David Dowler

Case record: David Dowler

Background

David Dowler was raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was the son of an Air Force colonel and his Japanese wife. He maintained a B-average at school while holding up his end on the wrestling team, dabbling in electronics, and operating a ham radio. He spent three years in college without graduating and picked up a black belt in karate along the way. He moved to Odessa, Texas, in 1981 and found work as a sales representative for a local oil company.

Dowler regaled selected friends with tales of contract killings. He posed as a former secret agent who had “taken out six guys” on various assignments for the government. Friends and acquaintances took the stories with a grain of salt, but Dowler appeared to have a sixth sense for predicting danger.

The offence

Dowler killed three acquaintances. The account described the deaths as following “premonitions” of their deaths.

The death of Lisa Krieg: On the morning of August 16, 1983, Dowler telephoned the father of Lisa Krieg, a 26-year-old coworker, to say that Lisa was late for work. The father stopped by his daughter’s flat and found Lisa dead, stretched out across her bed and partially undressed. Her death was attributed to long-standing anorexia nervosa, but Dowler gave a different story to intimates. He told them he found the victim nude and partly dressed the corpse to make her death “look natural,” before he called her father to investigate. Dowler later faced renewed forensic tests in jail that turned up lethal dosages of cyanide in Lisa Krieg.

The death of Juan Casillas: Dowler had another “premonition” on February 12, 1986. It concerned Juan Casillas, who worked with Dowler in a one-hour photo developing service. Dowler called Leza Chandler, Casillas’ ex-wife, and said he was “worried about Juan.” Chandler stopped by Casillas’ apartment and found him dead on the kitchen floor. An autopsy revealed traces of drugs in his system, but they were not identified. Renewed forensic tests later turned up lethal dosages of cyanide in Juan Casillas. Dowler was indicted for Casillas’ murder.

The death of Leza Chandler: Dowler had his next “premonition” on June 28, 1987. He phoned another female friend and asked if she would check on Chandler, “just in case.” The woman found Leza Chandler dead in bed, with her infant daughter crawling aimlessly around her mother’s body on the mattress. Medical examiners attributed her death to acute chloroform poisoning. Renewed searches and meetings led investigators to become curious about Dowler’s “sixth sense,” culminating in Dowler’s arrest.

Dowler’s described involvement: Dowler’s account to intimates included finding Lisa Krieg nude and partly dressed the corpse to make her death “look natural.” His “premonitions” were described as preceding each killing.

Investigation

Friends and homicide investigators became curious about Dowler’s “sixth sense.” Dowler’s lady friend agreed to wear a microphone to several meetings with the suspect in July. Those recordings captured hours of conversation on espionage, assassination, and the various uses of chloroform.

Searches connected materials associated with the chloroform poisoning. After the arrest, a search of Dowler’s apartment netted chloroform bottles, a .22-caliber pistol, and two homemade silencers.

Forensic development: While Dowler was in jail, renewed forensic tests on Lisa Krieg and Juan Casillas turned up lethal dosages of cyanide in both. Police examined circumstances in the death of Dorothy Nesbitt, another Dowler acquaintance who died mysteriously in November 1986. No charges had been filed in Nesbitt’s death.

A prosecution description of Dowler occurred during trial in January 1988. The prosecutor described Dowler as someone who “likes to be the power that snuffs out life. He likes that supreme power.”

Arrest

Dowler was arrested for Leza Chandler’s murder on August 20. He was held in lieu of $100,000 bond. A search of his apartment during the arrest recovered chloroform bottles, a .22-caliber pistol, and two homemade silencers.

Trial

Dowler was formally indicted on September 8.

Dowler was indicted for Lisa Krieg’s and Juan Casillas’ murders in December 1987. At trial in January 1988, the prosecutor described Dowler in the quoted terms: “likes to be the power that snuffs out life. He likes that supreme power.”

The jury convicted Dowler of first-degree murder on January 27.

Sentencing

With two trials pending, Dowler was sentenced to as term of life imprisonment in 1988. The case summary records this as a life sentence.

Appeals

No appeal information was provided.

Outcome

Dowler’s conviction included first-degree murder. His status was recorded as “Sentenced to life in prison in 1988.”

Other details

• Lisa Krieg was a 26-year-old coworker.
• Leza Chandler had an infant daughter who was found crawling aimlessly around her mother’s body on the mattress.
• Dowler was held in lieu of $100,000 bond after his arrest.
• Dorothy Nesbitt died mysteriously in November 1986; no charges had been filed in her death.
• Autopsy findings in Juan Casillas’ death included traces of drugs in his system that were not identified.
• Medical examiners attributed Leza Chandler’s death to acute chloroform poisoning.
• The case account linked Dowler to lethal dosages of cyanide in Lisa Krieg and Juan Casillas.
• The manner described in Dowler’s version of events involved making Lisa Krieg’s death “look natural.”
• Dowler was portrayed as claiming responsibility for contract killings and describing taking out “six guys.”