The Murder of Nancy Jane Harvill

I am going to start out by telling you that I am completely confused with this case but that is not going to stop me from telling the story. I am confused on the relationship of the victim and the perpetrators as well as a motive for the crime. I found nothing that showed or stated that the perpetrators went to trial and due to the timing of their sentencing I am led to believe that they accepted plea deals or entered a plea of guilty. That all being said, the murder of Nancy Jane Harvill was not only vicious and gruesome, but sadistic as well as the perpetrators led people to believe that she was alive for more than fifteen months after her death.

On January 8, 2013 the body of Nancy Jane Harvill was found wrapped in plastic and buried. There were some indications that she was buried in the “backyard” while others say she was buried under a dirt floor in a shed in Fordyce Arkansas. The home apparently belonged to, or at least was occupied by a woman named Sherri Bowen. Sherri has been described as being Nancy's stepmother. Sherri had two sons named John and Christopher Aldrich. Whether they lived in the home also is unclear. The Aldrich brothers were described as Nancy's step-brothers.

Now, Harvill was Nancy's married name. She had been married to a man named Gary Harvill and it was not completely clear whether they were still married or divorced. My research first indicated that they were no longer together but Nancy's obituary listed him as her husband and two of his children as her step-children. Nancy herself had two sons who it is unclear whether they were five and ten at the time her body was discovered or in 2011 when investigators believe Nancy was murdered. One of her sons carried the Harvill name and one carried the surname of Jones-Bowen. Jones was Nancy's maiden name and her father's name was Homer. Homer was apparently living in Michigan and married to a woman named Judy.... are you still with me? She had several siblings listed in her obituary and I know that one with the Jones surname was a half brother. I am unsure about the other two brothers listed with that name but she had a brother listed with the Bowen name and two with the last name of Schmitzer. As far as the sisters go I cannot say other than the fact that two carried the Bowen name. So all of this led to so much more confusion as to the relationship between Nancy Harvill and Sherri Bowen and her sons. In addition to this I found on reference that said “there were indications that Harvill was being blamed for causing the demise and death, apparently of natural causes, of her stepfather” and I believe he carried the Bowen name. Then again with all of the confusion I could be wrong about that. I think the only safe thing to say is that somehow Nancy Harvill was related to Sherri Bowen and her two sons, John and Christopher Aldrich...

At any rate it was said that the police in Fordyce received a tip that Nancy may no longer be alive. There was no indication where or who that tip came from. Soon after that John Aldrich was at the very least brought in for questioning and he admitted to her murder and apparently told investigators the story of what happened. It is not clear exactly when this took place but on January 18, 2013, ten days after the discovery of her body, John's mother, Sherri Bowen and his brother Christopher were also arrested.

It appears that in the end all three each took some sort of plea deal. I say this because I found nothing that talked about any sort of trials and because all three were sentenced on the same day on October 30, 2013, just over ten months after the body was found. I will get into their sentences, as well as comment on some behavior issues they have exhibited while in prison in a bit. First I want to tell you what prosecutors say happened. It is unclear if what the prosecutors say occurred came solely from John's confession, the confession of others or what the evidence may have told them.

Sometime on or around August 26, 2011 an argument broke out. Some things say that John and Nancy got into “a physical altercation” over the treatment of her children although nothing was specific. There were also hints as I mentioned earlier that Nancy was being blamed for the death of her stepfather. It was alleged that Sherri Bowen instructed her sons to tie Nancy up, to which they did, in a “hogtie fashion.” For the next two day they “tortured her by hitting her with hands, broom sticks, baseball bats, cast iron pans, furniture, and hot candle wax.” They also kicked her and shot her with a “spring loaded airsoft gun.” During this time she was not given any food or drink. Nor was she allowed to go to the bathroom. After two days of all of this Nancy died.

After she had died her body was drug through the house and out into a “shop-like addition” to the house. It is unclear whether this was the “shed” that was later described as being where Nancy was found or not. The brothers had borrowed a tiller to excavate the ground and they also used two shovels to dig a grave. Nancy's body was wrapped in plastic and placed in the grave. And then it seems for the next fifteen months things apparently seemed to go on as normal.

When people asked about where Nancy was they were told different stories, generally by Sherri Bowen but the long and short of them was that she had left the state of Arkansas. But, no one seemed too worried because they were still having contact with Nancy through email and Facebook posts periodically, or so they believed. From my understanding it was Sherri Bowen who was impersonating Nancy in these communications. She was also accused of improperly renewing medicaid benefits for Nancy's children that remained living with her. When Nancy's body was found the children were removed from the home by Child Protective Services. It is unclear where they are now or where they were eventually placed.

Sherri Bowen and her sons, John and Christopher Aldrich were all charged with capital murder, kidnapping, first degree battery and hindering apprehension. The boys were also charged with abuse of a corpse while Bowen was charged with financial identification theft and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. In the end they all pleaded guilty to some of the charges, some new charges and had some dropped. I will go through each of them one by one.

Sherri Bowen would receive a thirty year sentence for the charge of conspiracy to commit first degree murder, twenty-five years for kidnapping, twenty years for hindering apprehension and six year for abuse of a corpse. It seems her charges dealing with her impersonating Nancy to gain medicaid benefits and the charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor were dropped. All of her sentences are concurrent, meaning all at the same time as opposed to one after another, meaning that her “total time” is thirty years. While she has been behind bars she has had several “major disciplinary” issues that have included, but not limited to, battery, “provoking or agitating a fight” (more than once). She has also participated in several programs and obtained her GED in 2019. I point out this latter program for two reasons. First, it indicates her level of education prior to the murder, but it also shows that she was in prison for quite some time before she completed this program, which is one of the first available to inmates. The state website is a bit different than some others and it says “PE/TE date.” I can only assume that this means parole eligible date. For Sherri it is listed as July 19, 2030.

Christopher Aldrich would receive twenty years for first degree domestic battery, twenty years for kidnapping and six years for abuse of a corpse. Like his mother his sentences were concurrent, so he is expected to spend twenty years. While inside he has had several “major disciplinary” actions but most seem to be “failure to obey an order” along with a battery and a mark for “possession of contraband.” He too, like his mother has done several programs inside and he received his GED in 2017. I find it interesting that he completed his own high school equivalency test before his mother. Where I am a bit confused is his “PE/TE Date.” His shows as January 16, 2027. I am confused as he received ten years less than his mother but only has a date three years earlier than she does. I do not know if this has anything to do with any disciplinary issues adding time or if it as simple as a percentage required to serve confusion.

The other thing in this case that I find a bit odd is sentencing of John Aldrich. Of the three perpetrators John received the most time despite the fact that it was indicated that he readily confessed and helped “bust” the case open. I had a notation that he “turned himself in.” He would receive sentences of forty years for murder, thirty years for kidnapping, twenty years for hindering apprehension and six years for the abuse of a corpse. His sentences would also be concurrent meaning he was given a forty year sentence. This is ten years more than his mother and twice as long as his brother. Generally the person that helps investigators the most gets the better deal so I am unsure what went on in this case. That being said John and participated in fewer programs while in prison and has only one “major disciplinary” issue with it being “possession of contraband,” which in most cases could be pretty much anything as “contraband” is anything not authorized. His “PE/TE Date” is listed as January 7, 2041.

It is unclear whether any of the perpetrators showed any remorse for their actions at all. I suppose the fact that they all pleaded guilty in less than a year should mean something since it prevented the family from going through a trial or more. On the other hand since they were initially all charged with capital murder it is also plausible that they pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty and had nothing to do with any guilt or remorse they felt. But, without a trial and possible subsequent appeals we are unable to hear really the full story from any of the perpetrators. Of course the end of the story is the death of Nancy Harvill and a motive changes nothing, but I think we all like to know the why.