By Sandra Crenshaw
A jury on last Friday recommended 12 years in the Texas State prison for a Dallas County woman, Alexia Lavon Bowman, one day after she was convicted of fatally shooting the owner of a barbershop in South Dallas.
Bowman, 40,was found guilty on Thursday of murdering Frederick Myers, who was 42 at the time of death. Myers was found shot multiple times, on the morning of Aug. 10, 2019 at the Kingz of Cutz barbershop in the 3100 block of Al Lipscomb Way. He was taken to a hospital and died a few moments later. Myers, who owned the barbershop for 15 years, was well-known in the community because of his Back to School and Christmas Toy Giveaways.
During an emotional sentencing hearing, the jury heard from both family members. “She shot him in cold blood and all she got was manslaughter,” the victim’s family members kept repeating in the hallway. The defense asked for probation and monitoring for the mother of three.
Bowman testified in her defense that she and the victim had an open relationship but that she loved him. The eyewitnesses, including a defense attorney, said that an argument over money preceded the shooting. Bowman, the witnesses testified, said that she told Meyers that he needed to pay her, or she was “about to act a fool in here.” She knocked over some snacks that Meyers had for sale for his customers. Meyers, then according to Bowman and the witnesses, began to hold her by her throat and slammed her up against the wall.
She finally left but then returned 15 minutes later and opened the front door and told Meyers to come outside. He tried to close the door instead, but Bowman pulled a small pistol from her bosom and shot him several times. The whole scene was captured on video security camera and was played before the jury.
Betty Myers-Davis, Fredrick’s mother, told this reporter that “This barbershop meant everything to my son. I knew he would want to keep the store open,” the mother said. “I have owned and managed it ever since his death.” Fred was his mother’s only child.
Jay Vee Burberry, Myer’s cousin, told reporters at the time of the murder that Myers was trying to protect the people in his shop and “saved their lives by giving up his.”
Sandra Crenshaw is a Self Proclaimed Free Lance Reporter from Southern Dallas County. She is known as the Lobbyist for Justice, who also advocates for the mentally ill and homeless.
