Paul Warner Powell

Paul Warner Powell (April 13, 1978 – March 18, 2010) was an American man convicted and executed for the murder of Stacie Reed.

Trial

Powell was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death, but the verdict was thrown out on appeal by the Virginia Supreme Court. The court decided that there was insufficient evidence to prove that Powell attempted to rape Stacie and that there were no other aggravating factors that would warrant a death sentence: the fact that Kristie had been raped could not serve as a basis for making Stacie's killing a capital murder.[2] The conviction for the rape of Kristie Reed was upheld, and Powell was given three life sentences.

Powell, believing that he no longer faced the death penalty because of double jeopardy, then wrote an abusive letter to the prosecutor and admitted that he attempted to rape Stacie and boasted about his crimes in detail,[3] among several other taunting or threatening letters he sent to the victims' family.

Using the letter that Powell wrote, prosecutors indicted Powell again for the rape and murder of Stacie Reed. Powell was once again convicted, and was sentenced to death.[2]

Execution

Powell chose to be executed by the electric chair instead of lethal injection. He made no final statement, however the day before his death, he spoke to Reed's family by phone and acknowledged the crime "was a senseless and pointless thing" and said he was sorry.[4] He was executed on March 18, 2010.

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See also

References
  1. "Paul Warner Powell #1198". Clark County Indiana Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Retrieved 2012-12-24.
  2. Mears, Bill (25 January 2010). "Appeal denied for killer who sent taunting letter". CNN. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  3. "Paul Warner Powell". I'm Surrounded By Idiots. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  4. "Virginia executes man in 1999 murder of woman, rape of her sister". The Washington Post. March 19, 2010.
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