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Man arrested for 1980 cold case murder of Navy wife appears in court

Dennis Bowman was formally charged with first-degree murder connected to a 40-year-old cold case where a 25-year-old woman was killed in Norfolk.

NORFOLK, Va. — The man who was arrested for the murder of a woman more than 40 years ago in Norfolk appeared in front of a judge Monday morning.

Dennis Bowman was arrested in Michigan back in November for his alleged involvement in the murder of 25-year-old Kathleen Doyle in 1980. In his court appearance, a judge formally charged Bowman with first-degree murder.

Bowman said in court that he "was going to plead guilty." The judge told him he would get a court-appointed attorney.

Doyle was found dead in her Norfolk home on Sept. 11, 1980. She was the daughter of a naval officer and the wife of a U.S. Navy pilot who was on deployment at the time of her murder.

RELATED: Police arrest man involved in 1980 Norfolk homicide

Credit: Norfolk Sheriff''s Office

Michigan State Police alongside other state and county authorities arrested 70-year-old Bowman in Allegan County, Michigan on Nov. 22 where he's been living for years.

Forensic evidence led law enforcement to believe Bowman was involved in Doyle's death, but a recent discovery might land him more charges in a missing person's case.

RELATED: Skeletal remains in Michigan possibly tied to Norfolk cold case murder suspect

Skeletal remains were found underneath Bowman's home last week that could be the bones of his 14-year-old adopted daughter Aundria Bowman, who has been missing since 1989.

Credit: Family Photo

Investigators learned the body of Aundria was possibly located in a shallow grave. Now, they're waiting for lab results to confirm the findings. It could take several weeks for law enforcement to receive those results.

Bowman's next court appearance for the Doyle murder case will be on April 30.

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