Gary Ray Bowles | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1962-01-25)January 25, 1962 Clifton Forge, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | August 22, 2019(2019-08-22) (aged 57) Bradford County, Florida, U.S. |
| Other names | The I-95 Killer |
| Criminal status | Executed bylethal injection |
| Convictions | First degree murder (3 counts) Sexual battery Aggravatedbattery Armed robbery Robbery Burglary Grand theft auto Grand theft (2 counts) |
| Criminal penalty | Twodeath sentences (August 1997 & 1999) |
| Details | |
| Victims | 6+ |
Span of crimes | March – October 1994 |
| Country | United States |
| States | |
Date apprehended | November 22, 1994 |
Gary Ray Bowles (January 25, 1962 – August 22, 2019)[1] was an Americanserial killer who wasexecuted in 2019 for the murders of six men in 1994. He is sometimes referred to asThe I-95 Killer since most of his victims lived close to theInterstate 95 highway.[2][3] He wasexecuted bylethal injection for his crimes in 2019.[4][5]
Bowles was born inClifton Forge, Virginia, and was raised inRupert, West Virginia.[6] His father Frank, who worked as a coal miner, died fromblack lung disease six months before Bowles was born, and his mother Frances remarried several times. Bowles wasabused by his second stepfather, a violentalcoholic who also abused Bowles' mother and older brother.[7]: 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.[7]: 2 He washomeless for the next few years, earning money as asex worker to men.[7]: 2
In 1982, he was arrested for beating andsexually 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 after serving two years.[8]
On March 15, 1994, inDaytona 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 hiscredit card which he later used inKingsland, Georgia, andNashville, Tennessee.[6] Police soon considered him a suspect after finding hisfingerprints andprobation records at the crime scene.[7]: 4
Over the next six months, Bowles murdered four other men:[9] 39-year-old David Jarman inWheaton, Maryland; 72-year-old Milton Bradley inSavannah, Georgia; 47-year-old Alverson Carter Jr. inAtlanta, Georgia; and 37-year-old Albert Morris inHilliard, Florida.[10] His typicalmodus 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 theFBI'slist of the country's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives for his four known victims.[11] On November 22, 1994, Bowles was arrested for the murder of Walter Jamelle "Jay" Hinton inJacksonville Beach, Florida, and confessed to all six murders.[7]
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 blamedgay men for the abortion, and this led him to becoming a murderer.[9]
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.[12] In August 1997, while sitting on death row for the slaying of Hinton, Bowles pleaded guilty to beating and strangling Roberts in 1994.[12]
Bowles was found guilty of three counts of murder andsentenced to death, but the sentence was reversed by theFlorida 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.[13] He was given a new sentencing hearing, and in 1999 again received the death penalty.[14]
Bowles was executed bylethal injection on August 22, 2019, atFlorida State Prison nearRaiford.[4][5] Bowles ate three cheeseburgers, french fries, and bacon as alast meal.[15]
He was the last person executed in Florida until the execution ofDonald Dillbeck on February 23, 2023.[16]
| Executions carried out in Florida | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Gary Ray Bowles August 22, 2019 | Succeeded by |
| Executions carried out in the United States | ||
| Preceded by | Gary Ray Bowles –Florida August 22, 2019 | Succeeded by |