Modesto man denied parole in 2001 case of attempted murder, Stanislaus DA reports
A Modesto man convicted in a 2001 case of attempted murder has been denied parole, the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office reports.
Gary Charles Bowlin, now 41, was sentenced to 29 years, eight months, in state prison for his attack with David Ramos on victim Ken Watkins in Modesto on Oct. 1 of that year.
The men went to Watkins’ home over a disagreement, confronted him at his door and shot him with a shotgun as he turned to call 911, the DA’s Office said in a news release. Watkins needed repeated hospitalization and several surgeries and suffered permanent injury.
A Bee article at the time of the crime said both attackers fired through a metal security door. Ramos used a sawed-off shotgun, putting more than 100 pellets in Watkins’ back, while Bowlin fired four shots from a semiautomatic assault rifle. The bullets missed Watkins and got lodged in the walls of the house.
Since being incarcerated, Bowlin joined a prison gang known as a “White Crip” and amassed numerous violations of prison rules, including participating in gang riots, fighting, sexual misconduct and possessing a metal shank, according to the DA’s Office.
At the parole hearing, Deputy District Attorney John Goold cited “Bowlin’s lack of credibility, as shown by his evasive statements during the hearing that minimized his involvement in absolutely every negative incident in his file,” according to a news release. Goold also argued that Bowlin continues to pose a danger to the community if released.
At the conclusion of the hearing, the Board denied parole for five years. This was Bowlin’s first parole hearing since being sentenced in 2003.
This story was originally published February 20, 2020 at 8:29 AM.
