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Florida to Execute Killer Who Targeted Gay Men

Gary Ray Bowles
Gary Ray Bowles

Gary Ray Bowles, who said he hated gay people, will be executed in August for the 1994 murder of Walter Hinton in Jacksonville.

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Gary Ray Bowles, 57, a serial killer who reportedly targeted gay men, will be executed August 22 in Florida.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Bowles's death warrant Tuesday, the Associated Press reports. Bowles was convicted of murdering three men and was sentenced to death for the 1994 murder of Walter Hinton in Jacksonville.

Bowles had helped Hinton move items into his home and then stayed with Hinton for a time. One night while Hinton was sleeping, Bowles killed him by dropping a concrete block onto his head and then strangling him, according to the AP.

Bowles confessed to the murder and told police he hated gay people, the AP reports. He also confessed to killing men in Georgia and Maryland as well as Florida.

A jury unanimously sentenced Bowles to death for Hinton's murder (he had received life sentences for the other convictions). His attorney appealed, saying jurors did not agree on all key points of the case. Last year the Florida Supreme Court denied a request for resentencing, Orlando Weekly notes.

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Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.