Man 'beheaded' his mother after 'kneeling on her neck' until she died

Bowen Fladland admitted to killing his 70-year-old mother Marlene in South Dakota before cutting off her head and burying her body in the garden of the home they had been living in

A man's been accused of "decapitated" his own mother after kneeling on her until she died.

Bowen Fladland, 34, has been accused of first-degree and second-degree murder after his mum's body was found by officers. Officers believe that she had been killed days earlier by Bowen in the shocking crime.

Police in the American state of South Dakota were alerted to an incident taking place outside Fladland's home earlier this month. The house had been known to police following previous instances of violence at the address and reports from neighbours.

Investigators found the body of Bowen's 70-year-old mum Marlene on Tuesday (July 8), charging Bowen with his mother's murder. However, police now believe that she had been killed at least three days prior to the body's discovery.

Court documents seen by the Mirror found that prosecutors received reports from a relative of the mother and son last Saturday (July 5). In the statement, the relative explained that they had spoken with Marlene that day and had reported to them that Bowen had assaulted her.

Police charged Bowen with murder after his mother's body was discovered in the home's garden. He then went on to admit "kneeling on her neck until she was apparently deceased and then used a tool to remove her head", police said.

This, however, was not the first time that Bowen had seemingly struck his mother, with previous reports of abuse having been filed on numerous other occasions. In one harrowing incident from 2023, Marlene raced to police after one near-death experience.

Speaking to detectives at the time, Marlene had told investigators from the Watertown Police Department that she had been woken to the sound of Bowen screaming. When she went to comfort him and calm him down, he grabbed her and proceeded to strangle her, but she was able to get away.

Bowen would go on to attack her for a second time just one day later. In this attack, she was almost choked to death when her throat was constricted by "both hands" after she was pinned against the fridge.

After freeing herself from his grip, she fled to the bathroom and locked herself in. Upon hearing Bowen digging through the silverware drawer in the kitchen", Marlene opened the door - only to find her son brandishing two butter knives and telling her he was "going to kill her".

Following this harrowing incident, Bowen had been given a suspended sentence and placed on supervised probation after pleading guilty to aggravated domestic assault.

A bond of $500,000 (equivalent to £370,000) cash was posted for Bowen, as state Attorney General Marty Jackley urged the public to stay away from the crime scene while forensic investigations are carried out. Neighbours of the pair have been left shocked at the news, with one well-wisher saying she was "devastated" to hear of Marlene's murder.

"She was such a sweet person," the neighbour added in an interview with local TV station KELO, "When I walked by, she would always say ‘Hi’ to me, and I’d say, ‘How are you doing today? And she’d say, ‘Good.’"

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.