District Attorney Warren Montgomery announced that on Wednesday, 43-year-old Oren Rapp Bowens, from Slidell, pleaded guilty mid-trial, to manslaughter, possession with intent to distribute heroin, distribution of heroin, and possession of buprenorphine.
Bowen was on trial for the death of a woman prosecutors say overdosed on heroin she and her boyfriend bought from him.
Bowens’ trial began on Monday, but the D.A. says Bowens stopped the trial and pled guilty before his defense began. District Judge William Burris then sentenced Bowens to a total of 50 years in prison on the charges.
On October 19, 2017, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit investigated the death of a Slidell woman which occurred on October 16, 2017.
The victim’s boyfriend purchased heroin from the Bowens in October. The victim and her boyfriend shared the heroin and hours later, the boyfriend found the woman apparently suffering from an overdose and proceeded to take her to the hospital.
The victim died at the hospital after being diagnosed with a brain abscess, which the Coroner's Office said was exacerbated by heroin toxicity, resulting in her death.
