Paul Warner Powell (April 13, 1978 – March 18, 2010) was a convicted murderer who was executed by the Commonwealth of Virginia via electric chair. He is currently the last person executed in the United States using this method.
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On January 29, 1999, Paul Warner Powell killed 16 year old Stacie Reed because he was angry that she had a black boyfriend. He attempted to rape her and stabbed her in the heart when she fought off his advances. Powell then waited for Stacie's 14 year old sister, Kristie Reed, to come home from school. When she did, Powell raped her, slashed her throat, stabbed her and left her for dead. Kristie survived the attack and was able to testify against Powell.[1]
Powell was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death but the verdict was thrown out on appeal when 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 conviction for the rape of Kristie Reed was upheld and Powell was given a lengthy sentence. Powell, believing that he no longer faced the death penalty, wrote an abusive letter to the prosecutor and admitted that he attempted to rape Stacie and boasted about his crimes in detail.
Using the letter that Powell wrote, prosecutors indicted Powell again for the rape and murder of Stacie Reed. Powell was once again convicted and sentenced to death.[2]
Powell chose to be executed by electric chair in lieu of lethal injection. He was executed on March 18, 2010 at the Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Virginia.