HASTINGS, Mich. — A man is now charged in the murder of his estranged wife and the attempted murder of another man.
Ralph Bowling, III was charged Monday with open murder, attempted murder, first degree home invasion and second degree arson following the violent weekend altercation.
In court, Bowling's head hung low as he avoided eye contact with the judge, only briefly looking up to glance toward the victim's father.
The county prosecutor says Bowling entered the home of his wife's mother and step father on Bird Road early Sunday morning. That's where investigators say Bowling shot Nathan Farrell, injuring him.
Farrell was shot in the neck and remains in the hospital.
Bowling then chased his wife Cheyenne from the home, according to investigators, before shooting her in the driveway. He then went back to his home on Coats Grove Road—approximately a 20 minute's drive away—where investigators say he set it on fire.
“Anybody who would chase down an unarmed female—a mother—with a shotgun in the dark and kill her, is not somebody who is going to have a lot of pride in their behavior," said Dan Fighter, Cheyenne's father.
"He’s going to hang his head and try to play like he’s remorseful, he’s not remorseful or he wouldn’t have done it in the first place.”
Bowling was arraigned Monday and is being held on a $1 million bond. He is also ordered to have no contact with his two young children or with Farrell.
Fighter, who spoke to reporters after Monday's court proceedings, told FOX 17 his daughter and son-in-law had an abusive relationship and Cheyenne wanted a divorce.
"She left him, she wouldn’t do what he wanted her to do," Fighter said. "He’s very controlling, he’s been that way since they met and I didn’t approve of it to begin with."
The two had separated and Cheyenne was staying at her mother's home. Fighter said he believed his daughter was being stalked by her husband, but investigators have yet to confirm the validity of those claims.
“He allegedly placed deer cameras up to take pictures of her and other people in the house," Fighter said. "He was taking inappropriate pictures at inappropriate times."
The couple shared a 3-year-old son who is now in the care of relatives, according to the county prosecutor.
Bowling is due back in court June 21.
