|
|
| Texas Inmate Executed for Rape, Slaying of 10-year-old Girl |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 10/14/2002 |
|
An inmate was executed for raping and strangling a 10-year-old girl he abducted in 1990 from a flea market where he and the girl's parents were vendors. Before the lethal injection last Tuesday, James R. Powell, 56, smiled and nodded to friends and relatives who watched through a window a few feet away. He did not acknowledge his victim's father or stepmother. 'I am ready for the final blessing,' he said in his last statement. He had maintained his innocence in a letter last year to The Associated Press, but declined to comment in the weeks before the execution. Powell was convicted of killing Falyssa Van Winkle, who was with her parents when she disappeared from the flea market after telling them she was going to buy peanuts. Five hours later, the girl's body was found 55 miles (90 kilometers) away, face down under a bridge, her wrists bound and a rope tied around her neck. Authorities said she had been raped. Powell was arrested two days later. Hair found in Powell's motor home matched the girl, tire tracks at the scene matched the truck and DNA tests matched semen to Powell. The girl's father, Mike Van Winkle, said afterward that he was 'extremely satisfied' with the execution. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think