Virginia Execution Scheduled

Governor denies killer Paul Warner Powell clemency - Defines policy for the consideration of capital murder clemency requests

March 13, 2010

SUFFOLK VA NEWS -- Governor Bob McDonnell issued the following statement yesterday in Richmond on the scheduled execution of Paul Warner Powell, who was convicted in 2003 for murder and attempted rape. Powell is set to die in the electric chair and will be executed the evening of March 18, 2010, unless a court intervenes.

"On January 15, 2003, Paul Warner Powell was convicted in Prince William County Circuit Court of the brutal capital murder and attempted rape of sixteen year old Stacie Lynn Reed. Powell was previously convicted of the rape and attempted murder of Stacie's fourteen year-old sister.

"On May 8, 2003, the trial court, in accordance with the jury's verdict and recommendation, sentenced Powell to death. Powell admitted to the murder and attempted rape, and thus Powell's guilt is not at issue. On January 27, 2010, the Circuit Court set the execution date for March 18, 2010.

"On February 23, 2010, Powell filed a petition for clemency requesting that I commute the sentence of death to a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

"Powell's trial, verdict and sentence have been reviewed and affirmed by state and federal courts, including the Supreme Court of Virginia, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. I have considered the petitioner's principal arguments concerning gubernatorial conflict and prejudicial errors in the admission of evidence, and found them not to warrant commutation.

"After conferring with the appropriate parties, as well as thoroughly reviewing the clemency petition and the judicial opinions regarding this case, I find no compelling reason to set aside the sentence that was selected by the jury and imposed and affirmed by the courts.

"Accordingly, I decline to intervene."

Stacie Lynn Reed - Murdered ROTC student

Stacie Lynn Reed and her sister, Kristie, were brutally attacked at their own home in Manassas, Virginia by Paul Warner Powell on January 29, 1999. Stacie was viciously stabbed and killed. Powell then waited for more than two hours for 14-year-old Kristie to return home from Parkside Middle School. Upon her arrival Kristie found her sister dead. Powell then attacked again, forcing Kristie into the basement and binding with her own shoelaces, Powell raped, strangled, and cut the child's wrists. He then attempted to fatally stab and slit her throat. Powell left Kristie to die, however, the child miraculously lived to testify against him.

Picture of the survivor of Powell's attack, Kristie Reed, look at this poor girl's scars sustained from the attack.

Since the grisly attack and murder, Lorraine Reed Whoberry, the victims mother, has founded the Striving Towards Achieving Compassion Intervention and Education (S.T.A.C.I.E.) Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to raising victim awareness. Additionally, the Foundation has successfully implemented changes in the death notification and the response to victims in Prince William County, Virginia. Moreover, the master detective assigned to the case, Detective Richard Leonard, has joined Ms. Whoberry in offering 3-hour seminars, "The Impact of Victimization" to victims, law enforcement agencies, victim witness programs, the commonwealth's attorneys, universities and inmates.

Additionally, Governor McDonnell issued the following statement regarding his policy for the consideration of capital murder clemency requests during his Administration:

"As Governor, Article V, Section 12 of the Constitution of Virginia vests in me the solemn duty to rule on clemency petitions in capital cases, to include reprieves, pardons and commutations. This Constitutional obligation carries with it great responsibility. Virginia governors have consistently exercised this duty with diligent evaluation of the law and facts, and thoughtful judgment. I will do the same. Each clemency petition that comes to my desk will be thoroughly considered by my staff and me in keeping with the gravity of the decision that must be made.

"Before reaching each decision, I will conduct a full review of the petitioner's court records, and consult with the appropriate parties, including the Attorney General's Office and the petitioner's counsel. However, as there are important new legal remedies now in place in the Commonwealth to ensure that prisoners can file a writ of actual innocence in state court if they have new evidence to present, it is not my role to commence a new legal proceeding. Clemency petitions are to be granted only in those rare cases in which the ends of justice require such an extraordinary remedy, such as undoing a wrongful conviction where there is no legal recourse, or otherwise correcting injustices that the regular criminal process is unable to consider.

"A decision regarding clemency brings some finality to a lengthy process, even as some court actions may remain pending. After suffering the tragic loss of a loved one, the families and friends of the victims should not be required to wait with uncertainty until the day the execution is scheduled to take place to know if it will occur. For families to travel to the Greensville prison facility only to learn of a stay or commutation is not just. Similarly, the petitioner should know the decision regarding clemency well before the day of the execution, so if the decision is not favorable he may focus on final visits with family, religious advisors, and others, rather than on legal and clemency proceedings. To ensure this occurs in each case, absent extraordinary circumstances, I will decide upon each clemency petition and notify the appropriate parties no later than five days prior to the scheduled date of the execution."

Lastly, Lorraine Reed Whoberry has forgiven Paul Warner Powell for killing Stacie. She has also forgiven Powell for attempting to rape and kill Kristie. Now, it is time for Powell to complete his sentence for his crime. It's a good day in Suffolk, VA.

# # #