THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 22, 1994 TAG: 9409220446
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 34 lines
A jury on Wednesday recommended a 43-year prison sentence for a Newport News man after finding him guilty of the March slaying of a man in Ocean View.
The jurors found Todd Bobby Lowman guilty of second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony after about four hours of deliberation. Lowman, 24, was originally charged with first-degree murder and firearms use. The jury recommended 40 years for second-degree murder and three years for the firearms charge.
Lowman, 24, was charged with the March 18 slaying of 34-year-old Johnny Hall in the 9500 block of 29th Bay Street in East Ocean View. Hall and Lowman were arguing when Hall was shot with a large-caliber handgun, court records show.
A witness who testified that he was a friend of Lowman said the two men had argued in an Ocean View parking lot. Hall drove off in his truck but returned with a baseball bat. Lowman, who was sitting in his car, shot Hall when he came up with the bat, the witness said.
On July 15, Circuit Judge Alfred Whitehurst declared a mistrial during Lowman's original trial after it was revealed that a portion of a statement Lowman had made to detectives was not handed over to his defense attorney.
KEYWORDS: MURDER SHOOTING TRIAL VERDICT by CNB