Man accused of attacking same Las Cruces woman weeks after prior domestic violence arrest
A Las Cruces man is accused of attacking the same woman he allegedly strangled five weeks earlier while already facing charges in another felony case.
Prosecutors say Connard Michael Bowling broke into his ex-girlfriend’s home three times, threatened to kill her family and injured her 9-year-old daughter
Content Warning
The following article contains references to domestic violence and abuse, which may be distressing for some readers.
If you or someone you know is experiencing relationship abuse, free and confidential support is available 24/7 through La Casa, Inc. in Las Cruces. Call the 24-Hour Crisis Hotline at 1-800-376-2272 or 575-526-2819.
You are not alone.
Damien Willis, Organ Mountain News
LAS CRUCES - A Las Cruces man is accused of attacking the same woman he allegedly strangled five weeks earlier, breaking into her home three times Saturday and threatening to kill her family while already facing charges in another felony case.
Connard Michael Bowling, 38, was arrested Aug. 15 and charged with aggravated burglary, child abuse and aggravated assault against a household member.
Prosecutors filed an expedited motion for pretrial detention Monday, arguing no conditions of release would reasonably protect the woman, her 9-year-old daughter or the community.
The new case follows a July 10 domestic violence incident involving the same woman in which Bowling was charged with aggravated battery by strangulation, false imprisonment and battery against a household member.
According to that earlier criminal complaint, the woman told deputies Bowling grabbed her by the throat in the shower, pinned her against a wall and later choked her with both hands while pressing a foot against her chest.
She told investigators she lost consciousness twice.
Prosecutors allege three break-ins Saturday
According to court records reviewed by Organ Mountain News, Doña Ana County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched Saturday to a home on Saddle Mountain Road.
The woman told investigators Bowling first entered the residence by prying open the front door with screwdrivers while she was in the shower and her daughter was outside with the dogs.
After an argument, Bowling went outside and the woman began locking the doors and windows.
Prosecutors say he then entered through a kitchen window.
After leaving a second time, Bowling allegedly returned once more through the front door after the woman barricaded it with a large cabinet.
The woman told investigators Bowling threatened to rape her, kill her and her family and set the trailer on fire while she and her daughter were inside.
As she tried to leave while holding her daughter, Bowling allegedly threw a piece of wood toward her, charged at her and pushed her.
Prosecutors say he then threw a rock that struck the 9-year-old in the head and “body slammed” the woman and child against the trunk of a parked vehicle.
The woman and child eventually got into a vehicle and drove away.
According to the detention motion obtained by Organ Mountain News, Bowling then drove past them at high speed, reversed, made a U-turn and drove directly toward them.
The woman swerved to avoid a collision, but Bowling’s vehicle struck the left front of hers, prosecutors allege.
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Support Organ Mountain NewsEarlier case involved alleged strangulation
The July case stems from a separate incident at the same residence.
In that complaint, the woman told investigators Bowling refused to leave, threatened to kill her and her sons and later attacked her in the shower.
She said Bowling grabbed her throat, pinned her against the wall, then later pressed a foot against her chest and squeezed her neck with both hands.
The woman told deputies she lost consciousness twice during the attack.
Investigators documented scratches and red marks around her neck, along with injuries to her fingers.
Bowling was charged in that case with aggravated battery against a household member by strangulation or suffocation, false imprisonment and battery against a household member.
State seeks pretrial detention
Prosecutors say Bowling was also on conditions of release in a separate pending stolen-vehicle case when Saturday’s alleged attack occurred.
The state’s detention motion cites two failures to appear in that case and argues Bowling’s history involving the same woman shows he poses an ongoing danger.
A Public Safety Assessment completed Sunday flagged Bowling for risk of new violent criminal activity and recommended supervised pretrial release with monitoring conditions.
Bowling has not been convicted in either case and is presumed innocent under the law.
Prosecutors are asking the court to hold Bowling pending a detention hearing and say they intend to present the newest case to a grand jury.
Damien Willis is founder and editor of Organ Mountain News. If you have a personal story to share or a lead we should follow up on, reach out at OrganMountainNews@gmail.com or connect with him on X at @damienwillis.
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