SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — 36-year-old Bowen Fladland is charged with first and second degree murder. Attorney General Marty Jackley says Bowen killed his mother, Marlene. She was found dead in the front yard of the home they shared in Clark.
“We are in the process of gathering evidence, items of evidentiary value. There’ll be an autopsy. This was a beheading case,” said Attorney General Marty Jackley.
Bowen has a long arrest history, which includes a 2023 assault. In that case, court documents say he grabbed his mother by the throat and pushed her onto a bed. She says she became light-headed.
The next day, documents say he grabbed her throat again and pushed her against the fridge.
When Marlene managed to escape and hide, she heard him digging through the silverware drawer.
She opened the door to see what he was doing. Court documents say Bowen was holding two butter knives and said he was going to kill her.
In that case, Bowen was convicted of aggravated assault, and received a 10 year suspended sentence… meaning he didn’t have to spend time in prison as long as he didn’t break the law again.
“It is fairly common for us to see in criminal activity when somebody begins a pathway of violence, how it escalates,” said Jackley. “Which is why I feel it’s so important that these issues are addressed early on in a criminal history, that we need to make sure we do everything to keep the public safe.”
Two months ago, Bowen was accused of violating probation and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
“We’ve made the charging decision based upon information at the scene, histories of contacts with law enforcement, that first and second degree murder were appropriate,” said Jackley.
