SAN ANTONIO — An Arizona man was convicted and sentenced to life in prison on Friday for the murder of a Texas woman 35 years ago.
Larry Leroy Moore, 69, was sentenced for the capital murder charge on Friday. It came moments after the verdict was read by a Bexar County jury that found Moore guilty for the rape and strangulation of Dianna “Dee Dee” Lowery in 1987, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
Moore must serve 40 years before he is eligible for parole, KSAT-TV reported.
Lowery, 25, was renting a duplex apartment from Moore when her boyfriend, Dale Andrew Martin, found her dead on Jan. 29, 1987, according to the Express-News.
Moore was originally arrested in 2005 but the case was dismissed, according to KSAT. Moore was charged again after the cold case was reopened in 2018, the television station reported.
Martin testified earlier this week that he came home from work to find the door to the duplex unlocked, and followed a “smell of death” to the bathroom, the Express-News reported. Martin said he found Lowery dead in the tub, wearing a bathrobe and socks.
In closing arguments, prosecutor Kristen Mulliner cited testimony from Moore’s wife of one month, Gretchen Phelps, who testified that when the couple first got together more than two decades ago, he admitted he committed a crime, the newspaper reported.
Defense lawyer Mark McKay told jurors that the case was too old and evidence was contaminated, according to the Express-News. He criticized the investigation and its evidence collection methods as “detective myopia” and listed the names of 10 men who were in the area but were not interviewed by detectives.
After the sentencing, prosecutor Talia Triesch told reporters that the case presented a challenge because it happened more than three decades ago.
“At the end of the day, the jury saw the job that needed to be done, and they did the job,” Triesch said. “And we’re grateful.”