Gary Ray Bowles (January 25, 1962 – August 22, 2019) was an American

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

who was

executed Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

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 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...

highway.

Early life

Bowles was born in

Clifton Forge, Virginia Clifton Forge is a town in Alleghany County, Virginia, United States which is part of the greater Roanoke Region. The population was 3,555 at the 2020 census. The Jackson River flows through the town, which as a result was once known as Jac ...

, and was raised in

Rupert, West Virginia Rupert is a town in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 881 at the 2020 census. Cyrus A. Rupert first came to Greenbrier County, ''circa'' 1829, when he was seventeen years old. Cyrus, the seventh of eleven children ...

. New York Post His father Frank, who worked as a coal miner, had died from

black lung disease Coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP), also known as black lung disease or black lung, is an occupational type of pneumoconiosis caused by long-term exposure to coal dust. It is common in coal miners and others who work with coal. It is similar to b ...

six months before, and his mother Frances remarried several times. Bowles was

abused Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other t ...

by his second stepfather, a violent

alcoholic Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomin ...

who also abused Bowles' mother and older brother. 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. He was

homeless Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

for the next few years, earning money as a

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

to men. In 1982, he was arrested for beating and

sexually assaulting Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

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."Gary Ray Bowles – murder suspect – VICAP Alert"
''Law Enforcement Bulletin'' December 1994.

Murders

On March 15, 1994, in

Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal Resort town, resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County, Florida, Volusia County near the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic coastline, its population ...

, 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 A credit card is a payment card issued to users (cardholders) to enable the cardholder to pay a merchant for goods and services based on the cardholder's accrued debt (i.e., promise to the card issuer to pay them for the amounts plus the o ...

which he later used in

Kingsland, Georgia Kingsland is a city in Camden County, Georgia, United States. The population was 18,337 at the 2020 census. The Kingsland Commercial Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 17, 1994. It includes the area ...

and

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. Police soon considered him a suspect after finding his

fingerprint A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfac ...

s and

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...

records at the crime scene. Over the next six months, Bowles murdered four other men: 39 year old David Jarman in

Wheaton, Maryland Wheaton is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, situated north of Washington, D.C. and northwest of downtown Silver Spring. Wheaton takes its name from Frank Wheaton (1833–1903), a career officer in the Uni ...

; 72 year old Milton Bradley in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

; 47 year old Alverson Carter Jr. in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

; and 38 year old Albert Morris in

Hilliard, Florida Hilliard is a town in Nassau County, Florida, United States; north-west of Jacksonville. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,967. In 2003, Hilliard was chosen as the "2003 Rural Community of the Year" by Florida governor Jeb Bush, because ...

. His typical ''

modus operandi A ''modus operandi'' (often shortened to M.O.) is someone's habits of working, particularly in the context of business or criminal investigations, but also more generally. It is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode (or manner) of op ...

'' 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 The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

's list of the country's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives for his four known victims. On November 22, 1994, Bowles was arrested for the murder of Walter Jamelle "Jay" Hinton in

Jacksonville Beach, Florida Jacksonville Beach is a coastal resort city in Duval County, Florida, United States. It was incorporated on May 22, 1907, as Pablo Beach, and would later change its name to Jacksonville Beach in 1925. The city is part of group of communities coll ...

, and confessed to all six murders. 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 Gay men are male homosexuals. Some bisexual and homoromantic men may also dually identify as gay, and a number of young gay men also identify as queer. Historically, gay men have been referred to by a number of different terms, including ' ...

for the abortion, and this led him to becoming a murderer.

Aftermath

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. In August 1997, while sitting on death row for the slaying of Hinton, Bowles pleaded guilty to beating and strangling Roberts in 1994. Bowles was found guilty of three counts of murder and

sentenced to death Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

, but the sentence was reversed by the

Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven members: the chief justice and six justices. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geographic diversity, and one ...

, when they determined that the court erred by allowing the jury to hear that Bowles hated homosexuals and that the victim was gay. He was given a new sentencing hearing, and in 1999 again received the death penalty. Bowles was executed by

lethal injection Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium solution) for the express purpose of causing rapid death. The main application for this procedure is capital puni ...

on August 22, 2019, at

Florida State Prison Florida State Prison (FSP), otherwise known as Raiford Prison, is a correctional institution located in unincorporated Bradford County, Florida. It was formerly known as the "Florida State Prison-East Unit" as it was originally part of Florida St ...

in Raiford. Bowles ate three cheeseburgers, french fries, and bacon as a

last meal A condemned prisoner's last meal is a customary ritual preceding execution. In many countries, the prisoner may, within reason, select what the last meal will be. Contemporary restrictions in the United States In the United States, most states gi ...

Victims

# March 15, 1994: John Hardy Roberts, age 59 # April 14, 1994: David Alan Jarman, 39 # May 4, 1994: Milton Joseph Bradley, 72 # May 13, 1994: Alverson Carter Jr., 47 # May 18, 1994: Albert Morris, 38 # November 16, 1994: Walter "Jay" Hinton, 47

In media

Over the years many crime TV show covered the case. Including: ''Evil, I;

The Killer Speaks ''The Killer Speaks'' is an American documentary television series on A&E that debuted on April 11, 2013 and ended on May 29, 2014. ''The Killer Speaks'' features actual convicted felons as they describe their crimes step-by-step in chilling de ...

;

Mark of a Killer ''The Mark of a Killer'' (or simply ''Mark of a Killer'') is an American true crime television series currently airing on the Oxygen Network. The program examines the disturbing behaviors of serial killers. As of Season 3, the series is currentl ...

;

Most Evil Killers Britain's Most Evil Killers and World's Most Evil Killers are British crime television programmes on Pick (TV channel). First aired in 2017, the series are narrated by Fred Dinenage, and focus on the most notorious and depraved serial killers th ...

.''

References