Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Criminal Law Blogs -> StandDown Texas Project

Criminal Law

: StandDown Texas Project

An Update on the David Powell Case

By Steve Hall

"Death row inmate apologizes to family of officer he killed in 1978," is the title of Tony Plohetski's report in today's Austin American-Statesman.In his first comments to the family of an Austin police officer he fatally shot more than 30 years ago, Texas death row inmate David Lee Powell took responsibility in a hand-written letter and apologized for "the evil I have done.""I am infinitely sorry that I killed Ralph Ablanedo ," wrote Powell, who shot Ablanedo 10 times with an AK-47, according to court records. "I stole from you and the world the precious and irreplaceable life of a good man."Powell, whose execution date could be set within days, said he has no excuse for what happened May 18, 1978, in the 900 block of Live Oak Street near Travis High School in South Austin, but wrote that his actions happened "in a few frightened seconds...continue to full post

Full post as published by StandDown Texas Project on January 28, 2010 (boomark / email).