• Гідрологія і Гідрометрія
• Господарське право
• Економіка будівництва
• Економіка природокористування
• Економічна теорія
• Земельне право
• Історія України
• Кримінально виконавче право
• Медична радіологія
• Методи аналізу
• Міжнародне приватне право
• Міжнародний маркетинг
• Основи екології
• Предмет Політологія
• Соціальне страхування
• Технічні засоби організації дорожнього руху
• Товарознавство продовольчих товарів

Appeal denied for killer who sent taunting letter

The murderer of a 16-year-old girl was denied a hearing before the Supreme Court on Monday, after a letter bragging about his crimes got him a cell on Virginia's death row.

Without comment, the justices rejected Paul Warner Powell's appeal. Powell was convicted of the murder of Stacie Reed and the rape of her 14-year-old sister in their Manassas, Virginia, home in 1999.

Powell had claimed double jeopardy after state prosecutors put him on trial for a second time in the killing. The high court delayed Powell's execution in July and agreed to consider his broader constitutional claims. There was no word on when a new date for lethal injection would be set.

"I'm hopeful this is the last legal chapter in the long history of this case," said Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney Paul Ebert. "The survivors -- Stacie's mother and [her sister] -- have really been traumatized by delay after delay. Hopefully they're going to get some peace and closure after all these years."

The crime shocked the Washington area. Stacie Reed knew Powell, then 20 and an admitted racist.

Virginia's highest court threw out the verdict in Powell's first trial, saying prosecutors had not proved that other necessary death-eligible offenses were committed against the 16-year-old. Such "aggravating" factors could include rape, attempted rape or robbery in the commission of murder.The sexual assault and attempted murder of Stacie Reed's younger sister were upheld, and Powell was given a long prison sentence.

Powell, believing he was free from execution, wrote a taunting, profanity-filled letter from behind bars to Ebert, laying out explicit details of the crime unknown to investigators at the time.

"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," wrote Powell, who is white.

He said he had gone to the Reed house to confront Stacie for dating a black boyfriend. He admitted pinning the victim, threatening to rape her, then stabbing her in the heart when the girl resisted. He then stomped on her throat."I guess I forgot to mention these events when I was being questioned. Ha Ha!" he wrote in 2001. "Do you just hate yourself for being so stupid ... and saving me?"

The killer also said that after that crime, he waited in the house until the younger girl returned from school, then attacked her, leaving her for dead. In the meantime, he drank iced tea from the family refrigerator and smoked a cigarette, forensic evidence that investigators used to place Powell at the scene of the crime.

With the new firsthand account from Powell, he was indicted again and charged with the murder and attempted rape of Stacie Reed -- making him eligible for capital punishment if convicted. He was again convicted, and federal and state courts upheld the conviction on appeal.

9. Listening.Reading Explorer 3. Text 12 B.

Читайте також:

1. A Letter Dear Sergei,
2. B) Comment on the letter above. Point out in what it differs from Judy's earlier letters (see the text). Explain the last line of this letter. Is Judy quite serious here?
3. BUSINESS LETTERS
4. CALL FOR PAPERS AND INFORMATION LETTER № 2
5. Choose the correct form of the words in capital letters to fill in the text and you will find out more information about types of legal professions in Russia.
6. F. Choose phrasal verbs you have known to complete this letter.
7. Fill in the gaps in the passage with words given below in brackets. The initial letter of the words is provided.
8. G. Add one job to each letter below. Use the pictures to help you.
9. Go over the letters (see Unit Five) and copy down the samples of the complimentary close.
10. Here is an advertisement and two letters asking for information. Read the letters and fill in the chart.
11. IV. E-mailers make use of symbols called smileys (or emoticons) which can be written using standard letters and signs.

Переглядів: 787