Homicide charges withdrawn for two women in Uniontown shooting death
Homicide charges were withdrawn for two women at their preliminary hearing Monday as part of a case in an alleged drug robbery gone awry.
Megan Marie Bowlen, 24, and Miranda Jean Engle, 31, both of Uniontown, waived their remaining charges of robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery to the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas.
The women are two of five people charged in the Nov. 27 shooting death of Marquell L. Bailey, 25, at a vacant Pershing Court apartment. Also charged are Joel Grooms, 30, Derek Lee Royster, 29, and Devin Michael Fitzgerald, all of Uniontown. The men are awaiting preliminary hearings.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, Bailey, Fitzgerald, Bowlen, Engle and Grooms conspired to rob Royster at 61 Pershing Court. Engle called Royster to set up a drug deal about an hour before the shooting. The four people waited for Royster to arrive at the apartment, with the women in the living room and the men in the dining room. When Royster arrived, a fight broke out over the cocaine.
Police allege Bailey walked into the living room and tried to punch Royster, prompting Royster to pull out a gun and shoot Bailey in the chest. Bowlen hid behind a couch, dodging two shots from Royster’s gun, according to police, while Grooms and Engle ran out the back door. Royster fled in a truck, and Bowlen ran out the back door, calling 911. She returned to perform CPR on Bailey, who was bleeding and gasping for air, according to court paperwork.
Bowlen went to her nearby apartment with Engle and washed blood from her hands. Bailey was taken to Uniontown Hospital by ambulance, where he died.
The women were arrested later that night. Royster was arrested Nov. 30. Grooms was arrested Dec. 18. Fitzgerald was charged and arrested earlier this month.
The men are lodged in Fayette County Prison without bail. Bail was initially denied for Bowlen and Engle, but court orders changed the amount to $25,000 unsecured Thursday. Engle is required to wear an ankle monitor as part of the agreement, according to court documents.