THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 29, 1995 TAG: 9509290545
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TODD JACKSON, ROANOKE TIMES
DATELINE: MOUNT AIRY, N.C. LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
Some people think Dennis Stockton was executed Wednesday for a murder committed by another man.
But not Surry County Sheriff Connie Watson. He knew that Randy Bowman - named in recent affidavits as that other man, the real killer - had been in jail at the time of the murder.
Watson had the evidence that refuted the allegations made just days before Stockton was put to death for the 1978 killing of Kenneth Arnder.
Arnder's body was found near Mount Airy in July 1978, but investigators determined that he was killed by Stockton in Patrick County, Va. Arnder, 18, was shot in the head. His hands were hacked off at the wrist.
Last week, the allegations surfaced against Bowman - the prosecution's key witness during Stockton's 1983 trial.
Bowman's ex-wife and a former friend filed affidavits saying they had heard Bowman admit to the killing.
But Watson and one of his investigators, Johnnie Belton, found it impossible to believe those claims.
According to Surry County Sheriff's Office log books, Bowman has an alibi: He was in jail from July 3 until Aug. 16, 1978.
Arnder was murdered sometime between July 20 and July 25.
``I can say without reservation that (Bowman) didn't kill (Arnder),'' Watson said Thursday while flipping through the yellowing pages of a log book dating to 1978.
Deputies at that time recorded inmate counts and names by hand.
In the 1978 book, Randy Bowman's name pops up on June 26 - the day he began serving a six-month sentence for speeding, reckless driving and resisting arrest, Watson said.
Two days later, ``work release'' is written beside Bowman's name and jail sentence.
That cast doubt on Bowman's whereabouts later in July, but Watson explained why he says that doubt is unfounded.
Bowman was released to do some work for a local business or individual on June 28, 1978, Watson said.
The work-release designation stays beside Bowman's name in the log book until July 3, 1978.
On that day, Watson says, Bowman failed to report in with the sheriff's office and an arrest warrant was issued for escape. Bowman was apprehended that day at a local motel, Watson said.
From July 3 until Aug. 16, when he was bonded out of jail, Bowman's name is listed in the log book without the work-release tag.
Other inmates, Watson pointed out in the log book, continued to have the words ``work release'' written beside their names after Bowman was arrested on July 3.
Asked if he believes the log book is accurate, Watson, who was elected Surry County's sheriff last year, said: ``The deputies back then took a head count. There were only about 18 inmates at the time. Today we have 70. Yes, I believe he was in jail when the murder was committed.''
Surry County investigators double-checked the log book. So did a handful of top ranking Virginia State Police investigators sent to North Carolina by Gov. George F. Allen the day before Stockton's execution.
The log book was then cross-referenced with Surry County court records to make sure dates matched.
One court order - to assign Bowman a lawyer on the escape charge - was filed on July 5, 1978. The document wouldn't have been entered if Bowman hadn't been in custody at the time, a court clerk said.
Court records also show that was one of a slew of charges brought against Bowman from 1976 until this year. The charges include breaking and entering, making threats, writing bad checks and failing to support his child.
Bowman was convicted of many of the charges and received jail time. But he is not currently incarcerated.
``We haven't had a whole lot of problems out of Randy in a while,'' said Surry County Detective Roger Cook.
Thursday evening, Bowman drove to the apartment he shares with his mother in Mount Airy. He didn't have much to say about the Arnder case.
``It's caused a lot of trouble,'' he said. ``I'm thinking about suing some people - and that includes newspaper people.''
Asked who those newspaper people might be, he replied: ``I don't know. There's been so much written about all of this. It takes a while to get back to you.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Randy Bowman was in jail, the sheriff says, at the time Kenneth
Arnder was killed.
KEYWORDS: MURDER DEATH ROW CAPITAL PUNISHMENT VIRGINIA by CNB