A North Carolina woman, aged 41, has been sentenced to a minimum of ten years in prison for the fatal shooting of her boyfriend. The incident occurred after he supported her ex-husband in a legal battle over custody of their children.

Jessica Barnes Ferland was sentenced by Buncombe County Superior Judge Jacqueline Grant to serve between 125 and 157 months in a state prison. This follows the 2024 killing of Jaquan Devaughen Bowen, who was 26 at the time, as reported by authorities.

The sentence was delivered after Ferland entered a plea agreement with prosecutors, admitting guilt to a charge of second-degree murder, a reduction from her initial first-degree murder charge, according to a statement from the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office.

On October 3, 2024, at approximately 12:34 a.m., Asheville Police Department officers responded to a shooting incident located in the 100 block of Laurel Loop, West Asheville, roughly 125 miles from Charlotte. Upon arrival, they found Bowen with a gunshot wound to the head.

Ferland, who was Bowen’s girlfriend, was attempting to control the bleeding with paper towels when police arrived at the scene. Officers initiated emergency medical procedures before Bowen was transported to Mission Hospital with critical injuries.

The investigation revealed that the argument between Ferland and Bowen, which took place on her porch, centered around Bowen’s involvement in Ferland’s custody dispute. It was noted that both parties had been drinking alcohol that evening.

“The dispute involved an affidavit Bowen had written in support of Ferland’s ex-husband’s custody case, which questioned Ferland’s parenting,” prosecutors wrote in the release. “Seeking to intimidate Bowen, Ferland retrieved a .22-caliber pistol and pointed it at his head and pulled the trigger. The weapon initially dry-fired, prompting Bowen to shrug in response. Enraged, Ferland pulled the trigger a second time, and the gun discharged, striking Bowen in the temple.”

A dry fire means there is no bullet in the gun’s chamber when the trigger is pulled.

After the shooting, Ferland called 911 and remained at the home until authorities arrived.

In a post-Miranda interview with detectives, Ferland insisted that the shooting was “accidental,” claiming she “did not intend to kill Bowen.” Rather, Ferland said she just wanted Bowen to “take her seriously and to understand her grief in losing custody of her children.”

Sam Snead, Ferland’s defense attorney, contended that his client believed the 60-year-old revolver was not loaded both times she pulled the trigger, the Citizen Times reported.

One day after the shooting, Bowen succumbed to his injury and was pronounced dead.

The DA’s office said it only reached the plea agreement with Ferland after consultation with the victim’s family.