Bio

William Dillard Powell was born on September 25, 1946. He grew up in a loving family in Cleveland County, North Carolina. Powell had a typical childhood, and as he grew older, he joined the U.S. Army. After serving his time, he was honorably discharged. He then worked as a jailer and was a volunteer firefighter.

Powell was known to be caring and dedicated, especially to his family. He had a son who was profoundly autistic, and he took great pride in being the primary caregiver. He was actively involved in his son’s care and even served on the advisory council for the Parent Teacher Organization at his son’s school.

Unfortunately, Powell's life took a downward turn as he succumbed to drug and alcohol abuse. This addiction severely impacted his ability to maintain steady employment or provide for himself. Over time, his substance abuse problems grew worse, affecting his judgment and behaviors.

By the time of the events that would change his life, Powell had become addicted to cocaine and Xanax. This addiction led him to act impulsively in desperate situations. At the time he committed his crimes, Powell was struggling with these addictions, which had taken control of his life and led him into serious trouble.

Murder Story

On October 31, 1991, William Dillard Powell entered The Pantry, a convenience store in Shelby, North Carolina, with the intention of committing robbery to get cash for drugs. At that time, 54-year-old Mary Gladden was working as the store clerk. Powell was unarmed when he entered the store. When Gladden resisted his attempt to take money from the cash register, Powell picked up a tire iron that was located behind the counter and used it to beat Gladden to death.

After the incident, several witnesses provided descriptions of Powell. One customer, Scott Truelove, identified Powell from a photographic lineup, stating he had seen him in the store on the morning of the murder. Another witness, Clarissa Epps, found Gladden’s body and called the police. Officer Mark Lee responded and discovered Gladden lying on the floor behind the counter, severely injured.

An autopsy conducted by Dr. Stephen Tracey revealed that Gladden suffered multiple lacerations to her head and a fractured skull, ultimately leading to her death from blunt trauma. The murder weapon, a tire iron, was not recovered. Following his arrest on November 16, 1991, Powell confessed to the crime after initially denying involvement. He claimed that he acted out of panic when Gladden slapped him during the robbery.

At trial, Powell was convicted of first-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon. He was sentenced to death on April 29, 1993. His legal team argued that the death penalty was disproportionate to the crime, especially since they contended that Powell did not have a history of violence and that the crime was not premeditated. However, the jury found no mitigating circumstances, and the death sentence was upheld through various appeals.

Powell was executed by lethal injection on March 11, 2005, after the governor denied his clemency petition. He received a last meal consisting of pizza and a hamburger. He did not make any final statement before the execution.