney’s Office, based upon my personal experience. Good luck Xavier Solis! It does not matter which side you play for – it’s all about competence and ethical fair play.