Elkhart man charged with killing, setting victim's body on fire sees first day of trial
Feb. 20—GOSHEN — Jurors were selected Monday for the trial of Austin Bowlin, 38, who is charged with the killing of Jeffrey Crapo March 1, 2020.
According to court documents, Bowlin is charged with shooting Crapo dead, then, along with Ashley Perkins, driving through Michigan for three days before lighting the car, with Crapo's body in it, on fire in Jackson, Mich.
According to his public defender Matthew Johnson, Bowlin has already pled guilty to arson in Michigan, but a jury trial is taking place in Elkhart County Circuit Court to determine his guilt or innocence for the murder, which is believed to have occurred in Elkhart near C.R. 6.
Crapo's family initially reported him missing March 2, and the car, along with his body, was found March 4 with multiple gunshot wounds.
During the first day of the trial, only prosecution brought out its first witness, Detective Sergeant Jay Barkely with the Michigan State Police at the Jackson Post.
Barkley recounted to the court the events of March 4, and that police had contacted him regarding a vehicle fire with human remains inside at Sandstone Road, about a mile north of I-94. Due to the extensive damage to the vehicle, the VIN number was not easily discernible, but officers were able to ascertain that the vehicle was a Hyundai Genesis. Later in the day, an auto theft team recovered the VIN number and determined the car belonged to a missing Elkhart man, Crapo.
Barkley contacted Elkhart Police Department for more information on the circumstances surrounding the missing persons' report. He was directed to the Baymont Inn, 3010 Brittany Court, where the trio of Bowlin, Crapo, and Perkins had rented a room the night before his disappearance under Crapo's name.
Elkhart County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Lucas Shoemake told the jury during opening statements that multiple people testified and would testify in the courtroom of seeing the body in the car with Bowlin and he threatened them to keep quiet. Perkins, who was in the car during the shooting, told police that she was forced to help move Crapo's body from the front seat to the back seat following the shooting, and admitted that she drove with him to several places in Indiana and Michigan including to pick up camping lighter fluid, and eventually escaped in Detroit, go to her sister's house. Bowlin also met up with Nichole Paulson who later followed him to the wood where he light the car on fire with Crapo's body in it.
While public defense attorney Matthew Johnson does not intend to argue the arson charge, he suggested to the jury that it was Perkins who actually shot and killed Crapo.
"Ashley had been trying to get Jeff to give her money for at least a day," he claimed. "She ultimately got that money. We know that because she went into a gas station later and got brass knuckles and a knife."
He also claimed during opening statements that Perkins convinced Bowlin to drive her to her sister's house in Detroit, rather than escaping there as she told police.
Defense forfeited cross-examination of Detective Sergeant Barkley ahead of the closing of court Monday. Arguments from the prosecution will continue Tuesday morning.
Dani Messick is the education and entertainment reporter for The Goshen News. She can be reached at dani.messick@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2065.
