Bio

Raymond Dayle Rowsey was born on April 11, 1971. He grew up in North Carolina. He faced neglect and exposure to drugs and alcohol during his early years. 

By the age of 19, he had several offenses, including injury to personal property. He continued to have legal issues in his early twenties.

In March 1992, when Rowsey was 20 years old, he made a decision that would lead him down a dark path. On the night of March 23, he and his half-brother, Raymond Lee Steele, were hanging out together. They played cards and listened to music. Eventually, they decided to go out for snacks. This decision would lead them to a Circle K convenience store in Alamance County.

Rowsey and Steele arrived at the store just after midnight. They first interacted with the store clerk, Howard Rue Sikorski, and played some video games. Following this, Rowsey decided to buy a snack with money provided by Steele. This seemingly ordinary trip took a dramatic turn when Rowsey pulled out a handgun.

This night marked a significant change not only in Rowsey's life but also in the life of the victim. Several events that night led to tragic outcomes, tying Rowsey to further criminal activities.

Murder Story

On March 24, 1992, Raymond Dayle Rowsey shot and killed Howard Rue Sikorski, a 20-year-old clerk at a Circle K convenience store in Alamance County, North Carolina. At around 1:00 a.m., Rowsey and his half-brother, Raymond Lee Steele, entered the store where they played video games for a while. Rowsey then bought some candy with money given to him by Steele.

After making the purchase, Rowsey pulled out a gun, clicked it without firing, and claimed to Steele that he was just pretending with a water gun. Moments later, he aimed the gun at Sikorski and shot him in the face. Following that, Rowsey shot him multiple times while he was on the ground and kicked him in the head several times.

After the shooting, Rowsey took about $54 in cash and some adult magazines from the store before leaving with Steele. As they walked home, Rowsey told Steele that he shot Sikorski because he believed the clerk might be reaching for a weapon. He also mentioned that he kicked Sikorski to ensure he was dead and that he wanted to make the shooting look like a robbery.

Sikorski's body was discovered at approximately 2:00 a.m. An autopsy revealed that he had been shot six times and had suffered blunt-force injuries. The police determined that $57.54 and several magazines were missing from the store, including a two-dollar bill that was part of the store's "bait money" policy used to track robberies.

Steele was arrested later that day after trying to use the marked two-dollar bill. Initially, he denied involvement but eventually admitted he was present during the murder and testified against Rowsey. Rowsey was arrested shortly after Steele's confession.

In the trial, Rowsey tried to shift the blame onto Steele, but the evidence strongly indicated that Rowsey was the shooter. This included a shoeprint found at the crime scene that matched Rowsey’s shoes and the fact that he was in possession of the murder weapon before and after the crime.

Rowsey was convicted of first-degree murder and armed robbery. He was sentenced to death on October 1, 1993. After many appeal attempts, he was executed by lethal injection on January 9, 2004, at the age of 32. Rowsey's case and execution raised discussions about the death penalty and the legal processes leading to it.