‘Conclusion for the family’: Sheriff’s office releases new details in cold-case killing

A widowed mother in a nursing home is hoping to find a resolution to her Wichita son’s 1988 murder, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office detective Cody Rexroat said

Michael J. Fowler, 19, was found shot six times in the roadway on Sept. 14, 1988 in the 9000 block of North Oliver. A 911 caller reported screams and gunshots at 1 a.m. that day. Police were called again at 1:52 a.m. about Fowler’s body in the roadway. A deputy arrived about 10 minutes after that.

The sheriff’s office sent out a news release with details being released for the first time on Wednesday. In a phone interview,

Rexroat also provided additional details for the first time, including forensic evidence and a detailed timeline for Fowler leading up to his death.

Forensics showed the two bullets recovered were from the same gun, a .38 caliber revolver, Rexroat said.

Eddie Jason Coolinge and Daryl Weaver, who were both known to Fowler and around him before his death, have both since died. Coolinge and Fowler had been involved in crime together, including car thefts and vandalism, Rexroat said, adding he is believed to be the last person to see Fowler alive.

“The three men were known to frequent parks in the Riverside area and the adult video store, Circle Cinema,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Branden Stitt said in a news release. “They were also known to engage in social and intimate encounters within the local homosexual community. Their gatherings often took place in discreet locations with like-minded individuals seeking connection.”

Both have previously spoken with detectives.

Coolinge, who also went by Eddie Hale and Jason Hale, failed two polygraphs, Rexroat said. Coolinge told detectives he was with a person named Terry around the time of Fowler’s death but would not give info about Terry or where they were at, he said.

“Weaver later tells detectives (that) Hale told him about killing Fowler, and Hale told him that a guy named Tiny killed Fowler for $10,000,” Rexroat said, adding that Weaver, at first, didn’t tell police “because he was scared” of Coolinge.

Neither Terry or Tiny have been identified.

Stitt said they are releasing more details with the approval of Fowler’s family in hope of solving the case.

Here is a timeline of where they say Fowler was leading up to his death:

4 p.m. to several hours later on on Sept. 13, 1988: Fowler and a female friend were painting a house around Waverly and Orme. Around 7-7:45 p.m., they went to a restaurant at Kellogg and Rock.

Between 8:30-9 p.m.: They went to Riverside Park, where they met Coolinge.

11 p.m.: Fowler than dropped off the woman and went to Circle Cinema on South Seneca. He was with Coolinge and another person.

11:45 p.m.: Fowler, Coolinge and the other person left Circle Cinema and arrived near 11th and Bitting. The other person reported Coolinge as being with Fowler.

12:45 a.m. on Sept. 14, 1988: Fowler’s car found parked near his parents’ house at 61st and Independence. His keys and wallet were inside.

Anyone with information can call 316-660-5300 and ask for Rexroat or email him at cody.rexroat@sedgwick.gov. Tips can also be made to Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111 where callers can remain anonymous.

“We’d like to be able to get this out to the district attorney’s office and hopefully have an ending in a conclusion for the family,” Rexroat said. “The family wants an ending to this situation.”

This story was originally published March 26, 2025 at 5:27 PM.