Man enters voluntary-manslaughter plea in Henrico slaying

Corey Bowman died at VCU Medical Center on Sept. 11, 2007, of a gunshot wound to the stomach that he had suffered the night before.

On the ambulance ride to the hospital from the Essex Village apartment complex off Laburnum Avenue, where the shooting occurred, Bowman, 27, begged for caregivers to save his life.

A Henrico County policeman sitting in the ambulance heard Bowman blurt out the name of his assailant. Bowman, who lived in Chesterfield County, identified the shooter as Lance Dominique Atkins, 19, the brother of Bowman's girlfriend.

The dying declaration, though, was ruled inadmissible by the court because it could not be clearly demonstrated that Bowman was fully aware that his death was imminent, a major hurdle in presenting such statements as prosecution evidence.

On Tuesday, Atkins pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in Bowman's death and was sentenced to three years in prison by Judge L.A. Harris Jr. of Henrico Circuit Court.

"Love you all," Atkins told members of his family as he was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs.

Bowman's family accepted the plea agreement, believing that Atkins' conduct will be judged more appropriately by God than the judicial system, Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Heidi Barshinger said after Atkins was sentenced.

The shooting, according to testimony in the case, happened during a party after Bowman accidentally hit his girlfriend's child with a football. Atkins was angry that the errant football toss led to an altercation between Bowman and the sister.

Three shots were fired, one of them striking Bowman. Statements to police varied about exactly what happened.

Atkins disappeared; he was later featured on the television show "America's Most Wanted," and 18 months after the shooting was arrested in the King and Queen County area.

Contact Bill McKelway at (804) 649-6601 or .