The Virginia Supreme Court overturned the capital murder...

The Virginia Supreme Court overturned the capital murder conviction and death sentence of Paul Warner Powell and ordered a new trial for the 22-year-old man who admitted murdering in 1999 Stacie Reed, 16, and then attacking her 14-year-old sister, Kristie, who was bound and raped. The court ruled that all of Virginia's capital juries need to be better informed of their sentencing options when considering the death penalty. Justice Lawrence L. Koontz Jr. wrote in a 21-page opinion that jurors must be given verdict forms that clearly say they can impose a life sentence instead of the death penalty, even when the crimes are particularly vile. "I was very confused, and I felt that I had to sentence him to death," said juror Jennifer Day, who was so distraught over the sentence that she forged a relationship with Powell and testified on his behalf at his sentencing. "I was looking for a reason to be able to let him live in prison rather than be executed, and I felt I didn't have that option under the law." His case was sent back to Prince William County Circuit Court for a new trial, in which Powell would be prosecuted on 1st-degree murder charges and will not face the death penalty.