Rock Island County, Illinois – A man was sentenced to 55 years in prison for the 2021 murder of a Milan woman. Ward Davis pleaded guilty on October 10, 2023, to killing Julie Bowser, 54, with blows to her head, causing extensive brain injuries on September 17, 2021. She died on September 22.

After testimony from law enforcement and hearing Victim Impact Statements, the judge sentenced Davis to 55 years in prison, with three years of supervision upon release. He has the right to appeal. In exchange for Davis’s guilty plea, prosecutors had dismissed additional charges of aggravated battery and attempted arson.

Milan Police responded to a call of a woman bleeding and lying in the street on September 17, 2021. Davis was arrested that day and held in Rock Island County Jail. According to court documents, Davis had a long history of assaults. In Scott and Rock Island counties, Davis has seven convictions of assault with injury, dating as far back as 1997, and up to 2016. He is also a convicted sex offender, charged in 2002 in Scott County with the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl. In 2021, Bowser’s sister, Lisa Bowser, told TV6 that a daughter, sister, mother, niece, and grandmother had been stolen from them.

“We are very heartbroken that she was viciously attacked. We will get justice for Julie.”

The judge sentenced a man to 55 years in prison for pleading guilty to the murder of a Milan woman, following testimony from law enforcement and Victim Impact Statements. The man arrested had a history of criminal convictions, including assault with injury and sexual assault of a minor. The victim’s family expressed their heartbreak and determination to seek justice for Julie.