FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MENTALLY ILL WOMAN TO STAND TRIAL FOR HATE CRIME MURDER

Marie Elise West-Bowman is scheduled to begin her murder trial tomorrow October 21, 2004 at the criminal courts building in Downtown LA, department 108. Mrs. West-Bowman has already been declared by Judge Michael Luros mentally incompetent to stand trial. Yet, the District Attorney has steadfastly insisted that Ms. Bowman, in spite of all the evidence, is competent to stand trial. Al Bowman, Marie Elise-West Bowman’s devoted husband, calls this decision, “an extreme travesty of justice. To take an obviously mentally ill woman and subject her to a murder trial is cruel and unusual punishment.”

Marie Elise West-Bowman was originally charged with a hate crime in the murder of Jesus Placensia on September 1, 2000. According to now questionable police reports, she supposedly uttered a racial slur after being apprehended. Her Husband, who is Latino himself, blames the unfortunate accident on her use of the now banned drug Neurontin, which was recently the subject of a criminal prosecution against it’s manufacturer Pfizer Inc.


Marie Elise West-Bowman is represented by well-known Criminal Defense Attorney Angelyne Gates. You can reach Ms. Gates at (213) 494-4940.

When did it become the responsibility of the District Attorney to decide who is and is not mentally capable of withstanding a criminal trial? The State of California and more physicians than I can count have determined Marie Elise West-Bowman mentally ill. Yet, the District Attorney chooses to ignore these opinions and spend valuable taxpayer dollars proceeding with a trial, in which the end result will be the same; Marie Elise is mentally ill...
I have witnessed her personal struggle with this illness throughout the past 14 years. During this time she has reached out to multitudes of professionals who have prescribed numerous medications with a variety of different dosages. With each new medication or dosage she held hope that she would return to be the bright, beautiful young women she once was.
Prior to her diagnosis of Bipolar Manic Depressive Syndrome, Marie Elise was a smart energetic advocate for people from all walks of life. She believed in people's rights and wanted desperately to be an attorney, so that she could be the voice of those who could not be heard. Ironically, she struggles to this day to have her own voice heard.
The fact that a man is now dead as a result of her illness is extremely unfortunate and I share in sympathy for his family. Compounding tragedy, Marie Elise is now under prosecution for a crime she herself does not understand how it came to be....
I continue to pray daily that she will someday have peace in her own mind.

When did it become the responsibility of the District Attorney to decide who is and is not mentally capable of withstanding a criminal trial? The State of California and more physicians than I can count have determined Marie Elise West-Bowman mentally ill. Yet, the District Attorney chooses to ignore these opinions and spend valuable taxpayer dollars proceeding with a trial, in which the end result will be the same; Marie Elise is mentally ill...
I have witnessed her personal struggle with this illness throughout the past 14 years. During this time she has reached out to multitudes of professionals who have prescribed numerous medications with a variety of different dosages. With each new medication or dosage she held hope that she would return to be the bright, beautiful young women she once was.
Prior to her diagnosis of Bipolar Manic Depressive Syndrome, Marie Elise was a smart energetic advocate for people from all walks of life. She believed in people's rights and wanted desperately to be an attorney, so that she could be the voice of those who could not be heard. Ironically, she struggles to this day to have her own voice heard.
The fact that a man is now dead as a result of her illness is extremely unfortunate and I share in sympathy for his family. Compounding tragedy, Marie Elise is now under prosecution for a crime she herself does not understand how it came to be....
I continue to pray daily that she will someday have peace in her own mind.