A Cincinnati family is demanding justice after 29-year-old mother of four, Taralynn Bowers, was fatally shot in the head during what police describe as a domestic dispute with her ex-girlfriend.
According to the Cincinnati Police Department, officers responded to the 2000 block of Millvale Court around 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 31, where they found Bowers unresponsive.
She was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say she had been shot once in the head during an argument with her ex-partner, 25-year-old Marshee Luther of Bond Hill.
Luther was arrested hours later and booked into the Hamilton County Jail on a murder charge. Court records show a judge denied her bond during a Monday court appearance. She has since entered a plea of not guilty, claiming self-defense.
Family Speaks Out
Bowers’ sister, Adrienne Wilson, described the tragedy as “unreal,” saying her sister was taken from her family far too soon.
“She leaves behind four kids,” Wilson said. “I just know people were saying that as soon as she walked into the house, then they heard shots instantly. Like it was just a couple of seconds afterward.”
Wilson added that Bowers had left following an argument with Luther about a situation that occurred out of town but returned when Luther asked her to come back. Upon her return, she was shot.
“I can’t see my sister no more, so I want her to suffer,” Wilson said, questioning Luther’s self-defense claim.
Remembering Taralynn Bowers
Family members say Bowers was a kind-hearted woman with an outgoing personality and a bright future.
“I just want people to know that my sister was the nicest person ever,” Wilson said. “Despite what everybody else had to say about her, she always had a pure heart. She would give anything to anybody.”
Court Proceedings Ahead
Luther has been charged with murder and remains in custody. Her next court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 11.
Bowers’ killing was one of three violent incidents in Greater Cincinnati in less than 12 hours Sunday, and the second deadly shooting in the city that day.
The case has drawn attention not only for its devastating impact on Bowers’ four young children but also for the troubling rise of domestic-related homicides in the region.
