Asheville Woman Who Killed Boyfriend for Siding with Her Ex-Husband in Custody Battle, Learns Her Fate

A 42-year-old Asheville woman will spend at least a decade behind bars for fatally shooting her boyfriend after he sided with her ex-husband in a custody dispute over their children.

Buncombe County Superior Judge Jacqueline Grant sentenced Jessica Barnes Ferland to serve 125 to 157 months in a state correctional facility over the 2024 killing of 26-year-old Jaquan Devaughen Bowen.

According to a press release from the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office, Grant handed down the sentence after Ferland reached a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder. She had initially been charged with first-degree murder.

Before the Shooting Bowen and Ferland Argued About Affidavit He Wrote in Support of Her Ex-Husband, Which Raised Questions About Her Parenting

Officers with the Asheville Police Department at about 12:34 a.m. on Oct. 3, 2024, responded to reports of a shooting in the 100 block of Laurel Loop in West Asheville, which is about 125 miles northwest of Charlotte. When first responders arrived on scene, they found Bowen, suffering from a gunshot wound the side of the head.

Ferland, identified as Bowen’s girlfriend, was “holding paper towels to his head in an effort to staunch the bleeding” when police first entered the home. Officers began lifesaving procedures before medics transported Bowen to nearby Mission Hospital with “life-threatening injuries.” He died the following day.

The investigation determined that just before the shooting, Ferland and Bowen were on her porch arguing about Bowen’s involvement in Ferland’s legal dispute over custody of her children. Investigators said both had consumed alcohol that evening.

“The dispute involved an affidavit Bowen had written in support of Ferland’s ex-husband’s custody case, which questioned Ferland’s parenting,” prosecutors wrote in the release.

“Seeking to intimidate Bowen, Ferland retrieved a .22-caliber pistol and pointed it at his head and pulled the trigger. The weapon initially dry-fired, prompting Bowen to shrug in response. Enraged, Ferland pulled the trigger a second time, and the gun discharged, striking Bowen in the temple.” A dry fire means there is no bullet in the gun’s chamber when the trigger is pulled.

Ferland Claimed the Shooting was ‘Accidental

After the shooting, Ferland called 911 and remained at the home until authorities arrived. In a post-Miranda interview with detectives, Ferland insisted that the shooting was “accidental,” claiming she “did not intend to kill Bowen.” Rather, Ferland said she just wanted Bowen to “take her seriously and to understand her grief in losing custody of her children.”

Sam Snead, Ferland’s defense attorney, argued that his client believed the 60-year-old revolver was not loaded both times she pulled the trigger. The DA’s office said it only reached the plea agreement with Ferland after consultation with the victim’s family.