Dirty Ex-Cop "Accidentally" Killed

Dirty ex-cop Jerry Bowens: I 'accidentally' killed girlfriend Catherine Donofrio
The New York Daily News by Scott Shifrel - March 20, 2009

A jealous dirty ex-cop claimed he was "in a trance" and on the verge of suicide when he "accidentally" killed his girlfriend and wounded her best friend, it was revealed Friday. The chilling, self-serving statement was released as Jerry Bowens was arraigned on murder and other charges in the March 8 shooting of gal pal Catherine Donofrio and Melissa Simmons. "When I lifted up the gun, it accidentally went off, striking Catherine in the head," Jerry Bowens told investigators after he was arrested. "Melissa swung her hand and the gun went off again, striking me in the left forearm," he told cops. "I don't remember anything after that except that I began shooting into the bathroom and then ran out of the apartment," he said. When he called cops to surrender hours later, he said: "It's Jerry Bowens ... I'm the one who shot the two girls. Are they all right?" Bowens had nothing to say Friday as his pajama-clad image was beamed into a Brooklyn courtroom from the Bellevue psychiatric ward.

Lawyer Wayne Bodden pleaded not guilty for Bowens and requested a mental examination for his client. Bowens' previous lawyer, Edward Mandery, was taken off the case after prosecutors said he was on a death list Bowens kept. When Donofrio was killed, Mandery had been representing Bowens in a drug scandal involving four other Brooklyn narcotics cops. Bowens pleaded guilty, was kicked off the force and was set to testify against his former colleagues when he went into a jealous rage at Simmons' apartment, cops said. "We had an argument regarding where she had spent the night," Bowens told police, according to the statement. "I threatened to kill myself and pulled out my gun and cocked the hammer and placed it on my side." Bowens said he accidentally shot both women and fled. "I remember seeing Melissa outside screaming about someone being shot in the building, but I didn't know who she was talking about," he said. Simmons miraculously survived despite being shot in the head. Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice John Walsh ordered a psychiatric exam to see whether Bowens is mentally fit to stand trial. sshifrel@nydailynews.com