A man who witnessed his mother murder a man when he was a toddler has admitted repeatedly trying to ram a patrol car off the road and later threatening to kill officers trying to arrest him. 

It’s the latest offending targeting police for Jakeem Bowman-Fenton, who was just 2 years old when he witnessed his teenaged mother, Daniella Bowman, and her cousins, sisters Katrina and Natalie Fenton, kill Raymond Mullins in April 1999. 

The Auckland man was stabbed with a steak knife, bashed with a hammer and attacked with a pot by the teen killers who claimed they were defending themselves against his sexual advances. 

Bowman was briefly paroled in 2014 but breached her conditions and was recalled to prison before being paroled again in 2019. 

It is unknown if she’s had any contact with her son, who has also found himself before the courts on several occasions. 

In 2022, Bowman-Fenton was jailed for pointing what officers thought was a pistol at them in the middle of a dark Hamilton street after arresting his girlfriend. 

Frozen with fear, the officers complied with Bowman-Fenton’s repeated demands at gunpoint to “let her go”, before the couple fled. 

Now, the 30-year-old has admitted a fresh set of disturbing offences against officers, this time repeatedly ramming a patrol car which had two officers inside. 

Daniella Bowman. Photo / NZ Police 

‘Rammed, pursued, threatened’ 

It was Friday, October 31, last year, when Bowman-Fenton was driving a stolen car on Ohaupo Rd. 

He spotted a patrol car, so he did a U-turn and pulled in behind it before ramming it twice. 

The police car tried to speed away, but Bowman-Fenton pursued it, hitting the patrol car two more times. 

Bowman-Fenton sped off towards Hamilton before dumping the vehicle in the suburb of Bader and fleeing on foot. 

As he was arrested, he claimed to have a gun and pointed the object at police. 

As it was dark, it was unclear what the item was - and it later turned out to be a bamboo stick. 

Bowman-Fenton appeared in the Hamilton District Court via audiovisual link from prison on Thursday. 

He pleaded guilty to charges of threatening to kill, resisting police, unlawfully presenting a bamboo stick where the victims believed it was a firearm, failing to stop, unlawfully taking a car, driving while disqualified, and two charges of assault using a vehicle as a weapon. 

He was convicted by Judge David Cameron and remanded in custody for sentencing in August. 

Murder victim Raymond Mullins. Photo / Supplied 

‘Three killers all now on parole’ 

His mother was 17 when Mullins was killed. 

Natalie Fenton, who was 15, stabbed Mullins in the chest repeatedly with his own Ginzu steak knife until the blade bent and she had to fetch another. 

Katrina Fenton, who was 19, held him down and repeatedly bashed him in the head with a hammer. 

Bowman found the weapons and attacked him with a pot. 

Natalie Fenton said they attacked Mullins, whom they knew, in his home after he had advanced on the younger Fenton for sex. 

Bowman said the trio had discussed killing Mullins earlier and that the motive was money. 

Before the murder, Bowman only had a shoplifting charge to her name. 

She was initially released on parole in 2014, but breached her release conditions after about six months by using drugs and alcohol, and was recalled to prison. 

It would be a further five years, after multiple failed attempts, before she would be released, seeing her serve about 20 years for her part in Mullins’ murder. 

The Parole Board described that five years before her release as a “rollercoaster ride”, with her being “very close” to release on several occasions. 

Her dishonesty about inappropriate relationships with women inmates kept her behind bars. 

Natalie Fenton was released on parole in 2016 but reappeared on a breach of her release conditions in April this year, after returning home late. 

She was jailed for six weeks. 

Katrina Fenton has remained on parole since her release more than a decade ago. 

Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for 11 years and has been a journalist for 22.