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Friday, November 4, 2011

[FL] Parker Police Officer Bomia killed Anna Beach - Now will stay in prison until he dies

Parker Police officer Mark Bomia killed ex-girlfriend Anna Beach on Sept. 30, 2010, while on duty and in uniform... Bomia was convicted of first degree murder Thursday afternoon... Circuit Judge James Fensom immediately sentenced him to life in prison

Prosecutor: That's premeditation. She's hurt. She's still alive. I'm going to finish her off... He loved her to death. He loved her enough to kill her... If he couldn’t have her no one could... Bomia chose to use an unregistered gun he carried behind his back instead of his service weapon on his hip... Bomia was an on-duty police officer with a responsibility to “protect and serve.” ... This isn't just an average citizen. This is a man who was trained to react in stressful situations.

...Anna's mother says the verdict brings closure to a family that is still grieving from it's loss.
Karen Himebaugh: "Nobody can understand how it feels. It will help everybody now that we know he won't ever come back out. We just can move on now - but we miss Anna and we will love her own as long as we can"...



BOMIA FOUND GUILTY - SENTENCED TO LIFE
WJHG
Nov 3, 2011
[Excerpts]
Former Parker police officer Mark Bomia was convicted of first degree murder Thursday afternoon in the 4th day of his trial at the Bay County Court House. Circuit Judge James Fensom immediately sentenced him to life in prison, the mandatory sentence... Assistant State Attorney Larry Basford told the jury Bomia was driven by jealousy when he went to [Anna] Beach’s home... [Full article here]

UPDATE: BOMIA GUILTY OF FIRST DEGREE MURDER: Former cop sentenced to life in prison
Walton Sun
S. Brady Calhoun
November 03, 2011 7:32 PM
[Excerpts] He used to be known as police officer Mark Bomia, but for the rest of his life he’ll be known as prisoner Mark Bomia. It took 12 jurors about two hours Thursday to convict Bomia, 44, of first-degree murder in the slaying of his ex-girlfriend Anna Beach. Bomia confessed to Capt. Jimmy Stanford of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office a few days after the Sept. 30, 2010 slaying. The taped conversation, in which Bomia said he shot Beach in the head, strangled her to end her suffering and then dragged her body into the woods behind her house, was played for the jury Wednesday. Bomia was on duty and in his Parker Police Department uniform during the murder... “If he couldn’t have her no one could,” [prosecutor Larry] Basford said, adding that Bomia chose to use an unregistered gun he carried behind his back instead of his service weapon on his hip. Basford also said that Bomia was an on-duty police officer with a responsibility to “protect and serve.” “This isn't just an average citizen,” Basford said. “This is a man who was trained to react in stressful situations”... Basford held up Bomia’s gun belt, which along with his revolver contained pepper spray, handcuffs, a taser and a night stick, things he could have used to subdue Beach if he actually did feel threatened. Ultimately, Bomia killed Beach because she ended their relationship, Basford said. “He loved her to death. He loved her enough to kill her,” he added. “He didn't take flowers to her that morning; he took that gun” After the verdict was returned, Judge James Fensom sentenced Bomia to life in prison without the possibility of parole... Beach’s mother, Karen Himebaugh, talked to reporters outside the courtroom Thursday. She said she thinks about her daughter every day. She added that no one can understand what it is like to lose a child this way... Beach’s husband, Jeff Beach, said he and his wife were in the process of reconciling when Bomia killed her. That’s why he killed her, Beach said... “There are images I will never get out of my head,” Beach said... [Full article here]

SOME ARTICLES FROM THE TRIAL

TRIAL OF PARKER COP BEGINS TUESDAY
News Herald
S. Brady Calhoun
October 31, 2011 7:03 PM
[Excerpts] The trial of a former Parker Police officer accused of killing his ex-girlfriend begins Tuesday. Bay County sheriff’s investigators said Mark Bomia killed Anna Beach on Sept. 30, 2010, while on duty and in uniform. Authorities charge that after shooting her in the head and strangling her, Bomia hid the body in the woods behind her home. Beach’s friends and family said Bomia had been stalking her since before their relationship ended, and her neighbors said they often would see Bomia parked in his police cruiser on her street watching her home... [Bomia's attorney Kimberly] Dowgul and [prosecutor Larry] Basford both tried to prepare jurors for the grim photographs, testimony and other evidence they will encounter during the trial. “As jurors you are not used to seeing what most of you will see,” Dowgul said... [Full article here]


FORMER PARKER POLICEMAN'S MURDER TRIAL BEGINS
WJHG
Posted: Nov 1, 2011
Updated: Nov 2, 2011
[Excerpts] The state began calling it's first witnesses in the first degree murder trial of former Parker Police Officer Mark Bomia. He's accused of killing his ex-girlfriend Anna Beach at her home last year... During trial Beach and Bomia's relationship was described as on-again off-again, and that it was not uncommon for the two to fight. But on September 30, 2010 after Beach called off the relationship again, she went missing. When her son came home from school, he found blood splatter, but could not find his mom. He called her friends and family and then called Bomia. He denied seeing her that day. Two more of her sons, her mom and her younger sister also testified Tuesday morning. A portion of the afternoon was spent on testimony from other Parker Police Department employees... The state claims Bomia planned the murder because he used an un-authorized gun while on-duty. The defense claims he was not at Beach's home to carry out a murder plot, but to try and fix the relationship... [Full article here]

...Prosecutor Larry Basford said there are candles, a photo of Beach and a pentagram he'd like to enter into evidence. There is also a handwritten note with directions for some type of ceremony. [Prosecutor] Basford read [Judge] Fensom a note from the possible evidence which read, "My magic brings everything my heart desires, I call on Aphrodite Goddess of Love please [bring Beach back to me.]"...

BOMIA TRIAL: EVIDENCE OF "LOVE SPELLS"
WMBB News 13
By Marc McAfee - mmcafee@wmbb.com
Updated: Nov 01, 2011 4:18 PM PST
[Excerpts] ...In his opening statement, [Prosecutor Larry] Basford said the former Parker police officer [Mark Bomia] strangled Beach with an extension cord after she didn't die from a gunshot wound he delivered. [Mark Bomia's defense attorney Kimberly] Dowgul told the jury they won't hear Bomia deny his responsibility for her death... After opening statements ... family members of Anna Beach were called to testify... Beach's mother Karen Himebaugh also had trouble recounting what happened last year. She said Bomia called her "mom" and often asked her for help in getting back together with Beach. At one point Himebaugh said he even offered her $500 to help get her back. "I told him I couldn't, don't do that"... Several of Beach's sons testified as well... When Beach's sons returned home that day, they reported their mother missing. They said they noticed blood... They called Bomia... "As soon as he answered the phone it seemed like he had just woken up," William Himebaugh testified. "He sounded short and aggravated and mad, he said he hadn't seen and talked to her that whole day." Bomia called in sick as the search began for Beach. His supervisor at the Parker police department said that was highly unusual for an "exemplary" employee like Bomia... At the end of the day Tuesday, investigators from the Bay County Sheriff's Office showed the jury pictures of the crime scene. They found small blood spatters all over the room, even a 1 millimeter blood spot on Bomia's police-issued boot... prosecutor Larry Basford said there are candles, a photo of Beach and a pentagram he'd like to enter into evidence. There is also a handwritten note with directions for some type of ceremony. Basford read Fensom a note from the possible evidence which read, "My magic brings everything my heart desires, I call on Aphrodite Goddess of Love please [bring Beach back to me.]"... According to testimony and Basford's opening statement, when Parker police responded to the missing person report, they knew of Bomia's relationship with Beach. They asked for assistance from the Bay County Sheriff's Office, and the sheriff's helicopter found Beach's body in a vacant lot behind her home... Several of Beach's sons were called to testify. Two said Bomia had showed them his gun collection. One said Bomia had sent flowers to Beach, and she asked him not to do so again... [Full article here]

SELECT TWEETS FROM TRIAL
WMBB News 13
@wmbbnews
  • Anna Beach's son says he called Bomia and testifies he sounded "short" and told him he hadn't see Beach on the day in question.
  • Playing tape of Bomia's interview with Bay Co. Sheriff's investigator when Beach was still a missing person investigation.
  • On recording, Bomia says Beach told him there was no chance of her getting back together with him when he went to her house.
  • On recording, Bomia says he strangled Beach after shooting her because he "didn't want her to suffer."
  • On recording, Bomia says the shooting may have been caused by "problems at the house" or medications he was taking.
  • When asked if he was improperly leading the interview, Captain says, "I didn't kill the lady, he did."
  • Investigator preparing to show jury the text messages between Bomia and Beach.
  • Texts show Beach and Bomia arguing over whether to discuss relationship status in person.
  • Bomia text night before murder: "Goodnight my love," unanswered by Beach.
  • Earlier today in taped confession, Bomia said he strangled Beach to save her from suffering after gunshot.
  • Bomia's attorney says State did not prove premeditation.
  • Prosecutor says Bomia thought before reacting when he grabbed untraceable weapon instead of taser or service weapon.

UPDATE: SLAYING VICTIM'S FAMILY TESTIFIES AT EX-OFFICER'S TRIAL
News Herald
S. Brady Calhoun
November 01, 2011
[Excerpts] He shot her in the head and she wouldn’t die. That’s what Assistant State Attorney Larry Basford told jurors during his opening statement at Mark Bomia’s murder trial Tuesday. Bomia, a Parker police officer, was on duty and in uniform when he got into an argument with his ex-girlfriend, Anna Beach, and shot her Sept. 30, 2010, Basford said. He then decided to finish the job... “He took an extension cord...”... Beach’s sons told jurors that they came home from school to find the house empty and that they and other family members grew concerned when they could not reach her by cellphone. Her 16-year-old boy, Jeff Himebaugh, testified they noticed a spot of blood above the window where prosecutors contend the murder took place. He added that her ID purse and cigarettes were still in the house. Those were items Beach always took with her when she left home, Himebaugh said. He and other family members also testified about the on-again, off-again nature of Bomia’s relationship with Beach. When Beach finally ended it for good, Bomia would not take no for an answer, they said. “She told him to stop bringing her flowers,” Jeff Himebaugh testified... [Full article here]

"...After the [confession] tape was played, Bomia's lawyer asked why it was recorded in [Bay County Sheriff's Office Investigator Cpt. Jimmy] Stanford's office rather than a standard interrogation room... Stanford said he used his office in order to show Bomia the respect he deserved as a police officer..."

CONFESSION PLAYED FOR JURY AT BOMIA TRIAL
News Herald
S. Brady Calhoun
November 02, 2011
[Excerpts] Jurors heard Mark Bomia, a former Parker Police officer, confess to killing his ex-girlfriend Wednesday. Prosecutor Larry Basford played a tape of Bomia’s confession to Capt. Jimmy Stanford of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office as Stanford testified. Bomia was on duty and in uniform when he got into an argument with his ex-girlfriend, Anna Beach, and shot her Sept. 30, 2010. Bomia told investigators he had tried to talk to Beach before coming to her Arrow Street home and confronting her in person. He added that Beach tried to hit him a few times but missed. Then she went back to her computer desk and chair. Bomia said Beach whirled around with something in her hand. “I just reacted,” Bomia said in the recording, adding that he pulled a backup gun out of his holster and fired one shot. Later in the interview, Bomia revealed what Beach had in her hand. “She actually grabbed a pen — a pen,” Bomia said. “I don’t know if she was going to attack me. I don’t know what she was going to do.” “Did she die instantly?” Stanford asked. Bomia said no, she did not, so he grabbed an extension cord and strangled her until she stopped moving. “I didn’t want her to suffer,” Bomia said. Bomia then wrapped Beach’s body in a comforter and dragged her to the woods behind her home. “I didn’t want her kids to find her like that. I didn’t know what to do. I was scared,” Bomia said... “I’ve been on edge for a while. It could be the medication I was taking.” He added that he was taking Chantix to stop smoking... Bomia’s attorney, Kim Dowgul, asked Circuit Judge James Fensom to override the jury and convict Bomia of manslaughter... Fensom denied the motion. Dowgul, who is arguing that Bomia should be convicted of manslaughter instead of first-degree murder, called only two witnesses to the stand Wednesday, Bomia’s daughter and his former supervisor. His daughter, 20-year-old Paige Bomia, confirmed there were changes in Bomia’s demeanor after he started taking Chantix... [Full article here]

BOMIA TRIAL: JURY HEARS CONFESSION TAPE
WMBB
By Marc McAfee
Posted: Nov 02, 2011
[Excerpts] "I didn't want her to suffer." That's why former Parker police officer Mark Bomia said he strangled his ex-girlfriend Anna Beach with an extension cord, after shooting her in the head last year. Bomia is on trial for premeditated murder. Wednesday the state played a taped confession Bomia recorded two days after Beach's death at the Bay County Sheriff's Office. The confession featured a seemingly emotional Bomia explaining how he accidentally killed Beach. On the tape, Bomia said he went to her house and she allowed him in. Then he said she started swinging at him, and eventually made a move to grab what Bomia thought may have been scissors. "I just reacted, she actually grabbed a pen, I didn't know if she was going to attack me with it," Bomia said in the recording. "I just reacted, I pulled a backup pistol I kept in the back of my belt, or a holster, and before I knew it I fired one shot... I was freaking out, I didn't know what to do I was scared, just kept thinking about [inaudible] kids and kept thinking about how I screwed up," Bomia said in the tape. Kimberly Dowgul, Bomia's defense attorney, asked [Bay County Sheriff's Office Captain Jimmy] Stanford why the confession was recorded in his office rather than a standard interrogation room where it wasn't videotaped. Stanford replied that he didn't want to put Bomia in an interrogation room like a regular criminal... [Prosecutor Larry Basford] reminded the judge that Bomia was in uniform at the time of the murder, with quick access to a taser and his official sidearm. Basford said the fact that Bomia grabbed an unauthorized, untraceable gun from his belt instead of the other weapons pointed to premeditation. Judge Fensom denied the motion for acquittal... Bomia's daughter said he was overworked and stressed at the time of the murder. In the tape, Bomia cited several factors for why he may have been on edge... [Full article here]

FROM A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO:

FAMILY FILES SUIT IN WOMAN’S SLAYING
News Herald
By Chris Olwell
09/12/2011 7:34 PM
[Excerpts] The family of a slain Parker woman has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city, the chief of police and the officer accused of killing her. The lawsuit alleges the Parker Police Department and its leadership knew or should have known Officer Mark Bomia was emotionally unstable and unfit for his duties after Anna Beach, Bomia’s ex-girlfriend, came forward to report that Bomia had been stalking and abusing her. According to court records, Parker police officers had responded on at least one occasion to domestic disturbances between the couple. The department took no action because an arrest for domestic battery would result in Bomia being required to relinquish his weapons; he couldn’t be a cop if he couldn’t carry a gun, according to the complaint. One of Beach’s friends told The News Herald and investigators with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office that she personally had alerted Parker Police Chief Charles Sweatt to the domestic violence and stalking, but Sweatt told her that he would have to fire Bomia if he were to act upon her complaints. A Dec. 10, 2010, letter from the attorney representing the family to former Parker Mayor Brenda Hendricks alleges that Sweatt went so far as to instruct his officers not to respond to any complaints involving Beach and Bomia. The letter was filed with the lawsuit... The criminal trial would have an impact on the civil suit if Bomia is found guilty, said Waylon Thompson, the Beach family’s attorney. Criminal cases require a more stringent burden of proof than civil suits; if Bomia is determined guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, it would supersede the preponderance of the evidence required in the civil suit, he said... The estate of Anna Beach seeks compensatory damages from the city of Parker, as well as Sweatt and Bomia for loss of the financial support Beach would have provided. In addition, the lawsuit seeks damages for funeral costs, attorney fees and mental pain and suffering for the loss of parental companionship. The suit, which was filed with the Bay County Clerk of Courts last week, also seeks punitive damages. [Full article here]

ARTICLE FROM LAST YEAR

...The lawsuit alleges the Parker Police Department and its leadership knew or should have known Officer Mark Bomia was emotionally unstable and unfit...

PARKER POLICE OFFICER'S ARREST AFFIDAVIT RELEASED
WJHG
Oct 4, 2010
[Excerpts] A Parker Police Officer is on the other side of the bars tonight facing murder charges. He's accused of killing his ex-girlfriend. "It's always a sad day when a law enforcement officer betrays the trust of the public and switches sides," said Parker Police Chief, Charles Sweatt at a news conference Monday morning... His story was that she was sitting at a computer table and she reached for an item and spun around quickly and he reacted by drawing the weapon from behind his back," said Bay County Sheriff’s Investigator, Jimmy Stanford. Bomia then removed her clothes and dumped her body in a wooded area behind her house. Family members reported her missing after she didn't pick her four boys up from school Thursday... Bomia called in sick to work on Friday... Then on Saturday, they found her... According to Beach's family and friends, Bomia has been stalking her for a while but she refused to report it. "There had been some type of verbal disturbance at the home from what I was made aware of and at that time they had separated and there were no further incidents from there," said Chief Sweatt. Neighbors say the couple broke it off a couple months ago but that this wasn't the first sign of violence... Bomia's former co-workers are shocked by this series of events. "Second guessing or trying to determine what someone's going to do is being able to read their mind. There were no outward signs from this officer prior to this incident that something like this could ever happen," said Chief Sweatt... Anna Beach leaves behind four sons, ages 18, 16, 15 and 8. Anna Beach's friends have set up a trust fund account at Tyndall Federal Credit Union. If you would like to help her children and family in this time of need, the account number is 1955284. [Full article here]

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