Man sentenced to life for his part in killing two corrections officers in Putnam County
PUTNAM COUNTY, Ga. - Donnie Russell Rowe spent his first night of a two consecutive life sentence in prison on Wednesday evening.
Rowe was one of the men convicted for his part in the shooting death of two corrections officers in Putnam County.
A judge handed down Wednesday's sentence after a split jury could not decide his fate following eight hours of deliberation.
According to Georgia law, the death penalty is taken off the table when the decision is not unanimous by the jury, and the judge takes over sentencing.
Emotional family members of the slain officers were given time to address the man convicted of murdering their loved ones.
Last week, jurors found Rowe guilty on all charges.
Dubose is to be tried separately and also faces the death penalty.
Security cameras on the bus recorded the violent escape while roughly 30 other prisoners witnessed the killings from the back of the bus.
Rowe’s defense attorneys had argued he didn’t know Dubose would kill the guards and should be spared a death sentence. District Attorney Wright Barksdale had argued that Rowe hatched the escape plot and the crime took both men to complete.
In addition to the security video, jurors got a firsthand look in the courthouse parking lot of the bus where the slayings occurred. They also heard from the man whose car the inmates stole right after fleeing the bus, as well as a homeowner in Rutherford County, Tennessee, who grabbed a pistol and called 911 after seeing Rowe and Dubose walking toward his house. He testified that the exhausted fugitives laid down and surrendered.
Rowe did not testify. His defense attorneys played the jury audio and video of Dubose saying he was the one who shot both officers. The defense lawyers then rested their case.
Rowe was already serving a sentence of life without parole for an armed robbery conviction when the guards were slain four years ago.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.