Convicted Serial Killer Seeks Stay of Execution

Convicted serial killer Oscar Ray Bolin’s lawyers aren’t giving up on their fight to spare their client from execution.

A request for a stay was filed with the Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday. Bolin’s initial appeal to the Florida Supreme Court was denied last week. Lawyers intended to present alleged new evidence that an Ohio inmate confessed to the murder of Teri Lynn Matthews. The state’s highest court denied that request, saying there wasn’t enough evidence to substantiate the claim.

In the latest stay of execution request, Bolin’s attorneys say they need time to file a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their client’s case.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office filed a response Wednesday. The state is asking the court to deny the stay.

While convicted in a string of murders in the Tampa Bay area in the 1980s, Bolin’s appeal centers Matthews’ death in December 1986.

See Also:

• Serial Killer Oscar Ray Bolin’s Appeal Denied

Matthews, 26, was abducted from the Land O’ Lakes Post Office on U.S. 41. Her death rocked the community and left many on edge.

Bolin was also sentenced to death in the Carrollwood murder of Stephanie Collins in 1986. Collins was abducted from a shopping plaza. The Chamberlain High School student was 17.

Bolin was also convicted in the January 1986 slaying of Natalie Blanch Holley in Hillsborough County.

Bolin, who was once a carnival worker and long-haul trucker, is suspected in a number of other murders across the country.

It is unclear when the state court will take up the stay request.

As of Wednesday, Bolin’s execution was still scheduled for 6 p.m. on Jan. 7, according to Florida Supreme Court records.

Photo of Oscar Ray Bolin courtesy of the Florida Department of Corrections