Suspect faces boot [U.S. cops want to question man about triple slaying]

YELLOWKNIFE -- An American being held in the Northwest Territories has been ordered deported to the United States for questioning in three murders.

At an immigration hearing on Friday, Garrison (Storm) Bowman, 66, of Myodan, N.C., was also ordered held in custody in the Correctional Centre in Yellowknife until his deportation.

U.S. authorities say they want to question Bowman about the shootings of a Virginia couple and their nine-year-old daughter in August.

Canadian immigration spokesman Randy Gurlock said Bowman was being detained "because he has a history of failing to comply with court proceedings in the past."

The deportation will take place once the Crown decides whether to proceed with an impaired driving charge against Bowman laid on Sept. 1 by the RCMP in Fort McPherson, N.W.T.

The bodies of Michael and Mary Short were found Aug. 15 in their home near Bassett, Va. The remains of their daughter, Jennifer Renee Short, were found Sept. 25. All three had been shot in the head.

Police in both Viriginia and North Carolina have said they want to interview Bowman about any information he may have about the shootings.

Gurlock said earlier this week Canadian immigration officials won't take into consideration the death penalty argument because Bowman was considered to be in Canada illegally.

Investigators with Rockingham County, N.C., and Henry County, Va., arrived Thursday in Yellowknife, hoping to interview Bowman.

However, Henry County Sheriff Frank Cassell said they changed their plans after a conference call involving federal authorities from both countries and local officials.

"The consensus decision was not to try to interview him," he said in a phone interview on Friday. "We're going to wait until he gets back into the U.S."

Canadian immigration spokesman Randy Gurlock said Bowman was being detained "because he has a history of failing to comply with court proceedings in the past."

Thank goodness for some common sense in the NWT.
And thanks for posting this article. Looks like the threat of the death penalty will not offend Canadian sensibilities in this case.

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