A Cleveland, Tenn., man charged with killing and then robbing his drug supplier last month told detectives he acted in self defense.
Tracy Bowman, 46, said he shot Roger Kelley, 69, with a .22-caliber revolver on Aug. 10 because he thought an armed Kelley was going to shoot him, Robert Rush, a detective with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, said Tuesday in Hamilton County General Sessions Court. Bowman went to Kelley's trailer off Hotwater Road that day to ask for four or five prescription pills "on credit," Rush said. Bowman, however, already owed Kelley a "couple hundred" dollars and his request made Kelley mad, Rush said.
"I don't know if words were exchanged," Rush testified. "He said Roger Kelley pointed a gun to his head. He [Bowman] didn't know if he was going to shoot him or not. He said his finger was on the trigger."
Bowman said he shot Kelley several times as Kelley tried to run down a hallway, Rush said. Bowman knew Kelley had other weapons in a bedroom at the end of the hall and thought Kelley might use them, Rush said. Bowman then arranged the trailer to look like a robbery, took some of Kelley's pills and guns and threw his own revolver off a bridge on the way to Cleveland, Tenn., Rush said.
Kelley was shot seven times, Rush said.
Rush said officers didn't find Kelley's body until Aug. 12, when they received a 911 call. Rush said he didn't see any blood near the alleged spot where Bowman shot Kelley, or notice any signs of struggle. But they did find a ledger of drug transactions opened to a page for "T. Bowman." That, and several interviews with family, friends and neighbors, led them to Bowman, Rush said.
Rush was the only state witness at Tuesday's preliminary hearing, and his testimony convinced Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Christie Sell to send Bowman's criminal homicide and especially aggravated robbery charges to a grand jury. Bowman could face a more specific charge such as second-degree murder or voluntary manslaughter if his case comes out of the grand jury with an indictment and proceeds to Criminal Court.
During the hearing, Assistant Public Defender Jay Underwood sought more details about the investigation: Did officers retrieve surveillance footage from Kelley's place or any neighbors? Did Bowman ever request an attorney during two interviews he did with law enforcement?
Rush said no to both questions. He said he sought a search warrant for Bowman's phone records after Bowman's first interview. The records showed Bowman discussing a drug deal with another man the day after Kelley died, Rush said. It also indicated Bowman was at his parents' house, which conflicted with something he'd told law enforcement during the first interview, Rush said.
Also during the first interview, Rush said Bowman told him the following account: Bowman drove by Kelley's trailer, saw Kelley's girlfriend's car, knew he wasn't supposed to enter and drove to a nearby convenience store for some drinks and snacks. Then he returned to Kelley's place, did 20 or 30 minutes of work trying to fix a DVD player and flip a mattress and left. Bowman told him the .22-caliber revolver was lying on a table, Rush said.
When Bowman spoke to law enforcement a second time on Aug. 22, he said he brought the revolver and mentioned the self defense, Rush said. Bowman remains in custody on a $1 million bond, which Sell declined to lower Tuesday.
Contact staff writer Zack Peterson at zpeterson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6347. Follow him on Twitter @zackpeterson918.