Man pleads not guilty to murdering driver on Seattle street
»Play Video
SEATTLE -- With the victim's friends looking on, a man accused of fatally shooting another man at a North Seattle intersection pleaded not guilty on Monday.
Thomas Dinh Bowman, 29, has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 43-year-old Yancy Noll.
The two were stopped at a red light on Aug. 31 when Bowman allegedly fired five shots from his car, hitting Noll in the head. Noll died at the scene while seated behind the wheel of his car at NE 75th and 15th Avenue NE.
Detectives initially investigated the case as a possible road-rage incident, but King County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Scott O'Toole said Monday that police still have not determined a motive.
"There may have been no motive at all. And that's even more chilling and disturbing," he said.
Prosecutors said Bowman tried to conceal the crime by replacing the window and tires on his BMW. Staff at a tire shop where Bowman had his tires changed told investigators that Bowman and his wife insisted on taking the four old tires with them, according to court documents.
Bowman was arrested weeks after the killing when police received an anonymous tip from someone who said Bowman matched the description of the suspect in the killing and that he drove a silver BMW like the one seen in surveillance video on the day of the killing.
Police said they also found a so-called "gun room" during a search of Bowman's home. It was filled with bullet-making equipment, ammunition and rifles.
In court on Monday, Bowman let his attorney do the talking as friends of Noll sat in a viewing area wearing buttons that read "Cheers to Yancy Noll" in memory of the man who worked as a wine steward at QFC.
"Yancy was such an amazing person. When you spoke with Yancy you mattered, and you knew that you mattered in that moment," said Brad Kenny, who was friends with Noll for nearly 20 years. "He was compassionate, and kind and generous. He tried to look for the good in everybody, and I think he found it. He brought that out in all of us."
Kenny said he and Noll's other friends plan to follow every step in the case against Bowman.
"You cannot bring justice to a crime like this," he said, adding that Noll's friends hope to see Bowman jailed for the rest of his life. "That's still not justice because you can't take something like this back."
Bowman is being held at the King County Jail without bail.
Thomas Dinh Bowman, 29, has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 43-year-old Yancy Noll.
The two were stopped at a red light on Aug. 31 when Bowman allegedly fired five shots from his car, hitting Noll in the head. Noll died at the scene while seated behind the wheel of his car at NE 75th and 15th Avenue NE.
Detectives initially investigated the case as a possible road-rage incident, but King County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Scott O'Toole said Monday that police still have not determined a motive.
"There may have been no motive at all. And that's even more chilling and disturbing," he said.
Prosecutors said Bowman tried to conceal the crime by replacing the window and tires on his BMW. Staff at a tire shop where Bowman had his tires changed told investigators that Bowman and his wife insisted on taking the four old tires with them, according to court documents.
Bowman was arrested weeks after the killing when police received an anonymous tip from someone who said Bowman matched the description of the suspect in the killing and that he drove a silver BMW like the one seen in surveillance video on the day of the killing.
Police said they also found a so-called "gun room" during a search of Bowman's home. It was filled with bullet-making equipment, ammunition and rifles.
In court on Monday, Bowman let his attorney do the talking as friends of Noll sat in a viewing area wearing buttons that read "Cheers to Yancy Noll" in memory of the man who worked as a wine steward at QFC.
"Yancy was such an amazing person. When you spoke with Yancy you mattered, and you knew that you mattered in that moment," said Brad Kenny, who was friends with Noll for nearly 20 years. "He was compassionate, and kind and generous. He tried to look for the good in everybody, and I think he found it. He brought that out in all of us."
Kenny said he and Noll's other friends plan to follow every step in the case against Bowman.
"You cannot bring justice to a crime like this," he said, adding that Noll's friends hope to see Bowman jailed for the rest of his life. "That's still not justice because you can't take something like this back."
Bowman is being held at the King County Jail without bail.
The evidence is very strong, but let's not lose sight of the fact that nobody can place him at the crime scene. Because of this, all the evidence is circumstantial. I know this goes against everybody here, but please understand that I am an American and live by the rule that we are all innocent until proven guilty - due process. I do not want to pre-judge people, especially something as serious as this. Again, the evidence is there, but all circumstantial. No smoking gun. I just hope Dinh gets a fair trial in Seattle. Psychopath? come on...grow up.
It's wierd when a defendant, accused of a heinous crime, shows no signs of stress on their face whatever. Not even a furrowed brow here. It's unnatural.
 @Willow Yes his demeanor seems almost child-like. The styled hair and the soft relaxed skin.
 @Willow that is because he is unnatural, he looks and has the tendencies to be a psychopath! Possibly no motive, gun room, ammunition, guns, and bullet making equipment! He was a time bomb waiting to explode.
Â
In that warped mind of his, he probably thinks he will get away with it, some people with money think they can do whatever they want  to whoever they want and pay no consequences.
Â
And as far as Dr Bowman is concerned she needs to be arrested as well bec it is obvious she aided in covering up what happened!
 @cajunurse  @Willow On the photos that I saw online has him extremely stressed. I was in the military and can use a weapon effectively. I don't have a gun room, but do have several fire arms. Does this make me a pyschopathic killer?
@TomNader no Tom that does not make you a psychopathic killer, it makes you a former member of the military that has been trained to use a weapon effectively. And it is not the fact that he has a gun room and ammo. Don't get me wrong I am pro guns, guns don't kill people, people kill people. What makes him a psychopathic killer is the fact that he killed someone for no apparent reason, then tried to cover up the fact that he did so, with his wife, the doctor, helping him.
@Just_Mike and debayter50, as I'm doing more research --which I should have done before this-- I now realize that 1) yes, the tipster could have been anonymous, and 2) Dr. Bowman did a huge amount to help her husband cover up the evidence. She even probably lied about the broken passenger window getting broken in Portland while they were having lunch the day after the shooting.Â
Â
To me, it doesn't seem that Dr. Bowman would be the tipster. Especially in light of how much she did to help her husband cover up the evidence.Â
Â
I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post a link here but this article gave me a lot of perspective on the well-respected, nice looking, and loyal Dr. Bowman:
Â
http://www.the-spearhead.com/2012/09/26/alleged-psychopaths-wife-implicated-in-coverup/
Â
Charge her with a crime before she skips town!!
 Evidence was found in her purse.
This comment has been deleted
 @mandy h  @Just_Mike i am sure that the police have the technology to read the license plate number off the speeding BMW that showed up on the street cam.
It will be just one more piece of evidence. Too bad he didn't try a plea deal but then again a narcissist like him will love all the court room drama. Too bad for us taxpayers.
Â
 @kul  @mandy h  @Just_Mike If he did not kill anybody, why would he cop a plea? Do your research before exclaiming he will love the court room drama. He is a very low key, soft spoken person, that actually hates attention. PLUS if the cops had the technology to read the plate, it would be a slam dunk. A VERY HIGH PRICED lawyer would not be needed. The fact is that they have NO EVIDENCE THAT IS SOLID IF FACT, all CIRCUMSTANTIAL WITH NO PROOF. I am not saying he is guilty, or not guilty, since that is not for me to say. What I am saying is let the process do its course and let the judge judge. It is not for us to PRE JUDGE. That is wrong.
 @mandy h  @Just_Mike  I was afraid of him, he would kill me......(used in 100% of women vs. man domestic abuse cases)  OK MAM, you can go.
 @Ignoramos *sigh* ...you're probably right.
Fry him!
 @LeftisBest Its done..
Ok, here is the gig.This guy has been in custody, right? So, to have his spiky hair and all that going in court considering the available tools, indicates a real issue. How did he do that? If he can pull that off from within a jail where hair care products do not exist means he was so into himself he found a way to do it with sink soap. It is a dead wringer sign that he has some narcissism issues.  Someone in that jail is probably gonna smack him. Anyone who wears hair like that in a jail wont last long.
There is no doubt this pompus a@# did this... If there was a SHADOW of doubt, there would a bail offered... It would be high but it would be offered... No bail = NO DOUBT of guilt... I hope his defense lawyer bails on him too...
This comment has been deleted
 @Wickedwitch English is not your first language, is it? Your sentence is completely incomprehensible.
This comment has been deleted
 @fumblefacedolt  @Wickedwitch Wait, a period? <grin> Either way, Typonese, our first language..Â
 @fumblefacedolt  @Wickedwitch Who needs English, we all speak Typonese!Â
The odds of this guy 'not' being the killer are astoundingly ridiculous. Let's chalk up Occam's Razor and do a quick tally for the insane and/or uninformed people out there who are entertaining the thought that Dinh *might* be innocent. To help you catch up with reality here is an abbreviated list of *some* of the details leading to his arrest and charging: Â
* He matches the sketch and eye witness accounts with pretty impressive accuracy (right down to the slight double-chin)
* He has the exact make and model of vehicle used in the incidentÂ
* Glass forensically matched to the vehicle used in the shooting was found inside his vehicleÂ
* His passenger window was recently replacedÂ
* The day after the incident he drove all the way to Portland to do the replacement
*Â He changed the tires of the Z4 using his wife's car and then hid the old ones in his workspace (which I'm sure forensics will say match the tread left at the scene)
*He owns 9mm parts and ammunition but there's no sign of a 9mm handgun and at least one 'part' of a 9mm handgun was carefully stashed in his workplace (wow, that's a strange coincidence, don't you think?)
* He lived a half mile from the scene and would have plenty of reason to be in the area at the timeÂ
* He is well trained with handguns, which would be required to pull of the close grouping at the rate of fire witnesses reportedÂ
* He kept his car in the garage after the incident (when he normally flashed it around the neighborhood) and did not drive it all while under surveillance even though there was nothing wrong with it (which was highly unusual behavior for Mr. Dinh Bowmanâwho practically turned the car into an extension of himself before the incident).Â
* He painted the rims himself (if you can't see why that is suspicious, considering the type of guy he is, you're kind of missing human nature. Nobody *that* into cars 'hand-paints' their rims)Â
* He would not answer the door when detectives knocked even though he knew that they knew he was inside
* He has serious anger issues
* He has a record of narcissistic behavior (including a blog full of creepy self-love and material/success worship stuff)
* He can't stop himself from smirking in the freakin' courtroom (because he is probably a psychopath so full of himself that he thinks he might actually get off with an expensive lawyer, luckily that over-confidence will surely work against him)
Â
To top it all off, there is undoubtedly a WHOLE LOT MORE evidence that the detectives collected which hasn't even been used yet, which is normally the case with trials of this nature. So anyone who is still holding on to the idea that this D-Bag might be innocent should probably avoid charismatic cult leaders and studying anything that requires the application of scientific principals... Oh and timeshare salesmen... and gambling. Actually, make that anything at all to do with probability... Or maybe anything at all to do with mathematics... In fact, you should probably get some sort of legal agreement put together that turns over the power of attorney and decision making to your parents and forces you to require them to cosign on anything that costs more than $100.... Seriously... Â
 @David Lang Do you know the trail date? and why did judge not give him bail?
 @David Lang Awesome post
 @David Lang I pretty certain he missed one little shard of glass in his door panel or under a seat that will match what was found in the street. Its pretty hard to vac up a blown window from every little place it winds up.
Â
No two pieces of glass are the same, ever. That is pretty much enough right there.
@David Lang ...you won't be in the jury pool.
 @David Lang Brilliant post! "In fact, you should probably get some sort of legal agreement put together that turns over the power of attorney and decision making to your parents". I fear that level of stupidity is genetic. Just turn your power of attorney over to me if you believe this man is innocent. I'll find a nice home for you to live in.
 @David Lang Very good summation. I'm sure everybody knows Bowman did it. As you've pointed out, there's just too much evidence against him. Anybody who says there isn't enough evidence is just trolling.
Â
Whomever is behind the screen name SolntsevskayaBratva is just trying to get a reaction from everybody in my opinion.
His wife must have known too. Only a matter of time before they arrest her.Â
 @caphillkid Yep and if she's smart AT ALL she better roll over now - or else she is looking at Accessory to Murder and some hard prison time...Â
Â
 @David Lang  @caphillkid Unless she turns out to be the anonymous tipster. I hope someone in that family has a conscious.
 @Just_Mike  @David Lang  @caphillkid No family there, people with family don't have blogs like that.
 @Just_Mike I have my doubts that she's the tipster as according to the charging papers, she claims that the BMW's window was shattered while they were having lunch in Portland. Yeah, right. That points to the fact that she was still trying to help cover up the evidence even at the time she was interviewed.
Â
Charge her now! ...before she does skip town.
 @mandy h It's been stated in some of the news articles. I don't know if the police know the identity and the person is choosing to keep it private, or if the tip is 100% anonymous. Kudos to that person anyway, you took a monster off the streets.
 @Just_Mike Is it known that the tipster was in fact anonymous?
 @David Lang Isn't it too late for her to try to get out of being charged? She is an accessory. She should be in jail right now along with her husband. She had to have known the very day it happened or at least by the next day. Charge her now!
This comment has been deleted
Completely senseless. Just some punk who probably grew up playing xbox military games 24x7 and couldn't help himself from firing his gun at some random stranger. Just put the pup down and wash your hands of this good for nothing scum bag. Many warm hugs to the family and friends of Mr. Yancy Noll, it truly was senseless.
Why would this guy want to put on hair gel when he is facing murder? Â Â
 @HullenbeckCowl There is no hair gel in jail, unless King Co. is allowing for profit.
How the hell did this guy get ahold of hair gel product in king county jail?
 @fumblefacedolt Sink soap is a creative medium where one is that into it and there is nothing else. Either that, or that packet of Maple Syrup..Â
 @fumblefacedolt I'm afraid that's not gel my friend, there's something about Mary...
Haa haaa, thanks! You beat me to it! Good one.
I think this guy Bowman has set off many people's B.S. meters. Also, an anonymous tip led to his arrest sooooo.......methinks somebody who knows him can totally see him doing this. Disclaimer: I am not saying he is guilty or not. I AM saying that it sure doesn't look good.
They should add another charge of hair abuse in the first degree. If this is the guy (and it sure appears that he is), he should just be put down right away.
If he is found guilty then his wife needs to do time as well. She knew and helped cover it all up.
 @Rockberry clearly, you're not suitable for jury duty. I'm pretty sure the law states that people are innocent until proven guilty. You people have no evidence. You're basing all your information off of news articles, not police records. And you're promoting cyber-stalking by providing Mrs. Palm-Bowman's personal information online. You people need to get lives.
Good point - Absolutely she should be arrested & held accoutable as she knew about the cover-up as it happened. She surely knew why she was in Portland (instead of here) with him getting the window of the car fixed & also WHY they got 4 new tires for his car & apparently THEY (not just him) insisted to take the old tires with them from the tire shop. So, is it because she is Dr. Jennifer Palm-Bowman, a dentist in Bainbridge Island, that she is not being charged? I hope that's not it! But I wonder WHY it is then?Â
 @debayter50 They will get her on at least one charge of obstruction, maybe more unless they make a plea deal to drop further charges against her for her cooperation against him in this case. There goes her career also!
 @debayter50 Really, she's a dentist? But why that would make a difference is beyond me. She's an accessory. She committed a crime. Charge her now!Â
Â
I notice that the office she practices at no longer lists her on their website as being a dentist there. I wonder if she's skipped town? She's got to know that she'll be charged sooner or later.
 @mandy h  @debayter50  I was afraid of him, he would kill me...... OK MAM, you can go.
 @debayter50 Hah! That's where I saw it, on the Linked-in page. She's been with that practice since 2007.
Â
You are sure that is her?
 @debayter50  Yeah, I thought that too ...that perhaps she was new at that practice but I believe I noted somewhere that she's been there for quite some time ...four or five years?Â
Â
Yes, maybe I'm jumping the gun to assume that she was harboring him but I guess we'll see as the trial progresses. As I say, she had to have known that day or the very next day.
@mandy h No, she hasn't skipped town - the detectives already talked to her when they arrested him; (It was said in prior articles). It beats me why they let her off the hook, at least for now. Some ppl who were there today at his hearing were maybe going to ask Mr. O'Toole (the prosecutor) about it, but we'll see. If the state knows how ppl feel about this, they may just act on it after all. Oh, and her photo is on her Linked-In profile. I noticed she wasn't listed in that dental facility too - I think she's new there (??). Yes, I am a good detective; I do find things out! lol!
Â