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Dr. James Sowa was a 64-year-old chiropractor who was found unconscious by his son Alex, at his home on November 2, 2020. Living in Bensalem, a township in Pennsylvania, Dr. Sowa was first discovered by Alex during his regular visit at around 3:30 pm. He immediately called 911 for medical assistance, but upon reaching the scene, he was pronounced dead.
The body of James Sowa showed signs of brutal head injury and multiple concussions. His head was hit with a blunt force that crushed his entire jaw, and investigators found teeth on the floor. This spine-chilling murder terrified the entire town of Bensalam.
The murder of Dr. James Sowa is documented in the third episode of Philly's Homicide, titled A Minute Changes Everything. The episode aired on Oxygen on November 9, 2024, at 9 pm EST.
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What is the story of Dr. James Sowa?
Dr. James Sowa was a reputed medical practitioner, who a native of Philadelphia. He had an experience of spending 40 years in the health field and was much trusted by the community members.
Sowa's family consisted of his wife Barbara, and two sons Alex and Kurt. Sowa had his office clinic at the residence itself, hence he used to stay indoors throughout the day.
He was regularly visited and checked by his sons, who worked as teachers. Barbara said that the last time she saw Sowa was while going for work, and talked to him on the phone at 7:35 am. Alex, who used to pay regular visits to his father at around 3:30 pm, found him in the kitchen, with the entire house sprawled with blood.
Investigators went to look through Dr. James Sowa's history
As per an article from Bucks County District Attorney's Office's official website, published on May 27, 2022, the murder of Dr. James Sowa was investigated by Detectives with the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office in collaboration with Bensalem Township Police Department.
The authorities decided to interview each family member, in the hope of getting any concrete lead. However, after multiple follow-up interviews, the police could actually manage to find out the time around which he was killed. The forensic reports deciphered that Dr. James Sowa was hit three times behind his back with a blunt force.
When he fell unconscious on the floor, the murderer kept on hitting the jaw until it broke down, and this caused his death. The blood samples found on the scene also had traces from the victim.
Initially, the only person who came under suspicion was Dr. James Sowa's second son Kurt. He showed exceeding interest in investigating the murder of his father.
According to Kurt's calculation, the murderer finished the job in a few minutes at the most. He also added that the blood samples found of the murder proved that his father also tried to defend himself in the tussle.
All of these insights, coming from someone who wasn't present at the immediate crime scene, exceeded the authorities' doubts.
However, upon precision scrutinization, the investigators brushed him off the radar, realizing Kurt is just ardent about watching crime shows. Shockingly, upon inspecting Dr. James Sowa's patient history, they found the biggest evidence and grim reason behind the crime.
The murderer of Dr. James Sowa was one of his patients
As per an NBC Philadelphia article, published on January 8, 2021, Sowa was a well-reputed chiropractor around Bensalem. Hence, the authorities decided to examine his past patient's history. They looked for any CCTV cameras around 3161 Hulmeville Road, and eventually got a big lead.
Detective Glenn Vandegrift, from Bensalem Township Police Department, said in the episode that after a thorough search, the team managed to retrieve footage from a beverage store, right across the street.
While playing the footage, the analysts found a figure walking into the house of Dr. James Sowa at around 8:25 am and storming off less than a minute later.
After inspecting the tape multiple times, they found a white car parked near Sowa's house. Eventually, they traced the car to be a Nissan Altima, with a camouflage seat cover on Byberry Road. After a week of scrupulous observations, the car was finally detected which was owned by Joseph O' Boyle.
The Attorney's Office found out that O'Boyle had consulted Sowa in September 2020. As per O'Boyle's relatives, he started experiencing terrible pain in his jaw, which only worsened with time.
He consulted Dr. James Sowa and blamed the chiropractor, for not being able to cure his pain. Reportedly, he also wanted to charge Sowa for worsening his situation.
O'Boycle was suffering from depression and had assaulted his father in the past. He refused to take any medication. When his father confronted him after Dr. Sowa's death, he agreed to have killed him.
The police produced a search warrant for O'Boycke's house on November 10, 2020. They retrieved a suitcase packed with clothes, partly indicating he was planning to flee.
During the search, O'Boycle attacked one of the Bensalem detectives, punching him on the head multiple times. He was finally tied up by the officers, and taken into arrest. The Bensalem Police Department and Bucks County Detectives finally succeeded in getting hold of the killer.
He was presented before the jury and on January 8, 2021, O'Boyle was charged with third-degree homicide, criminal trespassing, multiple assaults, and possessing a crime instrument. His parents revealed that he was suffering from schizoaffective disorder, which caused intense pain in the jaw.
On June 10, 2022, was found guilty of his crimes. He was sentenced to imprisonment from 37 to 74 years. Currently, Joseph O'Boycle is a prisoner in one of Pennsylvania's state prisons, without any chance of bail in the near future.
To know more about the murder case of Dr. James Sowa, viewers can watch the third episode of Philly's Homicide on YouTube TV or on the Oxygen Channel.
