On Thursday, August 22, Gary Ray Bowles was executed for the 1994 murder of Walter Hinton. Bowels also pleaded guilty to five other murders and is serving life sentences for two of them. According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, “A Duval County jury convicted and recommended death for Bowles in 1996. Two years later,…
Joseph E. Thornton, MD: Why I Oppose the Death Penalty
Spotlight on FADP Board Secretary, Joe Thornton “If you see something, say something.” This is a common principal for public safety and prevention of harm. I had the unique experience 20 years ago to work as medical executive director and a psychiatrist at a Florida maximum-security prison and death row. In my role as a…
Nancy O’Byrne: Why I Advocate Ending Executions
Spotlight on FADP Board Chair, Nancy O’Byrne. When I was a little girl, probably nine or ten years old, my mother was raising me by herself and she often had to work long hours and weekends. I was one of those “latch key kids” after school from first grade on. My summer babysitter, a recent…