Two teenagers were formally indicted by an Orange County grand jury last week on murder and robbery charges in connection with the shooting death of an Orlando man.
The fatal shooting occurred in the early morning hours on Thursday, March 21, 2024, in the 4400 block of Watch Hill Road in Orlando. According to the Orlando Police Department, officers responded to the area after receiving reports of shots being fired.
When officers arrived on scene, they found an adult male victim, identified as 50-year-old Robert George Bowen, in the driveway of his residence. He had sustained multiple gunshot wounds, and officers administered aid until paramedics arrived on scene.
Bowen was then transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
OPD launched an investigation into the fatal shooting, which allegedly revealed that two suspects – 19-year-old Kendrion Dow and then-16-year-old Justin Copeland – had approached the victim in his driveway.
The indictment alleges that Dow and Copeland proceeded to shoot the victim. One of the suspects then allegedly removed the victim’s wallet from his pocket.
After the fatal shooting, the deceased victim received several fraud notifications regarding financial transactions that were being attempted with his debit card. OPD detectives eventually linked those transactions to Dow and Copeland, which led to both suspects being placed under arrest for the victim’s murder.
On Wednesday, September 25, 2024, prosecutors presented “sufficient evidence” to a grand jury to secure indictments against Dow and Copeland. At the time of the shooting, Copeland was 16 years old, but he is being charged as an adult.
Both suspects have been charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery. In addition, the grand jury also indicted Dow for unlawful possession of a stolen credit/debit card.
An arraignment hearing for Dow and Copeland will be held on Monday, October 7, 2024, according to Orange County Court records.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.