BANGOR, Maine — A judge rejected a plea agreement Monday that called for a Bangor man to serve nine years of a 22-year prison sentence for stabbing another man last June, leaving the victim without sight in one eye.
“I think a 22-year underlying sentence is perfectly reasonable and consistent with the crime and the previous record,” District Court Judge Gregory Campbell said during the scheduled sentencing of Anthony Bowie at the Penobscot Judicial Center. “The problem is the nine years [to serve] given the seriousness of the crime and the tremendous victim impact on Mr. [Adam] Morin. It’s not sufficient.”
“The court cannot accept this plea,” Campbell said later to Penobscot County Deputy District Attorney Michael Roberts and Bowie’s defense attorney Aaron Frey, who brokered the deal.
Bowie, 25, is charged with elevated aggravated assault in connection with the June 19 stabbing at the junction of Warren and Sanford streets in Bangor that left Morin in serious condition after being wounded in the abdomen and the head.
Campbell made his decision after hearing Monday from Morin, as well as the victim’s wife, Misty Morin, and his mother.
The judge withdrew the guilty plea Bowie entered on Feb. 5 and scheduled his trial for mid-April.
Roberts and Frey both made statements in court in support of the plea agreement, with Roberts saying the proposed sentence is “in the ballpark” of post-trial sentences for similar crimes. Frey also said if the case went to trial, he would contest who in the fight was the “primary actor” since his client left the party and was followed by Adam Morin.
Roberts also said that Bowie has been diagnosed with mental health issues, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a mood disorder and impulsiveness disorder, and that he was not taking his medications at the time of the stabbing.
“I love him, but he’s changed,” Morin’s wife said of her husband. “Everything is different. Little things set him off.”
Her once outgoing, fun-loving husband is gone, she said.
“He can’t work. He can’t sing, and I don’t know if he’ll ever be able to drive again,” said Morin’s wife, who said she works full time and quit her second job to care for her husband.
She said her husband forgets where she is, so will call her often when she’s working. He also makes repeated calls to his mother, who has moved to the area to help care for her son.
“I don’t know why he stabbed me,” Morin said to Campbell, with his wife standing beside him in court. “I followed him into the street to get him to calm down.”
Bowie, who has a lengthy criminal history, did not make a statement before Campbell made his decision to decline the plea agreement.
“We love you Anthony,” Bowie’s mom said loudly as court ended.
If convicted of elevated aggravated assault in connection with the June stabbing, Bowie could face up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000. He returned to the Penobscot County Jail after court ended.