Why Bower’s Could not have killed Joyce LePage

Everett Bowers could not have murdered Joyce LePage. 

Sheriff Myers quickly investigated the lead, and I remained insistent on the thought that her old roommate had murdered her. 

While looking into the case file for Crystal George, a few things stood out that further prove Bowers’ innocence in the LePage case. 

To begin, Bowers was 17 years old when he murdered Crystal George. 

Bowers also has schizophrenia. 

He incriminates himself right from the get-go with Crystal’s murder. 

Crystal’s body was found on 3/3/1972 in a ditch. A man called Richard Udall had found her remains while walking alongside Estes Road, Idaho. 

She was north of the Estes grain elevator, approximately ¾ mile, and in a field east of the road, roughly 75-100 yards. 

She was found lying in a depression on her back, her head towards the west, feet towards the east. Her body was relatively clean from debris but had some light snow on her upper chest, forehead, and hair. 

Officers stayed at the location to watch the vicinity of which her remains were found. 

They later reported Bowers attempting to cross to the area where her remains were. The police turned him away. 

At the autopsy, an exact time of death could not be determined. Still, the coroner estimated that she had been dead in excess of 18-20 hours. Her death was attributed to gunshot wounds, in which seven bullets were removed from the body, and she had been stabbed three times. 

The doctor believed she had been stabbed before being shot, and the stab wound would eventually lead to her death. 

In the transcriptions recorded from her autopsy, the doctor examining reports her shirt was inside out and clearly in that position before being shot. 

One of the bullet holes was found on the left forearm, indicating her arm was across her chest when she was shot. 

Crystal had visible superficial linear abrasions on the upper portion of her buttocks and shoulders, which indicates she had been dragged on her back. 

The material was collected from her fingernails, and in examining her hands, the doctor reported lacerations of the thumbs and the bases of the thumbs. This indicates that Crystal attempted to defend herself. 

Crystal was shot twice in the head, a forehead just above the eyebrows, and five times in the abdomen and chest. 

All shots were on the left side of her body. 

In examining the perineum, they found no evidence of injury. 

When Everett first discovered Crystal’s death, Moscow Police Department reported overly dramatic and manic behavior from Bowers. 

Bowers was reportedly so broken up that “he was crawling on the floor, slobbering from the mouth quite profusely and repeatedly stating that he intended to stay with Crystal.” 

In my further readings, I found a report stating that a 38 SW revolver had been taken from Bowers’ possession on March 3, 1972. 

When asked about the night Crystal disappeared, Bowers’ responses were incredibly inconsistent. 

Bowers later admitted to the shooting and stabbing of Crystal George on the night of March 1, 1972. 

Officers would later search his car and find numerous blood stains in the vehicle, which Bowers could not clean. 

Two pools of dried blood were found under the rear seat of each side of the car. 

Bowers’ actions were manic, inconsistent, and rushed. 

From his first appearance to where the body was found to his interview, Bowers stumbles through his thoughts and statements. 

He is inconsistent with his timeline of the day Crystal was murdered. 

I asked Sheriff Bret Myers about his interview with Bowers, and all that he could say about him was that he was a “simpleton that has been locked up for 50 years.” 

In reading the transcriptions of the interview with Bowers, I would have to agree with Sherif Myers’ statement.  

Bowers further suggests in initial interviews that he could be someone Crystal trusted to be alone with. 

Bowers admits later that she asked for a ride home, and he agreed. 

He states, “...I asked her if she wanted a candy bar. She said yes, and she reached into the console and brought out the gun. I told her to put it back; she told me no. We started to have a fight over the gun, and the shot went off. I lost my head and reached in the glove box and got my knife and stabbed her. She fought a little bit, then slumped over. I took her blouse off to see what I did, then put it back on. I looked at her and went out of my head. Then I got the gun and shot her some more, then I stuck to the back roads and went out to the country. I dragged her to a ditch and dropped her there.” 

Personal thoughts and mental notes:

The murder of Crystal George was rushed and manic. 

Immediately Bowers begins to incriminate himself. 

In Joyce’s case, the murderer was methodical with how and where her body was left. 

To show a perfect example of this contrast, let’s look at the way both Crystal and Joyce’s bodies were dumped. 

Joyce was driven a little over 10 miles outside of town to a remote spot in a canyon, and she was dragged down a 40-50ft incline straight to a creek where the hills, rocks, and grass would cover her. 

Crystal was taken off the side of the road and left in a slight ditch where a man walking his dog could spot her. 

Joyce was missing for nine months in the canyon before her body was found, and Crystal was found within two days. 

Despite the synonymous manners involving their deaths, there is no conclusive evidence in the LePage case that even suggests a gun was used. 

Bowers was a senior in high school when he murdered Crystal. Joyce would have been out of his league as a college junior. As far as we know, she did not have a connection to Bowers. 

Bowers states that Crystal needed a ride because she had a flat tire. From the Idaho case reports, they record Bowers’ driving logs from the day Crystal disappeared, which seem to form almost a circle around the place he and Crystal worked at. This suggests that possibly this could have been premeditated.  

Sherif Myers believes Bowers slashed her tire when she was inside because he wanted his way with Crystal. 

Though I could not locate the pelvic exam report, I believe his statement about her blouse is false. 

How could one get in a gunfight, stab someone, remove her blouse, and investigate the wound while driving? 

She had defense wounds and drag marks that stretched across her body. 

I spoke to Sherif Myers today about his interview with Bowers. He stated that the interview was maybe 3-4 minutes, and Bowers denied having anything to do with Joyce. 

He has been imprisoned for life and has already served 50 years. 

His attempts for parole have all been denied. 

From the reports, I have read and the conversation with Sheriff Myers, I regretfully have to close this lead. 

A new lead may come around soon. 

With what I know of the Joyce LePage case and what I am continuing to learn, her roommate was involved somehow.