William Dillard Powell - Testimony

Testimony

Powell testified that he did not read the Miranda waiver form but signed it because he felt "agreeable" from cocaine he had ingested. He further testified that Ledbetter suggested they talk off the record. Powell further admitted he had given Miranda warnings during his tenure as a jailer in law enforcement and recited the warnings on the witness stand. He also admitted he had not mentioned in his pretrial affidavit that Ledbetter proposed that they talk off the record.

Billy Joe Sparks testified that sometime after the Gladden murder he had a conversation with Paul Barnard, who called himself Rambo. During the conversation, Rambo sniffed glue and both men drank beer. Rambo told Sparks he had killed a woman at a supermarket by beating her to death. Rambo died before Powell's trial and Sparks did not tell police about Rambo's statement until after his death.

Johnny Smith, the operator of a local entertainment center, testified that he had spoken to Truelove about the murder. Smith stated that Truelove told him he had seen a man with red hair in The Pantry on the day of the murder.

Truelove testified that he knew Rambo and that the lineup from which he identified Powell contained a photograph of Rambo. Truelove never picked Rambo as the person he saw at The Pantry on October 31, adding that he remembered having a conversation with Smith about becoming an uncle, and not about the murder. Truelove and his sister both have red hair, and his sister had recently given birth to a baby with red hair.

The State also called Officer James Glover of the Shelby Police Department in rebuttal. Glover testified that Rambo claimed to be a Vietnam veteran and to have a black belt in karate—neither claim was true. Before his death, Rambo had telephoned Glover and told him he had lied to Sparks about committing the murder. He said he told Sparks he had killed a woman only to maintain his street image.