Clemency hearing for Blankenship set for Monday

The State Board of Pardons and Paroles has scheduled a clemency hearing this Monday for Roy Willard Blankenship, who is scheduled to be executed June 23.

Blankenship sits on death row for the 1978 burglary, rape and murder of Sarah Mims Bowen, 78, of Savannah. The board, which has the power to commute death sentences, stayed Blankenship's execution earlier this year to allow for DNA testing. An expert who reviewed the testing conducted by the GBI and a private lab said it could neither exclude nor identify Blankenship as Bowen's assailant.

About the Author

Bill Rankin

Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.

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