Trial reset to January for man charged in assault of Marion woman who later died

CEDAR RAPIDS - The trial for a man accused of assaulting and throwing to the ground a woman who later died has been reset to January.

Cody L. Brown, 27, is charged with assault causing bodily injury but has not been charged in the death of Stephanie Bowling, 24, of Marion, a mother of two daughters, ages 2 and 5.

Brown is accused of arguing with Bowling about 2:53 a.m. on June 28 and he admitted to picking her up and throwing her to the ground, according to a criminal complaint. Police found Bowling unresponsive on the living room floor.

She was taken to a hospital and preliminary reports show the attack resulted in a serious brain injury, police said. Bowling died June 30.

His trial will start Jan. 14 in Linn County District Court.

First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said Monday that Marion police continue to investigate the case and have been talking with witnesses. They are also waiting for a pathologist report to be completed, which will include findings and conclusions regarding cause of death.

'Once those are completed, our office will review the facts and make a determination what, if any, amendment should be made to the current charge or whether new charges may be warranted,” Maybanks said.

Maybanks said both the prosecutor's office and police want to make a thorough investigation, as in all serious crimes, to determine the appropriate charges.

Bowling's mother, Tricia Eilers of Monticello, told The Gazette in July her daughter's 2-year-old was in the apartment at the time of the assault but remained asleep.

Eilers said she didn't know Brown, who had been dating her daughter about four months. She hadn't brought Brown around her much, Eliers said.

Both children are staying with a relative, she said.

l Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com