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, his death sentence was overturned by the Florida Supreme Court. Another jury convicted and recommended death for Bowles in 1999. That sentence stuck, even after a five-hour delay as the U.S. Supreme Court mulled whether to entertain to his 11th-hour appeal for a stay Thursday night.”
FADP and 50 or so death penalty opponents gathered across from the Death Chamber at Florida State Prison on Thursday to protest the planned execution. Herman Lindsey – Florida’s 23rd exonerated Death Row survivor, Derrick Jamison – exonerated after spending 20 years on Death Row in Ohio, and Seth Penalver – Florida’s 24th exonerated Death Row survivor spoke.
Florida’s mistake-ridden government program for the death penalty is a hugely-expensive, wasteful, racially-biased failure. It does nothing to keep Florida families safer and every year diverts tens of millions of taxpayer dollars from solving unsolved homicides, effective crime prevention programs, and vital assistance for the victims of violent crime and their families.