- A 16-year-old boy from Erda has been charged as an adult for murder.
- Matthew Lee Bowman allegedly played a major role in the Sandy shooting.
- The incident involved a drug deal gone bad resulting in a man's death.
SANDY — A 16-year-old Tooele County boy who prosecutors say played a "major role" in connection with the shooting death of a 39-year-old man in Sandy — who was allegedly accompanying his teen son to a drug deal — has been charged as an adult.
Matthew Lee Bowman, 16, of Erda, was charged Wednesday afternoon in 3rd District Court with murder and aggravated robbery, first-degree felonies; obstruction of justice, theft by receiving stolen property and shooting a gun and causing injury, second-degree felonies; and discharge of a firearm and possession of a handgun by a minor, third-degree felonies.
On Oct. 13, Sandy police responded to a shooting at Main Street Park, 70 E. 8760 South. Officers found Josh Pectol, who had been shot and later died at a local hospital.
One witness told detectives that she had been keeping surveillance at the park "because she was upset with some activity going on in the park" and watched as an SUV pulled up near the restrooms and two males exited the restrooms and walked toward the vehicle, according to charging documents.
"(She) then heard at least two gunshots. (She) stated that the gunshots were fired from inside the SUV," the charges state.
Pectol, who had come out of the restroom, fell to the ground, and his 14-year-old son started yelling for help.
According to investigators, earlier that night, Pectol's teen son got a message on social media asking if he sold THC cartridges and if he'd be willing to meet at the park for a sale, according to the charges. The teen told his father, Pectol, about the plan and that the messages were "'sketchy' because the user made it sound like he would be alone but then used the word 'we'll' instead of 'I.'"
The teen was "worried more people were involved," and his father agreed to accompany him to the park. Pectol also brought his gun with him, the charges state.
The 14-year-old agreed to sell 15 THC cartridges for $370. When the vehicle with the alleged buyers arrived, the teen walked up to the car and saw men wearing ski masks, according to the charges.
"You bang?" one of the occupants of the car asked the teen.
"He told the male he doesn't bang and observed a green beam coming from what appeared to be a tan handgun that was pointed at him. (The teen) states that the (male) then told him to hand over the backpack," the charges state.
At that point, Pectol, who was hiding nearby, walked up to the car and told the occupants, "Nah, we're not going to do this."
"(Pectol) then racked the slide of his own handgun. (His son) stated that he then heard two gunshots, which he believed came from the vehicle. (The son) states that he ran away and checked to make sure his father was running with him. (He) states when he looked back, he heard his father swear and saw (him) fall to the ground," according to the charges.
Sandy police later received a call regarding "a suspicious vehicle that had been parked outside a residence." Officers responded and noted that it matched the suspect vehicle, and a shell casing was seen in the driver's seat, the charges state.
Surveillance video collected from a residence near the undisclosed location where the vehicle was found showed three males wearing masks and hoodies, and one of the males was heard saying, "We're good, we will make it home," according to the charges.
The social media account used to allegedly make the drug deal was traced back to Bowman, the charges state. A search warrant was served on his residence, and evidence, including a handgun, a black ski mask and an empty ammunition box, was seized, court documents say.
Bowman claimed that he was asked by the other two teens to drive, that they had access to his social media accounts, and that his friends were the ones who wanted to rob the 14-year-old because they didn't like him, according to the charges.
He allegedly claimed he was the getaway driver, but one of the teens in the backseat fired the fatal shots, charging documents state.
The charges state that police questioned that teen, who told detectives, "I just wanted to rob a (person), I don't know, I pulled up and I just shot … why not," the charges state. "… We pulled up … I was pointing the gun at a kid, then somebody came out of the bushes, and they started pointing a gun … then that's when the shots started going off."
Police say the teen fired three shots and hit Pectol twice. His charges were unknown as of Wednesday evening.
"When detectives served search warrants on all three of the defendants' homes, each had handguns in their bedrooms," according to charging documents. "Bowman played a major role in this incident where a man lost his life."
