Serial killer who murdered six gay men in 1994 executed in Florida
Gary Ray Bowles in an undated prison photograph. (Florida Department of Corrections)
Serial killer Gary Ray Bowles, who murdered six gay men in 1994, has been executed in Florida.
The 57-year-old was pronounced dead at 10.58pm Eastern Time (ET) on Thursday, August 22, after receiving a lethal injection, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.
The execution came after the US Supreme Court rejected a last-ditch appeal yesterday from Bowles’ legal team, who argued that he was not mentally fit to undergo the death penalty.
On his final day, he awoke at 4am and had his last meal later that day, which consisted of three burgers, fries and bacon.
Gary Ray Bowles murdered six gay men in 1994.
Bowles had spent 20 years on death row after his spate of violent killings of gay men in 1994.
Originally known as the “I-95” killer, Bowles evaded police for nine months before he was finally caught. He was sentenced to death in a 1996 trial for the murders, but that verdict was later reversed by Florida’s Supreme Court. He was sentenced to death for a second time in 1999.
When police first apprehended Bowles, he was only suspected of involvement in one of the murders, but confessed to having killed five more gay men.
His victims included Walter Hinton, John Hardy Roberts, David Harman, Milton Bradley, Alverson Carter Jr, and Albert Morris. All of his known victims were gay men.
He had previously been arrested for violently assaulting his girlfriend.
In police interviews, Bowles said he had a violent upbringing which led him to leave home at 14 and become a sex worker to support himself. He was first arrested at the age of 20 in 1982 for attacking his then-girlfriend. He was sentenced to six years in prison and served three.
After leaving prison, Bowles moved in with a new girlfriend and resumed his sex work. He claimed his girlfriend became pregnant but had an abortion when she found out that he was a sex worker. Bowles told police at the time that he blamed gay men for his girlfriend’s abortion which led to his murderous rampage.
After breaking up with his girlfriend, Bowles moved in with John Hardy Roberts, who offered him a temporary place to live. He soon became Bowles’ first victim.
