Home California Update: BART Says Murder Suspect Now in Custody

Update: BART Says Murder Suspect Now in Custody

by ECT

The BART Police Department released images of John Lee Cowell, 27, who is a suspect  wanted for fatally stabbing 18-year-old Nia Wilson and wounding her sister at MacArthur Station Sunday night.

 

Cowell is Caucasian, stands 5’ 8”, and weighs 190 pounds.  Cowell has short, dark hair as well as a closely cropped beard and mustache.

 

Cowell should be considered dangerous and anyone who sees him should immediately call 9-1-1. 

 

BART police officers were already at MacArthur Station when the incident occurred at approximately 9:36 pm and were flagged down about a male suspect on the platform with a knife.  Officers arrived on the platform and found two women suffering from stab wounds.  Officers immediately began rendering aid to the victims until paramedics arrived.  Nia Wilson succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.  Her sister was taken to a nearby hospital. 

 

It appears both the suspect and victims boarded a BART train at Concord Station at the same time and then off boarded at MacArthur.  BART detectives have carefully reviewed video from surveillance cameras on the train the victims and suspect were riding on as well as platform video at MacArthur Station.

 

The attack happened on the MacArthur platform.  BART detectives are sharing images from the surveillance videos with other law enforcement agencies as well as the public.

 

Investigators also recovered valuable evidence at the scene of the crime.

 

Update

An anonymous tip from a BART rider has led to the arrest of the suspect wanted in connection with the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Nia Wilson and the wounding of her sister at the MacArthur BART Station Sunday night.  BART police quickly responded to the tip and found 27-year-old John Lee Cowell aboard at Antioch-bound train at the Pleasant Hill Station.  Cowell was arrested by BART police officers without incident.

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40 comments

Nunya Bizness Jul 23, 2018 - 1:15 pm

Wow…?

Tia Jul 23, 2018 - 1:16 pm

They deserved to die because they got “mouthy”? Just clarifying what you’re actually saying. They didn’t owe this man anything.

T.t. Jul 23, 2018 - 1:17 pm

Being loud or obnoxious does not give you the right to Slit someone’s throat that is murder and attempted murder no matter which way you slice it. THIS would be no different if I took matters into my own hands because I disagree with your comment above the disrespect is endless and the ignorance you’re displaying with this comment or opinion alone is the reason things like this are deemed acceptable

Mike Jul 23, 2018 - 1:18 pm

WOW…

Anthony Jul 23, 2018 - 1:20 pm

The police need to be present at the stations not at the streets

Heather Davis Jul 23, 2018 - 3:22 pm

Police were there and responded immediately

Apparently not Jul 23, 2018 - 6:47 pm

Otherwise thwy would have caught him.

David Smith Jul 23, 2018 - 1:33 pm

Sane, reasonable people call the authorities if someone is being disruptive or confrontational. They don’t stab people. I don’t know you friend so I will chalk up your comment to you being an inconsiderate asshole and not because you support people start stab each other for every annoyance that transpires on public transportation.

Crazy Jul 23, 2018 - 1:38 pm

Sad story! Hope they catch this MFer and put a round in his head!

Simonpure Jul 23, 2018 - 1:53 pm

He is a violent felon on parole. Your days are numbered John Lee Coward.

D Jul 23, 2018 - 2:30 pm

I am waiting for the actual facts to come out before rendering an opinion as to what transpired and if any action was warranted on his part. With that being said, If it does turn out that this guy stabbing her for being nothing more than disruptive, that girls father should be well within his rights to slit that guys throat from ear to ear in retribution for his daughter. I know as a father that be the only thing that would make me feel better is to do it myself.

Half right Jul 23, 2018 - 2:34 pm

I disagree with the first part of your comment, there is No reason for a guy to do that to a female, UNLESS his own life was in danger, but this doesnt seem to be the case here. But i totally agree with the second part of what you said.

D Jul 23, 2018 - 3:30 pm

@Half Right- you proved my point exactly. The actual facts of what transpired are not out yet, and probably won’t be out for a few days to a few weeks. For all we know the females may have brandished a weapon first and he defended himself. From the information that has been released already, it doesn’t appear likely, but I wasn’t there and can’t base any decision on what I didn’t see. These days people jump to conclusions based on initial reports, only to sometimes have those reports be inaccurate because it’s based on bits and pieces of scattered information. Hence why am waiting because I want to make an informed decision with regards to my opinion on the matter.

Either way, yours and my end game meet if this guy is in fact guilty. ??

Ah ok Jul 23, 2018 - 3:42 pm

I gotcha now…Valid points!

James Jul 23, 2018 - 4:45 pm

The fact is, you dumb piece of trash, a man slit a girls throat. there is no fact hat could possibly make that okay.

There’s exactly ONE reason you think we should “wait and see”, and everyone her knows what it is.

Whats the ONE reason? Jul 23, 2018 - 6:30 pm

Enlighten us to what the one reason is? If your acting on self defense, it doesnt matter what you had to do to survive. Im not saying this is the case tho nor amI the original poster.

John Jul 23, 2018 - 4:12 pm

I guess the million dollar question is that if he acted on self-defense why did he flee?

Crazy Jul 23, 2018 - 6:43 pm

How he looks 27 in one photo and 40 in the other.

Antifa Jul 23, 2018 - 5:38 pm

What is that logo on his jacket, anyone know?

Janet Jul 23, 2018 - 10:18 pm

That’s Hollister bruh

Ned Shred Jul 24, 2018 - 12:23 am

That’s a brand logo for the Hollister clothing label, if I’m not wrong. Looks like the seagull logo they feature on some products.

Loren Jul 23, 2018 - 6:02 pm

It is way past time for the joke that is bart pd to start riding the trains instead of hanging out in parking lots. There are a couple of hundred cops on this highly paid pd and they are not doing a damn thing to protect the public. My wife rides bart to McArthur station to work and back from WC every day. Not any more. It is no more expensive to drive at this point, at least in your car you get to sit down and not have to be packed in the train like a sardine, nor deal with the junkies, the nuts and the thieves. Worst case you get stuck in traffic, at least you come home alive. Vote out everyone of those assholes on the bart board, don’t ride it unless you absolutely must…..

Donna A Schreier Jul 23, 2018 - 7:03 pm

I DON’T SEE WHAT YOU COULD DO TO DESERVE THAT, EVEN IF SHE WAS MOUTHY

THE WORLD IS GETTING REALLY BAD,

I USES TO TAKE BART ALL THE TIME AND YOU NEVER HEARD OF ANYTHING HAPPENING, BUT NO MORE.

Rumor Jul 23, 2018 - 8:13 pm

Rumor is these girls were yelling racial slurs at him because hes white. No surprise

Dmitri Jul 23, 2018 - 10:20 pm

And just like every other white supremacist, they’ll only attack black women, children, or elderly… they’ll never confront a black man. Period.

Nick Jul 23, 2018 - 11:28 pm

There’s enough black on black crime, and white men lynched black men all the time. Quit making everything a racial issue. There’s always Africa. I’d confront you in a heartbeat. I’m probably twice your size.

Here we go ! Jul 24, 2018 - 5:05 am

@ Dmitri…always with the race victim bullshit, that card is so used up, thats its just comical at this point. Funny how you assume hes a white supremacist and say how they only prey on the weak. Who do the hoodrats prey on? They prey on old 75 year old men shopping at Orchard and kill him over $5. They always run around in groups cause they are to big of pussies 1 on 1. They use being loud and animated as a way to intimidate people, we all know that. And lastly we all know they dont fight clean, always got to pull out a gun, because they are pussies. Dont assume everyone on here or in Antioch are scared, some of us have no fear.

Dmitri Jul 24, 2018 - 6:28 am

Way to detract from the actual story Nick. Insecure white dudes like you feel you have to prove something because your “master race” rhetoric is fading with time. Scared of becoming a minority? Have minorities been mistreated in the USA or something? LOL. Thanks for bringing up lynching, something that a group of men had to hang up to commit, and it was legal. You’re a disgrace Nick. Go back to Alabama or wherever you came from.

Clown Jul 24, 2018 - 7:37 am

Youre the one that detracted from the story first, read what you wrote dips hit! You said nobody would say it to a black giy, he said he would and you ignored it. Now go back to being a pu ssy like the rest.

Nick Jul 24, 2018 - 4:45 pm

BYOT (Bring your own tree).

Always with the excuses Jul 24, 2018 - 5:17 am

Always victims right? Everybody trying to keep ypu down right?

Citizen Jul 24, 2018 - 1:03 pm

Actually the person Rumor started the thing about race. Did you guys even read the original comment? Plus, multiple news outlets were saying the man had ties to white supremacy factions, whether it be true or not. In all, race undoubtedly does play a role in many individual actions in our world unfortunately. Even if the girls did say something about him being white, it doesn’t warrant being murdered for it; I hope you all can agree at least on that.

Hold on a sec Jul 25, 2018 - 9:40 am

None of can say if she deserved it or not until all the facts come out. Maybe it was self defense, maybe he felt threaten my the racial slurs at him, maybe they brandish a knife at him and he took it from them. BUT if it was a random act, them he deserves to be killed as well, regardless of her being black, white or green.

Burn out Jul 23, 2018 - 11:46 pm

I’d like to slit tias throat

Interesting Jul 24, 2018 - 5:08 am

Interesting that ECT will allow this threat, but wont post my comment

Dawn Jul 24, 2018 - 1:51 am

It’s interesting that the ride started at the Concord BART station. This is an area with some really weird and disruptive people hanging around. Lots of riders have been accosted there! The Concord PD has been called because some of the problems occur on the sidewalk and not in BART’s parking territory.

This guy was heading for Antioch? Is that where he lives? I wish more details were given on this case. My neighbors said they will not ride BART again.

Fake News Jul 24, 2018 - 4:45 am

Arent they all technically heading to Antioch when going Eastbound on Bart? Does it really matter that he was headed here? Its Antioch, for all I know I was probably standing behind a murder yesterday morning at Safeway. Oh wait maybe not, it was 7 am, none of those people are up,that early, since they dont actually work.

Pathetic Jul 24, 2018 - 4:39 am

Im glad he was caught, but its pathetic that it took a Bart rider to see and find him and not the actual Bart Police or any other police department.

Blah blah blah Jul 24, 2018 - 5:11 am

Dmitri…..always with the r ace victim bulls hit, that card is so used up, thats its just comical at this point. Funny how you assume hes a white supremacist and say how they only prey on the weak. Who do the ho odrats prey on? They prey on old 75 year old men shopping at Orchard and kill him over $5. They always run around in groups cause they are to big of pussies 1 on 1. They use being loud and animated as a way to intimidate people, we all know that. And lastly we all know they dont fight clean, always got to pull out a gun, because they are pussies. Dont assume everyone on here or in Antioch are scared, some of us have no fear.

MrsMouton Jul 24, 2018 - 8:43 am

Poor girl, her poor family. I do not care what transpired on that platform or before. As a man he should have walked away. And for her sister to have to witness it, that’s something she will carry with her for the rest of her life. I hope they find him and hook him up to the chair.

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