The state of South Carolina on Friday issued a death warrant for Marion Bowman, Jr., scheduling his execution for January 31. In response, Lindsey S. Vann, Executive Director of Justice 360, issued the following statement on behalf of Marion’s legal team, which includes the Capital Habeas Unit for the Fourth Circuit:
“Marion Bowman, Jr. has maintained his innocence since he was arrested at the young age of 20 and has spent more than half of his life on death row. His conviction was based on unreliable, incentivized testimony from biased witnesses who received reduced or dropped sentences in exchange for their cooperation.
The state withheld key evidence from the defense and the jury, including the fact that the only alleged eyewitness confessed to committing the murder himself. Marion did not receive a fair trial nor did he have effective legal representation. Marion’s own attorney pressured him to plead guilty instead of preparing an adequate defense, and made other poor decisions based on his racist views rather than strategic legal counsel.
Allowing this execution to proceed despite significant and unresolved doubt about Marion’s conviction and the serious flaws in the original trial is unconscionable.”
Justice 360 is a 501(c)(3) South Carolina non-profit organization working to reform policies and practices in capital proceedings. For more information, visit Justice360sc.org or contact info@justice360sc.org.
The Capital Habeas Unit for the Fourth Circuit (“the CHU”), located within the Western District of North Carolina’s Federal Defender’s Office, represents people sentenced to death within the Fourth Circuit’s appellate jurisdiction and beyond.
