Murder of Carol Bowne

Summary

Carol M. Bowne, née Ehly was a 39-year-old woman who was stabbed to death by her obsessed ex-boyfriend Michael Eitel on June 3, 2015, at her home in Berlin, New Jersey. Eitel was a convicted felon having served five years in prison. Prior to her murder, Bowne filed a restraining order against Eitel as well as submitted an application to obtain a firearm permit. Firearm permits in New Jersey are legislated to take a maximum of 30 days to be issued. At the time of her murder, 42 days after her permit request, Bowne had not been issued a firearm permit. As a result of Carol Bowne's murder, the gun laws in New Jersey were altered to make it easier for domestic violence victims to own and carry firearms.