Lowell Amos

Lowell Edwin Amos (January 4, 1943 – January 5, 2022) was an American former General Motors plant manager who was convicted of murdering his third wife and was suspected in the suspicious deaths of his mother and two previous wives.

Murder of Roberta Amos

In December 1994, Lowell and his third wife, Roberta Mowery Amos, attended a company party at the Atheneum Hotel in Detroit.

• The couple returned to their hotel suite at around 4:30 am.

• Four hours later, Lowell contacted colleagues and said Roberta had died in an accident.

• Before police were called, he reportedly said he needed to clean the room.

• A colleague temporarily took Lowell's jacket and discovered:

  • A syringe without a needle.
  • A foul-smelling washcloth.

• Lowell later recovered the jacket, and these items disappeared.

Lowell claimed that he and Roberta had used cocaine during sexual activity and that she died while continuing to take the drug after he fell asleep.

Investigators found several suspicious details:

• Roberta had more than 15 times the lethal dose of cocaine in her body.
• Cocaine was found internally but not externally.
• Her body appeared to have been washed.
• Makeup, lipstick and tooth marks were found on a pillowcase despite Roberta having no makeup on when police arrived.
• Cocaine was found on the bedding, including underneath the mattress.

Prosecutors ultimately argued that Lowell had drugged Roberta with sedatives, administered cocaine while she was unconscious, and then smothered her with a pillow.

Earlier Suspicious Deaths

Investigators subsequently examined several deaths connected to Lowell.

Saundra Amos — First Wife

Saundra died in 1979, aged 36.

• She was found dead in her bathroom.
• Lowell said she had combined wine with a sedative, collapsed and hit her head.
• Her cause of death was ruled indeterminate.
• Lowell received approximately $350,000 in life insurance.

Lowell's Mother

After separating from his second wife, Carolyn, Lowell moved in with his 76-year-old mother.

• She was briefly hospitalized after becoming unusually stupefied.
• Doctors found no specific cause and discharged her.
• She died several days later.
• No autopsy was performed because her death was assumed to be from natural causes.
• Lowell inherited more than $1 million.

Carolyn Amos — Second Wife

Carolyn later allowed Lowell to move back in with her. Nine months later, she was found dead in her bathroom.

• Lowell said she had been using a hairdryer beside a bathtub and appeared to have been electrocuted.
• No definitive cause of death was established.
• A wine glass Lowell claimed to have brought her was instead found cleaned and placed in the dishwasher.
• Lowell received around $800,000 in insurance payments.

No criminal charges were ever filed over the deaths of Saundra, Carolyn or Lowell's mother.

Investigation and Trial

After Roberta's death:

• Police placed Lowell under surveillance.
• Several women claimed they believed Lowell had previously drugged them before sex.
• Prosecutors were able to introduce evidence concerning the earlier suspicious deaths because of a change in Michigan law.

Unlike the earlier deaths, Lowell apparently had no substantial financial motive for killing Roberta. Prosecutors instead argued that:

• Their marriage was ending.
• Roberta had purchased her own house.
• She had told friends and family that she wanted Lowell out of her life.
• Lowell killed her because he could not tolerate the rejection.

Conviction and Death

On October 24, 1996, Lowell Amos was convicted of two first-degree murder offences relating to Roberta's death:

• Premeditated murder.
• Murder using a toxic substance.

On November 4, 1996, he was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

His appeal was rejected in 1998.

Amos remained imprisoned in Michigan until his death on January 5, 2022, one day after his 79th birthday.

Key Points

• Convicted victim: Roberta Mowery Amos.
• Other suspicious deaths: His first wife Saundra, second wife Carolyn, and his mother.
• Possible motive in earlier deaths: Significant insurance payments and inheritance.
• Alleged motive for Roberta's murder: Fear of rejection and the breakdown of their marriage.
• Sentence: Life imprisonment without parole.
• Other convictions: None relating to the three earlier deaths.