MARINETTE, WI – A 21-year-old man accused in the drowning death of a 13-year-old boy with autism will move forward to trial after a Marinette County judge accepted a psychological evaluation finding him competent, clearing the way for a high-profile homicide case tied to a fatal incident at a public pier.
Tylor Birch appeared Thursday in court, where both prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed to accept the competency report. Birch faces a charge of reckless homicide in connection with the death of Jakob Bowerman, who died after being thrown into a lake in August. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 30.
Case details outlined in criminal complaint
Birch and co-defendant Peyton Carnot, 16, are both charged with reckless homicide. Carnot is being tried as an adult and is scheduled to appear June 4 for a status conference.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by WLUK, Carnot told police the two had “thrown the victim into the water after the victim has expressed he didn’t want to go in.” The complaint further states that after entering the water, Bowerman told the defendants “he could not swim.”
Investigators allege Birch and Carnot grabbed Bowerman by his hands and feet and swung him off a pier at Government Pier. After he entered the water, the two reportedly attempted to pull him out but were unsuccessful.
Timeline and prior proceedings
Bowerman was pulled from the lake and transported to a hospital, where he remained on life support for several days before dying on Aug. 23. His death was ruled a drowning.
Courtroom proceedings this week followed an earlier hearing in which Birch had already been deemed competent, a finding initially challenged by the defense. During Thursday’s hearing, both sides agreed the psychologist’s report would stand, allowing the case to proceed.
Bowerman’s mother has said her son did not know Birch or Carnot prior to the incident and described him as a child with autism who had experienced bullying in the past.