An Arlington man who shot and killed a man in a Buckingham apartment was sentenced to 33 years in state prison yesterday (Monday).
James Ray Williams, 42, received 30 years for the murder of Sean “Malik” Bowman in 2023. He also received a three-year sentence for the use of a firearm during the commission of a felony, in addition to another seven years because he was on probation when he committed these crimes.
“This sentence cannot undo the pain caused by Mr. Bowman’s loss to his family and community,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti said. “Malik’s life mattered and was unjustly taken from him. We are grateful to the jurors for their service and to the Court for rendering this sentence.”
Prosecutors had argued for a 40-year sentence for second-degree murder, the maximum allowed under the law.
A jury found Williams guilty in June after a four-day trial concerning a killing at an apartment in the early morning hours of March 25, 2023.
“During the night, Mr. Williams, a known drug dealer in the area, entered the apartment while Mr. Bowman was sleeping,” Dehghani-Tafti said in a June press release. “Witnesses testified that Williams searched Bowman’s pockets, accusing him of stealing drugs. Williams then drew a firearm from his jacket and shot Bowman twice—once in the cheek and once in the temple.”
A maintenance worker discovered Bowman inside the residence several days later.
In a sentencing memorandum, Deputy Public Defender Allison Carpenter argued that Williams should receive a lighter sentence because of his troubled background.
“Mr. Williams — who has a well-documented history both of substance use disorder and attempts at recovery dating back to being a victim of sexual abuse in early childhood — would not have been implicated in… the killing of Sean Bowman were it not for a pattern of out-of-control drug use,” she wrote.
Williams intends to appeal.
Photo via Joe Gratz/Flickr
