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Gary Ray Bowles

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Gary Ray Bowles
Born(1962-01-25)January 25, 1962
Clifton Forge, Virginia, U.S.
DiedAugust 22, 2019(2019-08-22) (aged 57)
Florida State Prison, Raiford, Florida, U.S.
Cause of deathExecution by lethal injection
Conviction(s)
Criminal penaltyTwo death sentences (August 1997 & 1999)
Details
Victims6+
Span of crimes
March – October 1994
CountryUnited States
State(s)Florida, Georgia, Maryland
Date apprehended
November 22, 1994

Gary Ray Bowles (January 25, 1962 – August 22, 2019)[1] was an American serial killer who was executed in 2019 for the murders of six men in 1994. He is sometimes referred to as The I-95 Killer since most of his victims lived close to the Interstate 95 highway.[2][3]

Early life

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Bowles was born in Clifton Forge, Virginia, and was raised in Rupert, West Virginia.[4] His father Frank, who worked as a coal miner, had died from black lung disease six months before Bowles was born, and his mother Frances remarried several times. Bowles was abused by his second stepfather, a violent alcoholic who also abused Bowles' mother and older brother.[5]: 2  The abuse continued until, at the age of 13, Bowles fought back and severely injured his stepfather. He left home soon thereafter, angered by his mother's decision to remain in the marriage.[5]: 2  He was homeless for the next few years, earning money as a prostitute to men.[5]: 2 

In 1982, he was arrested for beating and sexually assaulting his girlfriend, and was sentenced to six years in prison. In 1991, after his release from prison, he was convicted of unarmed robbery in the theft of an elderly woman's purse, a crime for which he was sentenced to four more years in prison; he was released in two.[6]

Murders

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On March 15, 1994, in Daytona Beach, Florida, Bowles killed his first known victim, John Hardy Roberts, age 59, who had offered him a temporary place to live. Bowles beat and strangled him to death, and then stole his credit card which he later used in Kingsland, Georgia and Nashville, Tennessee.[4] Police soon considered him a suspect after finding his fingerprints and probation records at the crime scene.[5]: 4 

Over the next six months, Bowles murdered four other men:[7] 39-year-old David Jarman in Wheaton, Maryland; 72-year-old Milton Bradley in Savannah, Georgia; 47-year-old Alverson Carter Jr. in Atlanta, Georgia; and 37-year-old Albert Morris in Hilliard, Florida.[8] His typical modus operandi was to prostitute himself to his victims before beating and strangling them, and stealing their credit cards.

While on the run, Bowles was put on the FBI's list of the country's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives for his four known victims.[9] On November 22, 1994, Bowles was arrested for the murder of Walter Jamelle "Jay" Hinton in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, and confessed to all six murders.[5]

Following his arrest for the murders, Bowles told police that following his 1991 release from prison he had moved to Daytona Beach, and moved in with a girlfriend and resumed working as a prostitute. According to Bowles, his girlfriend became pregnant but then had an abortion after she learned that Bowles was a sex worker. Bowles told police officers that he blamed gay men for the abortion, and this led him to becoming a murderer.[7]

Aftermath

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In May 1996, Bowles pleaded guilty to the killing of Walter Jamelle Hinton in Jacksonville on November 17, 1994. Hinton died after Bowles hit his head with a 40-pound (18 kg) stepping stone while Hinton was sleeping and stuffed a towel down his throat during the struggle. Bowles received the death penalty for Hinton's murder.[10] In August 1997, while sitting on death row for the slaying of Hinton, Bowles pleaded guilty to beating and strangling Roberts in 1994.[10]

Bowles was found guilty of three counts of murder and sentenced to death, but the sentence was reversed by the Florida Supreme Court, when they determined that the court erred by allowing the jury to hear that Bowles hated homosexuals and that the victim was gay.[11] He was given a new sentencing hearing, and in 1999 again received the death penalty.[12]

Bowles was executed by lethal injection on August 22, 2019, at Florida State Prison in Raiford.[13][14] Bowles ate three cheeseburgers, french fries, and bacon as a last meal.[15]

He was the last person executed in Florida until the execution of Donald Dillbeck on February 23, 2023.[16]

Victims

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  1. March 15, 1994: John Hardy Roberts, age 59
  2. April 14, 1994: David Alan Jarman, 39
  3. May 4, 1994: Milton Joseph Bradley, 72
  4. May 13, 1994: Alverson Carter Jr., 47
  5. May 18, 1994: Albert Morris, 37
  6. November 16, 1994: Walter "Jay" Hinton, 42

In media

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Over the years, many crime TV shows covered the case including: Evil, I; The Killer Speaks; Mark of a Killer; Most Evil Killers.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Inmate Population Information Detail – Inmate 086158". Florida Department of Corrections. Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  2. ^ "Execution set for US killer who preyed on gay men". BBC News. August 22, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  3. ^ Thomas, Rachel L. (August 22, 2019). "'I-95 Killer' Gary Ray Bowles, serial killer who targeted gay men, to be executed Aug. 22". MSN News. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Gary Ray Bowles, a serial killer who preyed on gay men, executed in Florida". August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019. New York Post
  5. ^ a b c d e Bell, Rachel. "Gary Ray Bowles". truTV Crime Library. Archived from the original on May 29, 2008. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  6. ^ "Gary Ray Bowles – murder suspect – VICAP Alert" Law Enforcement Bulletin December 1994.
  7. ^ a b Parsons, Vic (August 20, 2019). "Man who murdered six gay men in 1994 to be executed this week". PinkNews. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  8. ^ Holt, Tony. "Gary Ray Bowles: Florida executes Jacksonville serial killer who preyed on gay men". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  9. ^ "Gary Bowles". Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  10. ^ a b "Bowles Pleads Guilty, Gets Life For Murder Of Daytona Beach Man". Orlando Sentinel. August 7, 1997. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  11. ^ "GARY RAY BOWLES v. SECRETARY FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL". Findlaw.com. June 18, 2010. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  12. ^ "(Unofficial Transcript of oral argument before the Florida Supreme Court) Gary Ray Bowles vs State of Florida". WFSU. Archived from the original on February 28, 2001. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  13. ^ Brendan Farrington. "Jacksonville serial killer Gary Ray Bowles executed by lethal injection". The Florida Times-Union. Associated Press.
  14. ^ "The Latest: Serial killer who preyed on gay men executed". News.yahoo.com. August 23, 2019.
  15. ^ Jolly, Bradley; Murphy, Neil (August 22, 2019). "Serial killer chooses calorific American classic for final meal before execution". Mirror.co.uk.
  16. ^ "Florida executes Donald Dillbeck for 1990 Tallahassee murder". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
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