Bio

Everett Lee Mueller was born on September 12, 1948 in the United States. Mueller lived in Chesterfield County, Virginia, where he worked intermittently as a construction laborer. He was unemployed at the time of the crime and living in a modest residence near wooded property in the Chester area.

Witnesses and investigators later described Mueller as socially withdrawn and disheveled in appearance. He reportedly spent large amounts of time driving around commercial areas in his wood-sided station wagon, particularly around restaurants and parking lots in Chesterfield County. According to testimony and police interviews presented during the investigation, Mueller was known to frequent the Hardee’s restaurant near the Skateland skating rink where the victim was last seen alive.

In the days immediately following the disappearance of 10-year-old Charity Powers in October 1990, investigators questioned numerous local residents and individuals seen near the skating rink. Mueller quickly became a person of interest after witnesses reported seeing him speaking with the child outside the Hardee’s restaurant shortly after midnight.

When initially questioned by authorities, Mueller admitted speaking with a young female near the restaurant during the early morning hours of October 6, 1990. He claimed he believed she was older than she actually was and stated that he approached her seeking sexual activity. Investigators later connected Mueller to the abduction through witness accounts, physical evidence, and his own admissions during police interviews.

At the time of the crime, Mueller lived near heavily wooded land approximately several hundred yards from where the victim’s remains would later be discovered. Detectives also recovered a knife near the burial site that prosecutors argued was used during the murder.

Murder Story

On October 5, 1990, 10-year-old Charity Powers went to Skateland in Chester, Virginia. Her mother dropped her off, expecting a family friend to pick her up later. The friend fell asleep and never came, leaving Charity outside after the rink closed.

Early on October 6, Charity was seen near a Hardee’s restaurant close to the rink. A witness later said Everett Lee Mueller was standing near her. Police also learned that Mueller had been driving around the Hardee’s parking lot in his station wagon that night.

Investigators said Mueller took Charity from the area and brought her to woods near his home in Chesterfield County. She was raped and killed with a knife. After she disappeared, police and volunteers searched for her for several months.

On February 8, 1991, Charity’s remains were found in a shallow grave near Mueller’s home. A knife was also found nearby. Mueller was arrested on February 12, 1991, and later confessed to abducting, raping, and murdering her.

Mueller was charged with abduction, rape, and capital murder. On September 12, 1991, a jury found him guilty and recommended the death penalty. On December 19, 1991, he was sentenced to death for the murder and received two life sentences for the other crimes.

Mueller later appealed his conviction and asked for clemency. He claimed his confession was false and said he had only found Charity’s body in the woods. Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore denied clemency, and the courts refused to stop the execution. On September 16, 1999, Everett Lee Mueller was executed by lethal injection at Greensville Correctional Center in Virginia.