Two Claim Beating Death Accidental Roberts, Strange Charged With Clubbing Mildly Retarded Man With Baseball Bat

Two men charged with beating to death 23-year-old Tim Cowen this summer insisted during their first day of trial Monday the killing was an accident.

Prosecutors have charged 17-year-old Nathaniel Roberts and 21-year-old Curtis Strange with first-degree murder for clubbing Cowen to death with a baseball bat during an Aug. 13 confrontation in Mission Park.

Strange, like Cowen, is considered mildly retarded. Each man regarded the other as his “best friend,” said Roberts’ defense attorney Doug Boe.

The killing happened while Strange, Cowen and Roberts met in the park before midnight.

Cowen had demanded earlier in the day that Strange meet him in the park to repay about $60 he owed him, according to Strange’s defense attorney, Tom Krzyminski.

Roberts and Strange have asked for a nonjury trial in front of Superior Court Judge Paul Bastine. Roberts’s defense attorney, Douglas Boe, said he is arguing “a technical defense” that he felt a jury might misconstrue.

Roberts admits striking Cowen in the head with the bat, but he argues that he had no intention of killing him, Boe said.

He is arguing that at most Roberts should be convicted of second-degree felony murder - killing someone during the commission of a different crime.

Strange insists he is innocent, saying he agreed to meet Cowen in the park that night but didn’t know Roberts would attack Cowen.

Roberts was not a close friend of either man but was staying at the home of Strange’s aunt.

Someone reportedly stole $20 from the aunt’s home two weeks before the assault. She said she believed Cowen was the likely culprit.

Roberts, who felt he owed the aunt something for staying there, agreed to confront Cowen over that money, Boe said in opening statements.

The night of the killing, Strange agreed to meet with Cowen in the park. He invited Roberts to come along. Roberts took along the bat, telling Strange it was “for protection.”

The three men gathered near the tennis courts and discussed first the $60 Strange owed Cowen, then the $20 Strange accused Cowen of stealing.

At that point, Cowen allegedly said, “What are you going to do about it?” Krzyminski said.

Cowen then stood up from a park bench, holding one hand in his pocket, Boe told the judge.

“Then Nathaniel started to hit on Tim,” Boe added. Boe said Roberts struck Cowen at least six times in the head.