Bowles, Harry

Harry Ray Bowles was born on January 25, 1962 , in the town of Clifton Forge, Allegheny County , ( Virginia USA ). He was the second child in the family of miner Frank Bowles and his wife Francis. When Harry was only 6 months old, his father died of pneumothorax caused by harmful working conditions in the mine, and his mother soon married again and the family moved to her stepfather's house in Rupert, West Virginia , but very soon Bowles's mother divorced his first stepfather and got married the third time. The second stepfather of the future killer was an alcoholic and rowdy , often beaten his family members. As a result, Bowles grew up in an atmosphere of domestic violence from childhood, which gradually embittered him in relation to those around him. ^[2]

In 1975, at the age of 13, during another stepdad's brawl, Gary Bowles fought back against him, seriously injuring him. Then the future criminal ran away from home and began to wander, earning extra money in various unskilled jobs, as well as engaged in homosexual prostitution. However, Bowles himself later stated that he hates gays and has always remained heterosexual. In 1982, Bowles was first arrested for beating his roommate, the court sentenced him to 8 years in prison. Soon after his release in 1991, Gary Bowles robbed an elderly woman, stole her wallet, and only a few days later unsuccessfully tried to steal a car. Nevertheless, the offender was quickly arrested and sentenced to five years in prison, but for good behavior Bowles was released after 2.5 years - December 30, 1993 .

After his release, Gary Bowles continued to lead a wandering lifestyle. All the killings took place in a similar scenario. Bowles went to gay bars, where he met with the victim who attracted him, and then offered intimate services in exchange for shelter and food. After the victim agreed and brought Bowles to his home, he acted in various ways, sometimes immediately killing, robbing the house and leaving the scene of the crime, and sometimes cohabiting with the victim for some time, after which he seized the time to kill and rob the house.

Bowles' first victim was a 59-year-old gay man, John Hardy Roberts, who was strangled and robbed by a criminal in Daytona Beach , Florida on March 15, 1994 . After committing the crime, Bowles went on the run, the police were pleased to quickly identify the offender, and he was put on the wanted list. Bowles committed the next assassination on April 14, 1994 in Venton Glamont, Maryland , 38-year-old David Jarman was the victim, Bowles also stole cash credit cards and stole the car of the deceased. Just three weeks later, on May 5, 1994, a criminal in the city of Savannah committed the murder of 72-year-old Milton Bradley, who, having met Bowles in one of the drinking establishments, kindly invited him to spend the night in his house. Two weeks later, on May 19, 1994, Bowles killed 47-year-old Alviser Carter in Nasso County, robbing his house and hijacking a victim’s car. ^[3]

On June 13, 1994, Gary Bowles, already in Jacksonville , Florida, killed Albert Morris, whose house he also robbed. In July 1994, Bowles stayed at an inexpensive hostel . One of his roommates identified the culprit from the photo shoot shown in the television program “America Is Looking for Them,” however, the police arrived who detained Bowles showed negligence. The fact is that during his bloody journey, the offender grew a thick mustache and changed his hair, as a result of which law enforcement officers did not recognize him, and without becoming to check the suspect for fingerprints or other special signs, they simply released him. On the same day, Bowles left the city without even taking his personal belongings from the room. After this incident, apparently frightened by the detention, for four months Bowles “lay down” having stopped committing murders and robberies.

At the end of August 1994, Bowles in one of the gay bars of Jacksonville met the 47-year-old Walter Hilton with whom he began to live in his trailer . On the night of November 16-17, 1994, after drinking alcohol together with the victim, Bowles, waiting until Hilton fell asleep, beat him to death with a brick pre-selected for these purposes on the street. After which he lived with the body of the murdered in the trailer for another two days.

Gary Bowles rather successfully avoided arrest, constantly changing appearance and moving to different states. In addition, the offender used a number of fictitious names. On November 18, 1994, he was included in the list of 10 most wanted US criminals . Nevertheless, on the afternoon of November 22, 1994, Gary Bowles was arrested at the Jacksonville ( Florida ) employment office, when under the pseudonym Tim Wetfield tried to get a job as a carpenter. Bowles was initially charged with only two murders of John Hardy Roberts and Walter Hilton, but he soon began to confess and confessed to four more murders and a number of robberies.

From May to September 1996, a trial took place over Bowles, which on September 7, 1996 convicted him of six murders and numerous robberies and sentenced him to death by lethal injection . ^[4] All Bowles' attempts to appeal the verdict were unsuccessful in 1999, and it was officially confirmed by the Florida Supreme Court. ^[5] The killer’s latest appeal against the verdict filed with the US Supreme Court was rejected on August 17, 2006 . Gary Ray Bowles is awaiting execution in Florida State Prison.

On June 11, 2019, the Florida Supreme Court set the date for Bowles execution at 6:00 p.m. on August 22, 2019 . ^[6]