New charges filed against woman in Newton County slaying

KENTLAND, Ind. (AP) - New charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder have been filed against a woman in the slaying of a woman in northwestern Indiana.

Ashley Garth, 27 of Delphi wept in court Wednesday when the new charges were filed against her in the March 29 strangulation death of Nicole Bowen, 30, of West Lafayette, the Journal and Courier reported.

New DNA results led to the new charges, Newton County Prosecutor Jeff Drinski said. He declined to reveal what the DNA results show.

Bowen's body was found in a hunting shack near the Iroquois River.

Court documents say Garett Kirts, 21, of Lebanon, who's also charged with murder in the case, told police that the two women began fighting at a mobile home north of Kentland. Garth was Kirts' girlfriend at the time.

Kirts told a detective that as the two women fought, he put Bowen in a choke hold from behind and she collapsed, documents say. Kirts told the detective he tied a scarf around Bowen's neck, followed by brown extension cord.

Garth previously was charged with assisting a criminal.