A $2 million debt, a $1 million life insurance policy and a wrongful death suit have surfaced in the case of what may be family business gone bad.

In October, Bowling Funeral Homes closed its Tarboro facility, one of four that operated in the area. Mark and Julie Bowling each held 50 percent of the stock in the other three homes, located in Rocky Mount, Scotland Neck and Enfield.

In November, sources close to the investigation of Julie's death have confirmed, Julie took out a life insurance policy for approximately $1.08 million. One month later, Julie was dead and Mark, along with his alleged mistress, Rose Vincent, was in jail. Both are charged with first-degree murder in what are planned as capital cases. And on Jan. 24, the Julie Bowling estate received a letter from Bank of America notifying it that the funeral home had defaulted on a $1.8 million loan guaranteed by Julie. The letter demanded immediate payment of the loan.

Could the business debt, compounded with Julie's life insurance policy, become a key component of the case against Mark Bowling? The district attorney's office declined comment on anything that has not yet been discussed in the courtroom. The trial is still at least months away. The discovery, in which the prosecution and defense share all information for examination before a trial,will likely not be complete until late spring or summer. And attorneys for both Vincent and Bowling are likely to file change of venue motions. Both have said their clients can't get a fair trial in Nash County, where they say everyone has already tried the case in the court of public opinion.

Sources close to the family and the investigation, who requested to remain anonymous, have confirmed rumors that a video recorder connected to security cameras in the Bowling home had been disabled prior to Julie's death. Had the recorder been operating, it would have captured her death on tape.

Julie was also allegedly constantly worried about the money Mark was spending. At the time of her death, Mark was on vacation in Crystal River, Fla., a popular diving destination.

Vincent confessed to shooting Julie Bowling a day after the alleged crime occurred, according to search warrants. Vincent is being kept in the Nash County jail, and Bowling, who was initially put on suicide watch after his arrest, is being held in Central Prison in Raleigh.

Julie Bowling's will, last updated May 17, 2005, could take years to execute. Most of her assets were marital assets shared by her and Mark.

Her will names Mark as the sole inheritor and executor. Mark has been disqualified in civil court as executor and replaced by Julie's sister, Debbie Bunn. Bunn, as executor of Julie's estate, has filed a wrongful death suit that could turn all the couple's assets over to Julie's estate if Mark loses the case. The wrongful death suit will not take place until after the criminal trial. If Mark is convicted of Julie's death, he would automatically qualify as her "slayer."

Under state law, as her slayer, Mark would be deemed to have died immediately prior to Julie, and all the couple's assets would become part of Julie's estate. Until that is determined, Mark's marital assets have been frozen, which led the court to declare him indigent in the criminal case. If Mark is acquitted of murder, the estate could still pursue a wrongful death suit against him because the burden of proof is different in civil matters than in criminal. In a criminal trial, the state must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt."For a civil suit, it's just a preponderance of the evidence," said Hardison Wood, a Raleigh attorney who handles wrongful death cases. "The old saying is 50 percent plus a feather."

If Mark were deemed ineligible to receive anything from Julie's will, the will designates Bunn to receive half her assets, her mother-in-law, Lois Jean Bowling, to receive a quarter of them and her brother-in-law, Scott Bowling, to receive the other 25 percent. But it's still unclear how much, if anything, will be available for distribution. According to court documents, "the estate has fixed and contingent claims against it in excess of" $2 million. The court has approved selling Julie's Bethlehem Road house, which is valued at $175,000 to $195,000. Wachovia holds a $102,000 lien against the property.

An inventory of the estate's assets is due to be filed in court this month. But, according to court documents, the value of the estate's stake in the funeral homes will not be known until after the wrongful death trial."Such a determination will likely be months, and, possibly, years away," states a document filed in court by Bunn. The value of the estate will hinge largely on the success of the funeral home business.

Bowling Funeral Homes, previously advertised as "family owned and operated by Mark and Julie Bowling," finds itself run by a third party as the courts deal with the allegation that Mark killed Julie.

David Oettinger, the court-appointed receiver for the business who must report regularly to the court on the funeral home's finances, said the funeral homes remain viable businesses. He declined comment on any financial matters. In spite of losing both its owners, Bowling Funeral Homes renewed all of its licenses, including its pre-need licenses, just before the Feb. 1 deadline, and has no immediate plans to close any more of its facilities, said Oettinger, president of Oettinger & Norwood, P.A., Certified Public Accountants in Rocky Mount."If (closing) were planned, I don't think they would have renewed any of the licenses," said Paul Harris, executive director of the N.C. Board of Funeral Service. Obituaries published in the Telegram may show a decline in customers for Bowling Funeral Homes. In the three months since Julie Bowling's death, the business has averaged fewer than 12 paid obituaries per month.

In the same three-month period during the previous three years, Bowling Funeral Homes averaged between 20 and 25 obituaries per month. And in the three months prior to Julie's death, it averaged 20 per month. But those numbers do not take into account factors such as pre-need sales. Oettinger's first report has not yet been requested by the court, so a full analysis of the business' health is not yet available. Although it's a private business, Bowling Funeral Homes' future, as well as the fate of its owner, will be played out publicly as the cases slowly wind through the courts.