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The Bensalem murder is featured in an episode of the new series “Philly Homicide.”

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The 2020 murder of a Bensalem doctor in his home office by a former patient with severe mental illness is the first Bucks County case to be featured in a new true crime series.

The death of 64-year-old James Sowa and the arrest and conviction of Joseph O'Boyle are the subject of the third episode of “Philly Homicide,” which recently aired on the Oxygen network.

The series' host is retired Bensalem detective Chris McMullin, a lieutenant with the Bucks County Sheriff's Office. These are high-profile murder cases in southeastern Pennsylvania.

More: Bensalem news A Bensalem man is charged with child molestation following a video vigilante sting operation

Who was Dr. James Sowa?

James Sowa was a popular chiropractor and a Bensalem resident for 40 years. He had a wife of 36 years, Barbara, and their two adult sons, Alex and Kurt.

Sowa grew up in Penndel and graduated from Neshaminy High School in 1974, according to his obituary. He attended the New York Institute of Technology and the New York Chiropractic College, graduating in 1979.

He had served as the Bucks County Republican Committeeman in Bensalem since 2012 and was scheduled to vote in the Lower East 4 poll for the 2020 general election the day after his murder.

What happened the day James Sowa was murdered in his home office in Bensalem?

Bensalem police allege a former patient, then-23-year-old Joseph O'Boyle, broke into Sowa's office in the 3100 block of Hulmeville Road and fatally beat him. One of his sons discovered the body later that afternoon.

The subsequent police investigation, which included an extensive review of video surveillance footage, identified O'Boyle as a suspect. He visited Sowa in September for jaw pain, but complained to family members that the treatment made his pain worse and he wanted to sue Sowa, authorities said.

Authorities learned that O'Boyle was diagnosed with schizophrenia and stopped taking his medication to control the illness three months before Sowa was killed.

How the Bensalem Police Department Developed a Case Against Joseph O'Boyle

When police went to question O'Boyle at his Bensalem home, he physically attacked a now-retired Bensalem detective who coached the middle school basketball team on which O'Boyle played.

At the time, police did not have enough evidence to charge O'Boyle with Sowa's murder, but they arrested him for assault on a police officer.

O'Boyle was formally charged with murder and other crimes in January 2021 at the recommendation of a Bucks County grand jury that investigated the case.

In May 2022, he entered an open plea to felony murder and related charges, and a guilt hearing was held to determine whether O'Boyle was guilty of first-, second-, or third-degree murder.

Bucks County Common Pleas Judge Wallace Bateman found O'Boyle guilty of third-degree murder and sentenced him to 37 to 74 years in prison after a four-day hearing in June.

O'Boyle is incarcerated at the Huntingdon State Correctional Institute, a strict security prison in the Allegheny Mountains.

Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at [email protected]

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