Suspect charged in Heather Maples death

According to police, at approximately 9 a.m. August. 7, the lifeless body of Maples was discovered in her apartment, located in the 900 block of Brown Drive in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Brandon Bowling, L, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Heather Maples. She then returned to Gentleman Jims and stayed until 2:00 o’clock before returning to her apartment at 910 Brown Drive.

Investigators believe that this was not a random act of violence and Maples knew the suspect.

“I was just shocked”, Brooks said. Police issued an arrest warrant early today for Bowling and took him into custody later. Crime lab results linked Bowling to the murder. It was not clear how she knew Bowling. She was not a student at the nearby college. She worked in the office at her apartment complex. The arrest came only eight days before the young woman would have celebrated her 23rd birthday.

Maples and Bowling were friends on Facebook and both had accounts on a dating website called Badoo.

Jimmy Hart, Director of News and Media Relations with MTSU, confirmed that Bowling first enrolled during the summer of 2011.

Police began investigating the murder of Maples, who was originally from Mesquite, Texas, after officers received a report about a deceased female in her early 20s.

Channel 4 reached out to Maples’ parents.

According to a release, detectives believe Maples was at Gentleman Jims Bar on Greenland Drive on from 10 p.m. until midnight Thursday.