Bowen had earlier reports of domestic dispute trouble

DELCAMBRE — Matt Bowen rebuilt a 1972 Chevy Nova recently but never got the chance to race it. It always rained on the days he wanted to take it to the track for a spin.

Taking things apart and putting them back together again was a passion of Bowen’s. But a dozen interviews with family members and friends here suggest Bowen struggled to piece his life back together after a series of personal tragedies, including the death of his father and infant son.

Bowen took his life Thursday afternoon after a seven-hour standoff with police, a Christmas Day tragedy that shook this town. Bowen, 40, was well-known in Delcambre, and so were many of his problems.

Mayor Carol Broussard said police have dealt with Bowen in multiple domestic disputes of late, including a similar incident with shotgun threats during a recent hurricane. At the time of his death, Bowen had been struggling with drugs on and off for some time, said Cliff Bernard, a cousin who said he watched Bowen grow up.

Joel Terrebonne of the Delcambre Police Department said there were unconfirmed reports Thursday that Bowen and his girlfriend Melissa Wetzel had smoked crack cocaine before the dispute that led to the standoff.

If Bowen abused drugs to the extent many have suggested, for the most part, it flew under the radar of law enforcement officials.

Police records indicate Bowen was arrested in 2002 for misdemeanor possession of marijuana. He was arrested again in April for driving while intoxicated, but that was the extent of his criminal history, according to a police database.

“He just got caught up in the wrong crowd,” said James Saucier, who said he was a close friend of Bowen’s. “But you couldn’t ask for a better person.”

Friends attributed several hardships to Bowen’s derailment. When Bowen was still a student at Delcambre High School, his father, Thomas, died of a heart attack in a bar during the Delcambre Shrimp Festival.

“He never got over that,” Bernard said. “He never let things go.”

About 10 years ago, Bowen’s ex-wife gave birth to twins. One of them, Michael, died at birth. Bowen visited his grave almost every day, one friend said. Within the past year, Bowen’s wife, Michelle Robichaux Bowen, divorced him.

“He had a rough life,” Bernard said.

Still, many said they admired Bowen’s talent as a welder, his love for children and his courtesy and politeness to women and the elderly. An avid hunter and fisherman, there wasn’t an outdoors season  Bowen missed. Saucier said Bowen shot a deer as recently as last Friday while hunting.

“We were always in a boat growing up,” Saucier said. “He absolutely loved the outdoors. He was never one to stay inside.”

Friends and family can pay their final respects to Bowen today at the Evangeline Funeral Home in Delcambre. Visitation is from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. Bowen’s funeral is scheduled for Monday at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church.