Bail Denied in Fowler Double Shooting [update]

Back Story: An update to the continuing story that was reported on 1/2/10: In a stunning turnabout, a dead man called a "suspect" just 24 hours ago is now deemed the murder victim in a double shooting at an Adams County office building.

No bail for accused murderer Rex Fowler
denverpost.com ~ An Adams County District Court judge today ordered William Rex Fowler, 58, to face first-degree murder charges in the Dec. 31, 2009 shooting of Tom Ciancio.

Judge Francis Wasserman also denied bail for Fowler.

Fowler is accused of shooting Ciancio, 42, three times in the head with a 9mm Glock handgun when Ciancio came to Fowler Software in unincorporated Adams County to collect $9,900 in severance pay. Ciancio, who was Fowler Software's chief operating officer, resigned Nov. 23 in a dispute over the way the company was being managed.

Prosecutors said during a preliminary hearing today that Fowler lured Ciancio to his office to commit a murder suicide. Investigators say Fowler shot Ciancio three times in the head and then shot himself under the chin in attempt to end his own life.

Prosecutors said they found notes written by Fowler to his wife, and also a living will they say indicated he was going to commit suicide after taking Ciancio's life.

"Fowler took care of his own business before he took care of his own suicide," Young said. Fowler's attorney said at worst, her client should face second-degree murder charges. "This was a professional dispute and it was not based on first-degree murder," defense attorney Sarah Quinn said.

And there's more:
CBS4 Denver has the following to add:
"...Another detective testified that witnesses stated both Ciancio and another employee suspected that Fowler had embezzled money from the company for his church. Fowler was a practicing Scientologist. Ciancio was so upset that he decided to resign and was going back to work at Fowler Software Design to pick up his final check on the day he was killed..."

You can read more of Fowler's Scientology/WISE connection at an archived post over at WWP.

1/22/10: Man charged in shooting death of former business partner
Archived report on the Fowler murder/suicide attempt as aired on 1/22/10 on KUSA-TV News9.



ODIT archived posts on this story can be found here. As always, thanx to WWP for the tip.