It has been 26 years since the knifeman showed up at the Manassas home of Virginia state Trooper Johnny Rush Bowman and fatally stabbed the law enforcement officer, but police still are still receiving tips about his unsolved slaying. Police are hoping that new information and modern technology will help lead them to the killer.
“Over time people change. There are people out there that know exactly what happened to Trooper Bowman, and we are encouraging those people to call in and cooperate,” said Virginia State Police Special Agent Michael B. Elliott.
Elliott is confident that the case will be solved. In 2005, a task force of Prince William County prosecutors and state and Manassas police was formed to pursue new leads. Evidence is being analyzed by labs, and the task force has received several call-in tips in the last year, and they are hoping to receive more.
Bowman, 31, was attacked Aug. 19, 1984. He was home with his wife, their 2-year-old daughter, and Bowman’s brother and his wife, who were visiting for the weekend.
At 4:15 a.m., someone rang the doorbell and Bowman answered the door. The attacker stabbed the trooper multiple times. Bowman’s wife screamed for help and dialed 911. Bowman’s brother, Bobby, appeared at the top of the stairs and yelled down at the assailant. The attacker fled on foot.
The slaying touched off one of the most extensive investigations in state history.
The crime has had some odd twists. In 1986, it was revealed that authorities had focused on another member of the state police, a close friend of Bowman’s named Perry L. Worrell. Worrell was put on administrative leave and left the agency shortly after Bowman’s death.
In 2006, a Fairfax County man was accused of threatening a special agent investigating Bowman’s death after members of the task force contacted the man’s son-in-law.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Bowman Homicide Task Force at 703-803-2637. The caller can remain anonymous.
