Mistrial Ruled in Murder Penalty Phase

A Superior Court judge declared a mistrial Wednesday after jurors announced they were hopelessly deadlocked over whether to sentence a Canoga Park man to death or life in prison for murdering his ex-girlfriend.

The eight-man, four-woman jury split 11 to 1 in favor of sentencing Mark Bowersock, 40, to life in prison without parole, Deputy Dist. Atty. Susan Chasworth said. She added that jurors said they initially split 7 to 5 in favor of execution, but six among the majority were willing to vote for life imprisonment in order to break the deadlock.

Prosecutors will decide later whether to continue to seek the death penalty for Bowersock, who fatally shot 36-year-old Laurie Prejean because she testified against him in a previous court action.

In March 1994, Bowersock was convicted of assaulting a former girlfriend and sentenced to one year in jail. But he remained free on bail pending his appeal of the conviction.

On Dec. 22, 1994, a warrant for his arrest was issued for probation violation. In January 1995, Prejean testified at a probation hearing that Bowersock beat her, leading to Bowersock’s jail sentence.

Days after he was released, Bowersock located Prejean with the aid of a private investigator and confronted her while she was on the phone with her sister, Chasworth said.

Prejean’s sister heard her scream, “Oh my God, no, no, no, please no!” before hearing two gunshots, Chasworth said.

Bowersock fled in Prejean’s car, then took a bus to a friend’s house in Arizona, where he buried the gun in the desert. He eventually surrendered to authorities.

During the six-week trial, Bowersock testified that the shooting was accidental, caused by a scuffle that Prejean started.

The jurors deliberated four days before announcing their deadlock Wednesday afternoon.