A man who allegedly shot his wife and shot his girlfriend in a Texarkana, Texas, apartment complex parking lot in the presence of a young child pleaded not guilty Monday to murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and child endangerment Monday.
Tremayne Douglas Ware, 38, went before 202nd District Judge John Tidwell in Bowie County on Monday. His attorney, Clayton Haas of the Bowie County Public Defender’s Office, entered not guilty pleas to all charges. Tidwell scheduled the case for a jury trial the week of Jan. 31.
Ware allegedly shot the two women on the afternoon of July 29 in the parking lot of the Creekside Apartments. According to a probable cause document, Ware first shot his girlfriend in the back hip area as she ran from him with her 4-year-old daughter. Ware allegedly shot his wife, Bengie Cooper, 56, once in the forehead. Cooper died of her injury.
The two women and the child were allegedly just getting out of a car when Ware pulled up in a white SUV and pulled out a gun. The surviving shooting victim described being shot in the back at “point blank range.”
Ware was indicted Thursday by a Bowie County grand jury for murder, aggravated assault, family violence, with a deadly weapon, and child endangerment with prior felony convictions. If found guilty of the murder or assault charge, Ware could be sentenced to up to life in prison.
Ware is currently being held in the Bowie County jail with bond set at $2.75 million.
