Accused Ithaca murderer yells at judge, is removed from court

Editor's Note: This story was originally published by our partner publication, The Ithaca Voice.

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ITHACA, N.Y. – A Cortland man accused of committing a 2011 murder in Ithaca yelled at a county judge during a court appearance Monday and had to be removed from the courtroom by corrections officers.

Gary "Pops" Lowe is accused of murdering a man during a drug-related robbery in 2011. Lowe said Dec. 18 that he intended to hire a lawyer for his next court appearance.

He appeared in court Monday afternoon, however, without a lawyer.

Judge John Rowley told Lowe, "I suggest you get your act together."

"I don't have no funds right now," Lowe said.


Related: 5 things to know about the Ithaca murder case headed back to court


The exchange between Lowe and Rowley quickly escalated as the defendant claimed that Rowley has it "out for him." Lowe then began cursing Rowley who demanded that the defendant be removed from the courtroom.

Lowe pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in 2013. During sentencing, however, he tried to renege on the deal, claiming he'd been coerced into accepting it and instead wanted to go to trial.

The terms of the plea deal did not allow Lowe to change his mind.

His plea and conviction were overturned Nov. 25 by an appellate court who decided that the original plea acceptance was flawed.


Related: Court overturns Cortland man's manslaughter conviction


Lowe now gets a second chance at either a trial or negotiating a better plea deal than the one that would have previously kept him in prison for 15 years.

He's scheduled to appear in court again next week.

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