A former Grantville man was transferred to Wasco State Prison where he recently started serving a sentence of 75 years to life for first-degree murder in a 2019 slaying in Grantville.
A jury convicted Richard Lamont Cowan III, 42, of killing Mario Bullard, 35, who was shot four times in his torso, stomach, and neck on May 21, 2019. His body was found in a street gutter at 2:52 a.m.
Cowan was also convicted of two counts of attempted murder and three counts of assault with a deadly weapon on other victims in 2020 and 2021 by the same jury which deliberated 2 1/2 days in February.
The motive for all of this goes back to when Cowan’s vehicle was burglarized in Oct., 2016, and someone cut the ignition to his motorcycle in Jan., 2017, according to his probation report. Someone had attempted to steal the motorcycle before vandalizing it.
It was then that Cowan began patrolling his own apartment complex, known as Stadium Arms, as well as other areas late at night, according to trial testimony and the report.
Cowan posted a warning on Facebook, saying he was patrolling the area and wrote that anyone who touched his vehicles would “get theirs” and he would be the person to serve it to them, according to his probation report.
Cowan received 25 years to life for the murder and San Diego Superior Court Judge Peter Deddeh added 25 years for using a gun in a homicide. Deddeh also added another 25 years for the attempted murder conviction for the wounding of another victim.
The judge also imposed another 14 years consecutively to the 75 years to life sentence. Ordinarily, that would keep most inmates behind bars for life, except for something called the “elderly parole hearing overview” in the California Department of Corrections.
Generally, inmates who turn 60 years of age and who have been incarcerated 20 years will be considered for this “elderly parole hearing,” but it may not be granted until they are older if ever.
The Ca. Department of Corrections says Cowan will turn 60 in 2041 and may possibly be eligible. He will be first advised about this in 2036, according to the prison website.
Deddeh ordered Cowan to pay $7,483 to the California Victim Compensation Board which paid for the victim’s funeral. A percentage will be taken from any wages Cowan earns while in prison. He was given credits of already serving 927 days in jail.
A man was wounded in the leg on April 28, 2020 after shots were fired along Twain Avenue. Witnesses reported seeing a man wearing a headlamp who was believed to be Cowan.
One man was tampering with parked vehicles on Decena Drive on June 20, 2020, when he was shot in the leg by Cowan, who allegedly took his cell phone, the report said.
Another victim told police he was siphoning gasoline from a car when someone with a gun fired shots at him on June 25, 2021. All the shots missed.
San Diego Police arrested Cowan on Sept. 14, 2021, and they found a headlamp and a Springfield Armory XD40 pistol which was loaded in his vehicle, according to court records. The firearm is believed to be the one used in the incidents.
Wasco State Prison is located in central California just 24 miles north of Bakersfield.
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