Despite claim of innocence, longtime inmate of death row in Texas is executed
Lester Bower had no criminal record until he was found guilty of the 1983 slayings of four men in an airplane hangar.
On death row in Texas for 31 years, the former chemical salesman insisted he was innocent of the murders. A witness came forward after his conviction and said the murders had been committed by others, during the course of a drug deal. Bower’s appeals were unsuccessful, however, and on Wednesday he was executed at age 67.
The Associated Press, the BBC News, the Guardian, Reuters and USA Today have stories.
“Much has been said about this case. Much has been written about this case. Not all of it has been the truth,” Bower said as he was strapped to a gurney awaiting execution. “But the time for discerning truth is over, and it’s time to move on.”
An earlier ABAJournal.com post provides more details about the murder case.
Related coverage:
The Intercept: “Doubts Still Plague the 31-Year-Old Lester Bower Case But Texas is About to Kill Him Anyway”
The Watch (Washington Post, opinion): “Lester Bower’s story is everything that’s wrong with the death penalty”
