Spokane man sentenced to 11 years for killing mother

A Spokane man charged with killing his mother in 2016 has accepted a plea deal.

According to the plea agreement, filed on Nov. 15 in Spokane County Superior Court, Peter Bowman, 36, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He faced a sentence of 11 to 19 years in prison. A judge sentenced him to the minimum prison sentence, and he will be credited for time he already has served. Bowman will be on probation for 36 months after he is released.

Bowman killed his mother, Janet Bowman, on April 19, 2016, at their South Hill home. He called 911 the same night, screaming that he had killed his mom.

When police arrived and placed Bowman under arrest, he told them, “The voices in my head told me to do it,” according to court documents. Police found Janet Bowman dead with blunt-force trauma to her head. They also found cleaning supplies that appeared to have been used in an attempt to clean the scene.

Bowman was sent to Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake in June 2016.

Bowman has a long history of mental disorder, criminal activity and drug abuse, according to court documents.

Records indicate he has suffered from multiple concussions and “been knocked unconscious four or five times,” as he reportedly told doctors.

Bowman was hospitalized multiple times from 2010 to 2012 and attempted suicide more than three times, court documents state. He was also using methamphetamine on and off during that time.

He was arrested at 17 for third-degree theft, and has three felony charges as an adult, including possession of a controlled substance and third-degree assault.

Editor’s note: This story was changed on Nov. 29, 2018 to correct errors about Bowman’s sentence.