Eight months after the death of a 76-year-old man supposedly in their care, two people who lived with him have been charged with murder, authorities said.
Jonathan Lee Barber, 29, and Tiffany Dawn Fountain, 28, are in the Coweta County jail without bond in connection with the May 2017 death of Rollis Nobel Bowman of Newnan, according to jail and sheriff’s records.
They were arrested Wednesday and also are charged with two counts of elder abuse, exploitation and neglect.
Bowman let Barber and Fountain, who rented a house next door, move into his Brandy Lane home rent-free in September 2016, according to Coweta sheriff’s investigators. Bowman needed help with daily activities and had no family nearby.
He also covered food and utility costs for the suspects, investigators said.
However, when Bowman was found dead in his bedroom, he weighed just 110 pounds, much less than the listed weight on his Georgia driver’s license, said sheriff’s officials. They added that Bowman had no pre-existing medical conditions.
The autopsy by GBI Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Jacqueline Martin listed the manner of Bowman’s death as homicide due to neglect.
The death was caused by “acute pneumonia (non-traumatic), dehydration and cachexia,” a form of extreme weight loss, according to the report.
“In my opinion, Mr. Bowman’s basic daily needs and medical care were met with carelessness, in other words, neglected,” according to Martin’s autopsy report.
Bowman also allowed Barber and Fountain to use his ATM card to cover expenses, but investigators say there are $7,000 in withdrawals that can’t be explained.
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