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In this episode of FBI Retired Case File Review, retired agents Jim Beasley and Kathy Canning-Mello, former FBI profilers assigned to the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia, review their research assessment interview of Gary Ray Bowles, a convicted serial killer who targeted gay men. In 2019, serial killer Gary Ray Bowles was executed for the murders of six men in 1994. Kathy and Jim spoke with Bowles as part of a behavioral analysis project involving the assessment of serial murderers and child abductors who had murdered their victims. They also discuss the importance of their research as it relates to the investigation of these types of crimes.
To listen to more FBI Retired Case File Review case reviews with former BAU profilers here. To listen to case reviews about serial murder here. During the case review, Jim mentioned the case review I did with retired agent Jeff Rinek. Episode 126: Jeff Rinek – Yosemite Murders, In the Name of the Children (Part 1) and Episode 127: Jeff Rinek – Yosemite Park Murders, Child Predators, PTSD (Part 2)
Special Agent (Retired)
James Beasley
1983 to 2013
“Gary Bowles is at the top of the list as far as his degree of psychopathy. It didn’t bother him in the least that he was killing people. Apparently, his lack of compassion for anybody was paramount.”—Retired Agent Jim Beasley
Retired agent Jim Beasley served in the FBI for over 30 year. He conducted investigations in three field divisions – Kansas City, MO; San Antonio, TX (Brownsville Resident Agency); and Newark, NJ (Franklin Township Resident Agency). He was later assigned as a Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) Document Examiner in the FBI’s Laboratory Division in Washington, D.C., where he conducted forensic analysis of illicit drug and money laundering records. He later served as a Supervisory Senior Resident Agent (SSRA) in the FBI’s Sacramento, CA, Field Division, where he managed violent crime, gang, drug, and fraud investigations in that division’s Fresno, CA, Resident Agency.
For the latter half of his FBI career, Mr. Beasley was an SSA in the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime – Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), a component of the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group – Investigative and Operations Support Section, based at the FBI Academy in Quantico, VA. His duties there included behavioral and threat assessments of offenses and offenders in violent crimes and cyber investigations, particularly those involving crimes against children, serial murder, serial rape, and online criminal activities. He also conducted research and published articles on those topics, based on his interviews with dozens of incarcerated offenders, along with extensive analysis of their backgrounds as revealed in relevant case materials and treatment records. His last assignment in the BAU was in the newly formed Cyber Behavioral Analysis Center, which dealt with cyber crimes and threat assessment. In that capacity, he co-developed a methodology for offender behavioral analysis that focused specifically on Internet communications, computer intrusions, implementation of malicious software, and insider threats.
Mr. Beasley is currently the President of Trident Behavioral Analysis Consulting, providing expert assistance and training in violent crime matters for law enforcement agencies, businesses, and non-profit organizations. He also works as a Special Investigator for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) Background Investigation Contract Services (BICS) program and is a registered private investigator in the state of Virginia. In 2019 he became an adjunct faculty member at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia, where he teaches a course in Behavioral Criminology.
Mr. Beasley holds a B.S. degree in psychology (with a minor in sociology) from Central Missouri State University at Warrensburg, and a master’s degree in public administration (with an emphasis in organizational behavior and labor relations) from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.
Special Agent (Retired)
Kathleen Canning-Mello
1988 – 2019
Retired agent Kathleen Canning-Mello served in the FBI for 31-years. Her vast experience in the field includes investigations in violent crime, white-collar crime, cybercrime, counter-terrorism, and transnational organized crime. During her 10-year assignment with the FBI’s renowned Behavioral Analysis Unit, she consulted and taught thousands of criminal justice professionals domestically and internationally on crimes against children investigations. The results of her research projects on False Allegation of Child Abduction and Maternal Neonaticide were published in peer-reviewed journals, educating investigators and prosecutors worldwide.
She also testified as an expert witness in state and federal hearings involving online crimes against children. Kathleen’s service included international assignments in Canada, Greece, Hong-Kong, the Republics of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. These experiences allowed her to use her leadership and liaison experience to build sustainable relationships as well as to advance FBI investigations and train foreign partners in developing counterterrorism and cybercrime capabilities. Motivated by her desire to share her experiences and to develop the next generation of criminal justice leaders, Kathleen who has a Master’s in Criminal Justice from Boston University and a B.S. Degree in Criminal Justice from Roger Williams College, began her post-retirement career in the Fall of 2019 as a part-time college instructor at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington.
The following are links to information about the BAU and the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group and news articles about serial killer Gary Ray Bowles:
FBI Website: Behavioral Interview Program – Attempting to Understand Violent Offenders
FBI Website: Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG) – Investigative & Operations Support
FBI Website – Profile of a Partnership, A Key Role of Behavioral Analysts
FBI Website – Serial Killers, Part 1: The FBI’s Role Takes Shape
NewsWeek – 8/24/19: Last Words of Serial Killer Executed After Killing Six Gay Men: ‘You Don’t Wake Up And Decide to Become a Serial Killer’
News-Journal Online – 8/17/2019: Serial killer of gay men Gary Ray Bowles started spree in Daytona, set for Thursday execution
CNN – August 23, 2019: After late appeals are denied, Florida executes serial killer who targeted gay men across Southeast
This is a great show. Very informative, and enlightening. Ms. Williams is a wonderful host and interviewer.
Knowledgeable and excellent teacher by way of bringing the novice up to speed with the lingo and different ways the law enforcement officers used to describe cases, techniques, procedures, etc.
Thanks for listening!