Trial could begin for man accused of committing capital murder over 30 years ago

Investigators say Larry Moore, 68, had keys to the victim’s home at the time of the murder

More than 30 years ago in January of 1987, a 25-year-old San Antonio woman was found dead inside of a bathtub in her home.

San Antonio police say it happened on Bailey Avenue, just off of Hackberry Street.

According to the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office, Dianna Lowery died by asphyxiation and her death was ruled a homicide.

Unfortunately, police were never able to gather enough evidence to arrest a suspect and the case went cold.

Years later, it reopened and investigators found out 68-year-old Larry Moore was the owner of both his and Lowery’s duplex unit at the time of the murder.

They say Moore also had a spare set of keys to Lowery’s apartment.

It wouldn’t be until September of 2005 that he was indicted for murder. However, the case was dismissed just two years later in March of 2007.

Almost a decade later in January of 2018, one of Lowery’s family members called the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office to find out why Lowery’s case had been dismissed.

Upon further investigation, former District Attorney Nico LaHood assigned the chief of the 187th District Court to go through the archived file for an answer to her question.

That’s when LaHood determined that there was sufficient evidence to prosecute Larry Moore for capital murder.

Moore is charged under the capital murder statute as it existed in 1987, which means if he is convicted, his punishment could be either death or life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years.

If courts reopen due to having been closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, the trial could begin on December 7, 2021.

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About the Authors:

Roslyn Jimenez is a news producer at KSAT. Before joining the team, she was a producer and video editor at KIII-TV and a radio intern in Corpus Christi. She graduated from Del Mar College with an Associate's degree in political science and liberal arts. Roslyn is family-oriented and loves spending time with her fiancé and chihuahua Paco.

Erica Hernandez is an Emmy award-winning journalist with 15 years of experience in the broadcast news business. Erica has covered a wide array of stories all over Central and South Texas. She's currently the court reporter and cohost of the podcast Texas Crime Stories.