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Bernard Bolender

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Bernard Bolender
Bolender's mugshot
Born(1952-09-01)September 1, 1952
United States
DiedJuly 18, 1995(1995-07-18) (aged 42)
Cause of deathExecution by electrocution
SpouseJoyce Bolender[1]
Conviction(s)First degree murder (4 counts)
Criminal penaltyDeath
Details
Victims4
DateJanuary 8, 1980
CountryUnited States
State(s)Florida

Bernard Bolender (September 1, 1952 – July 18, 1995)[2][3][4] was an American mass murderer who killed four people during a drug deal in Florida.[5][6]

Early life

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Bolender attended high school in West Babylon, New York.[7] After owning a nightclub and restaurant in the 1970s, Bolender separated from his wife and children and became involved in the Miami cocaine scene. He became rich very quickly, reportedly hiring a chauffeured limousine to drive his monkey around.[7]

Murders

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In 1980, Bolender murdered four men after a botched drug deal.[5][8] Bolender and two others, Joseph Macker and Paul Thompson, kidnapped the four victims and then robbed, tortured, and murdered them.[5] The bodies were hidden in a burnt car which was later found on Interstate 95 in Miami, Florida.[5] The victims were John Merino, Scott Bennett, Rudolfo Ayan, and Nicomedes Hernandez, who were all killed on January 8, 1980.[9]

Bolender, Macker, and Thompson were instant suspects. Macker made a deal with prosecutors for leniency in exchange for his testimony that Bolender was the instigator of the murders.[5] Bolender's fingerprints were found on the burnt car. Despite this, he maintained his innocence and claimed he was not involved in the murders.[5] Bolender stated that he was at home with his girlfriend during the killings.[8]

Trial and execution

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Bolender was convicted of the murders and sentenced to death in April 1980, just three months after the crime. Bolender's case was then appealed to the Supreme Court of Florida,[5] which affirmed his sentence in 1983.[5] A judge threw out his death sentence, ruling that Bolender's lawyer was ineffective as he presented no evidence in Bolender's favor during the penalty phase of his trial.[5] That ruling was reversed and the death penalty reinstated in 1987. Bolender then had another appeal for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in 1990.[5]

Bolender was executed in the electric chair on July 18, 1995, in Bradford County, Florida. He was pronounced dead at 10:19 am.[5][10] He was executed at the Florida State Prison.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Church of the Brethren (1995), "Messenger: Volume 145", University of Wisconsin–Madison, General Brotherhood Board, Church of the Brethren, p. 9
  2. ^ "Execution List: 1976 – present". Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  3. ^ "Texas Journal on Civil Liberties & Civil Rights: Volume 8", University of California, Austin, Texas: University of Texas School of Law, p. 165, 2003
  4. ^ McKinnon, John (June 28, 1995). "Two killers, but only one pays the price". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. p. 67. Retrieved June 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Miami torture-murderer executed". United Press International. July 18, 1995. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  6. ^ "One death penalty reduced; two upheld". The Bradenton Herald. Bradenton, Florida. October 29, 1982. p. 19. Retrieved June 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ a b "Drugs". The Miami News. Miami, Florida. April 24, 1979. p. 4. Retrieved June 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ^ a b Huff, C. Ronald; Killias, Martin (January 15, 2010). Wrongful Conviction: International Perspectives on Miscarriages of Justice. Temple University Press. p. 99. ISBN 9781592136469 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ Moss, Bill. "Inmate executed for murders". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Associated Press (July 19, 1995). "Floridian Executed In Torture Death of 4". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.