The Most Remorseless Killer Who Bragged

In 1999, 20-year-old Paul Warner Powell was obsessed with 16-year-old Stacie Reed, who had no interest in him.

As a self-proclaimed white supremacist, he became enraged upon discovering that she had a black lover. He forced his way into her home and demanded a date with her. As a result of her resistance, he murdered her.

He then went downstairs and poured a glass of iced tea while waiting for Stacie Reed's 14-year-old sister, Kristie Reed, to return from school. When Kristie inquired about her sister's whereabouts, he dragged her to the basement, stabbed her, and left her to die.

The stepfather of the girls returned home early and, upon discovering their bodies, frantically looked for the phone to notify the police and emergency medical services.

The scars on her neck were clear proof of the violent assault that Stacie's 14-year-old sister ultimately survived after intensive therapy. She easily identified Paul Powell as the murderer.

Paul Powell displayed no remorse in court and even referred to the victims as "dumb." He was subsequently convicted of capital murder and many additional crimes, making him eligible for the death penalty.

As soon as he was sentenced to death, his attitude altered drastically. He wept and begged for forgiveness. Unfortunately, a legal loophole would change his death sentence into a life sentence. Inadequate proof of a unique circumstance against the murder victim, which is required to justify the death penalty, led to the reversal of his initial death sentence.

He wrote an insulting letter to the prosecuting attorney in his case, Paul Ebert, believing he was protected from the death penalty owing to double jeopardy. He basically detailed every detail, including the attempted rape of both females, while bragging about how he escaped punishment. In his correspondence, he wrote,

"Since I have already been indicted on first degree murder and the Va. Supreme Court said that I can't be charged with capital murder again, I figured I would tell you the rest of what happened on Jan. 29, 1999, to show you how stupid all of y'all are. I guess I forgot to mention these events when I was being questioned. Ha ha! Do you just hate yourself for being so stupid... and saving me?"

Then, he wrote a letter to his then-girlfriend, informing her that he had plotted all of the murders, including the murder of the Reed girls' parents (which he did not commit). He also issued death threats to the mother of the two girls, Lorraine Reed.

His letter admitted to an attempted rape of the victim as part of the murder, which was a special circumstance. In the first trial, the prosecutor had been unable to prove an attempted rape required to authorize the death penalty, but he now had all the evidence he needed.

In fact, the principle of double jeopardy did not apply, since although his capital murder verdict had been vacated, he had not been acquitted of the criminal charge, and was still eligible to be retried for first degree murder.

The attorney promptly delivered the letters to the judge. The court reviewed the letters, determined that new evidence existed, and ordered a fresh trial. The letters he sent to his girlfriend, his attorney, and Lorraine Reed conclusively established that he was guilty of Capital Murder.

In 2003, he was convicted and condemned to death following a second complete trial.

Powell selected the electric chair over lethal injection for his execution. He did not make a farewell remark, but the day before his death he called Reed's family and apologized for the murder, describing it as "senseless and worthless."

His execution occurred on March 18, 2010. Powell was the second-to-last person executed with the electric chair in Virginia.