THE HEADLINE PICTURE IS BLAKE BOWEN. A VERY GREAT HUSBAND, FATHER, FRIEND AND HARD WORKING BUSINESSMAN.
DOTHAN: This morning a preliminary hearing was held before the Honorable Benjamin Lewis, Presiding District Court Judge for Houston County. The case was the State of Alabama verses Michael Tywain Taylor of Newton.
Taylor was arrested by Dothan Police Criminal Investigator Cpl. Spivey on January 30, 2026. Taylor was arrested and charged with Capital Murder, a death penalty offense, in the murder of Blake Bowen.
Today’s Preliminary Hearing was presented by 20th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Russ Goodman and Defense Attorney’s, court appointed, Lee Knowles of Geneva and David Baker of Andalusia.
Dothan Police Cpl. Spivey, a violent crimes Criminal Investigator, was the only witness called. Spivey testified the initial call came out as a motor vehicle accident with injuries. The accident was in the pond area in front of Double Tree By Hilton, 2740 Ross Clark Circle. Some five minutes from dispatch Dothan Fire Department arrived on the scene. The Toyota Tacoma truck was in the pond. Dothan Fireman entered the water and opened the driver’s door to check the victim. There was blood present and the Dothan Fireman quickly realized the driver, Blake Bowen, had been shot, Dothan Fireman quickly closed the vehicle door, informing the Dothan Police Officers the driver had been shot and backed away from the vehicle as to not contaminate the crime scene.
Testimony was Dothan Police Patrol Sgt. Terry Nelson notified Cpl. Spivey who immediately responded to the scene. Witnesses began being located and iinformation obtained. The witness accounts a blakc male, with a black leater jacket with red letter across the jacket and a red tobiggin fled the vehicle, tripped as he was running, picked the item up, which was beleived to be the firearm, and ran across the parking lot between the motel and Carmax.
The area became saturated by Dothan Police, Houston County Sheriff Deputies in the area behind the motel and Car Max. Dothan Police began gathering intelligence where they had Bowen’s vehicle traveling east on Highway 52, then north on Ross Clark Circle to the area where the vehicle left the eastside of the circle traveling into the pond. The photographic evidence showed two people in the truck.
Prior to the murder, Bowen had traveled to Lowe’s on Ross Clark Circle and Highway 52, then to Hardee’s on Highway 84 West where he got breakfast, to Brannon Stand, then south on Highway 605. It is believed that Bowen then traveled to Trawick Road to just inside Geneva County to the trailer park he had just constructed.
While at the trailer park Bowen met with some tenants and collected some deposits and rent payment. And that is where he and Taylor encountered. Taylor had asked for a ride.
Spivey said photographic evidence of Taylor walking on Ross Clark Circle from the motel where he was living. The photographic evidence depicted Taylor with the black leather jacket. Taylor was seeking a ride back to the motel where he was living.
Following the truck jumping the drive of the motel and a splash into the pond and coming to rest on the eastside of the pond, Taylor ran from the right door of Bowen’s truck. Bowen had suffered one gunshot wound. There was vomit in the truck on Bowen and his door but none on Bowen’s face or upper clothing. The vomit is suspected to have come from Taylor. The evidence was gathered and sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Science and no reports have come back as of this date.
Citizens came forward with camera footage in the subdivisions behind the crime scene. Some of that footage identifed Taylor. About three hours after the initial crime occured Dothan Police Patrol spotted Taylor at Stoneridge and Fortner Street. The officer bailed out immediately with Taylor and he was taken into custody. Dothan Police found in a drainpipe the black jacket with red writing and the tobiggin along with the firearm.
After Taylor was at Criminal Investigation Division and questioned his statement was some people robbed him and beat him up during his walk from the motel to Highway 52 and west on Highway 52. Taylor is reported to have said they took his jacket and tobbigin. However Cpl. Spivey testified some persons at the trailer park identifed Taylor from a photo line up.
Taylor’s phone was taken and so far the lock code has not been able to be broken.
Defense Attorney’s asked about some forensic analysis results. Spivey testified those have not been sent back to Dothan Police by Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, which is not unusual. It takes months to get data back from Forensic.
After direct testimony from Russ Goodman and cross examination testimony by Lee Knowles and David Baker, both sides rested. The Honorable Benjamin Leiws then announced he found probable cause and bound the case over the a Houston County Grand Jury.
In Alabama, felony cases made from an initial arrest, the defendant has 30 days from arrest to request a preliminary hearing. This case, the preliminary hearing had been continued is why so long from arrest until the preliminary hearing.
A preliminary hearing is basically, a crime was probably committed and the person charged probably did it. The rules of evidence and required testimony are not strict as they would be in an actual trial. If the Judge finds sufficient evidence probably cause exits, the Judge binds it over the Grand Jury.
From this point the case, a Houston County Grand Jury of 18 people, in secret will hear testimony. While the accused has the right to testify to Grand Jury, the accused legal counsel is not allowed to be in the room but the prosecutor is allowed. Most defendants do not testify in Grand Jury proceedings.
After the testimony the members of the Grand Jury, without the prosecutor in the room, the grnd jurors take a vote to issue an indictment, no bill ( throw out ) the case, or continue for more information.
If indicted, the case travels from District Court to Circuit Court. There an arraignment will be held in a formal reading of the indictment if the defendant desires or given a copy of the indictment. The case is then set for trial.
Because this is a death penalty case, there will be tons of motions and hearings before a trial.
