Bogalusa man convicted in 2022 fatal shooting

WASHINGTON PARISH, La. (WGNO) — A Washington Parish jury found 49-year-old Freddie McGowan of Bogalusa guilty of second-degree murder.

According to the Office of District Attorney Collin Sims, McGowan was also found guilty of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Officers with the Bogalusa Police Department responded to an address on Second Avenue on June 15, 2022, on reports of an unresponsive man at a house. Officers found 50-year-old Travis Davis with a fatal gunshot wound to his head.

Court documents state that detectives interviewed a woman who was last seen with Davis. She initially denied knowing about the incident but eventually admitted to being present when Davis was killed. She accused McGowan of being the shooter, saying the two of them had planned to rob Davis and split the proceeds.

The woman said she waited until Davis was asleep and called McGowan to come to the residence. When McGowan arrived, he had three other people with him. McGowan entered Davis’s bedroom and approached him.

According to the district attorney’s office, when McGowan began searching Davis’s pockets for money, Davis awakened and tried to fight off McGowan. McGowan then reportedly shot Davis in his head. The others allegedly rummaged through Davis’s possessions. Everyone then fled the residence, leaving Davis dead.

McGowan is set for sentencing Sept. 22. He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison on the second-degree murder charge, up to 49 and a half years for conspiracy to commit armed robbery and up to 20 years for the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon charge.

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