Bio

David Lee Powell was born on January 13, 1951, in Brazos County, Texas. He grew up in a rural area near Campbell, a small town about 60 miles northeast of Dallas. Powell’s family owned an 80-acre dairy farm. In school, he was seen as bright and promising. Powell graduated from high school a year early in a class of only 15 students. He was the valedictorian and voted "most likely to succeed" by his classmates.

After high school, Powell attended the University of Texas at Austin. He was accepted into the Plan II honors program and was majoring in physics and mathematics. However, during his time at college, Powell became involved in anti-war protests and started using drugs. This led him to drop out of college in 1970, and his life began to spiral downwards due to drug addiction.

By 1978, Powell was a heavy user and dealer of methamphetamine. He was wanted by the police for misdemeanor theft, among other offenses. His behavior became increasingly erratic as his drug use worsened, and he started carrying firearms, including an AK-47 and a handgun. His family noticed significant changes in his behavior, describing him as paranoid and disoriented.

In 1978, Powell was living a troubled life filled with substance abuse and criminal activities. 

Murder Story

David Lee Powell shot and killed Austin Police Officer Ralph Ablanedo on May 18, 1978. Ablanedo had pulled over a red Mustang that was missing its rear license plate. The driver of the car was Sheila Meinert, Powell's girlfriend. After initially letting them go due to a computer error regarding outstanding warrants, Ablanedo learned that Powell had a possible warrant for misdemeanor theft. He stopped the Mustang again and, as he approached the vehicle, Powell shot him through the back window with an AK-47.

Powell initially shot Ablanedo in semi-automatic mode and then switched to automatic mode, firing multiple rounds. Ablanedo was struck ten times, even though he was wearing a bulletproof vest. He tried to radio for help but did not survive the shooting and died later at the hospital.

Afterward, Powell and Meinert fled the scene. Police tracked their vehicle to a nearby apartment complex parking lot. Once there, Powell fired at officers responding to the scene and threw a live grenade in their direction. Fortunately, the grenade did not explode.

Powell was found hiding in bushes a few hours later and was arrested without incident. Police later discovered a backpack containing a large quantity of methamphetamine along with additional weapons and ammunition at his home. He was convicted and sentenced to death for Ablanedo's murder. After several years on death row and numerous appeals, Powell was ultimately executed by lethal injection on June 15, 2010.