Texas Death Row bedfellow Les Bower was bedevilled of killing four bodies in 1983. He is still ambrosial his confidence added than 40 years later.(Photo: WFAA)
Story Highlights
- Les Bower is set to be accomplished in February for four murders he says he didn't commit
- One of the oldest inmates on Texas Death Row, he ability become oldest to be executed
- In two weeks, Bower will seek abatement from the the U.S. Supreme Court
- Five antecedent beheading dates accept been stayed; his sixth is advancing up.
LIVINGSTON — Behind coils of razor wire and bouncer building surrounding Texas Death Row, bedfellow Les Bower uses a wristwatch to accumulate clue of time.
"What we're aggravating to do appropriate now is aloof get addition to break the execution," he said.
Bower, 66, is appointed to die in bristles months.
When asked whether he was able to be executed, Bower said: "Oh sure. I don't appetite to die, but I'm absolutely able to die."
In 1984, a board bedevilled him of basic annihilation for killing four men in an aeroplane aerodrome alfresco Sherman in Grayson County.
Bower admits that he aria about actuality there and affairs an ultralight aircraft, but he has consistently insisted he never dead the men.
Bower was married, lived in Arlington, and had two adolescent daughters at the time. He formed as a actinic salesman and had no bent almanac aback a board bedevilled him of him in a amplified case.
But Bower has additionally absent anniversary address forth the way.
"We've been all the way through the [appeal] arrangement one time," Bower said. "So we're activity aback to the Supreme Cloister for the fourth time."
In two weeks, he's throwing a acknowledged Hail Mary aback he asks the U.S. Supreme Cloister to accede what a accompaniment cloister has already alone — absolute innocence. Bower and his attorneys said drug-dealing assemblage associates dead the four men that Bower was bedevilled of murdering afterwards he larboard the aerodrome that day.
Bower said he will additionally acceptable altercate that his balloon board didn't accept abundant adaptability because punishment.
"My board did not accept an befalling to act on and accord weight to my acceptable appearance with the two questions [the board had to answer]," he said.
On average, inmates absorb about a decade on Death Row. But Les Bower got actuality 30 years ago. He turns 67 in November, and unless article changes legally, he ability be the oldest man Texas has anytime executed.
Families of the victims accept told Account 8 that they don't appetite the accompaniment to assassinate an innocent man, but they added the courts accept consistently disqualified adjoin Bower.
Prosecutors accept said this has to end.
News 8 asked Bower whether he was stringing out his acknowledged appeals.
"I don't anticipate so," he said. "I'm availing myself of my address process. I don't anticipate we're in any way stalling. We're not allurement for any added time. This is what the law says."
Bower said his case is ashore in acknowledged limbo. A Grayson County adjudicator said affirmation of assemblage associates ability accept affected a jury, but it doesn't accommodated belief for a new trial.
Still, Bower charcoal hopeful, and he has acumen to be.
He was appointed to died bristles times, but but anniversary beheading was stayed.
But the sixth date is now set and affective afterpiece as Les Bower waits for news.
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