Marcus “Butterhead” Powell will spend the rest of his life in jail, after a judge on Wednesday sentenced him to 80 years in prison in the shooting death of a 12-year-old boy.
The boy, DeLarrian Davis, was doing his homework inside his Madison home on Oct. 7, 2008, when someone sprayed the front of the house with bullets, one of which struck Davis in the head. The boy died instantly, and Powell was taken into custody shortly thereafter.
Powell was convicted by a Madison County jury of first-degree murder after spraying the house in an attempt to kill Kevin Campbell, the boy’s stepfather.
The shooting was part of a long-running dispute between the two men. Prosecutors say it happened shortly after the two had fired at each other at a nearby parking lot.
On Wednesday afternoon, Associate Judge James Hackett sentenced Powell to 40 years for first-degree murder. He received another 25 years under a state statute for committing a murder with a firearm. He also received 15 years for aggravated discharge of a firearm.
Powell, 31, has also been sentenced to 35 years on federal crack cocaine charges. He will begin his sentence in state prison. Powell must serve 100 percent of the murder charge and 85 percent of the aggravated discharge charge. He has been in custody since 2008 and will receive credit for time served.
Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons said he was pleased with the sentence and hopes it will provide closure to DeLarrian’s family. He concurred with prosecutor Jennifer Vucich’s assertion that Powell is a menace to society. “The only way we can deal with a person like that is to remove them from society,” he said.
Afterward, Gibbons released a statement saying that DeLarrian deserved a better fate. “His promising life was cut short by a despicable act of violence,” he said. “I’m satisfied that Marcus Powell will spend the rest of his life behind bars, where he belongs. Our community will be a better place without him. It is my hope that this will bring some measure of closure for DeLarrian’s family. My prayers are with them.”
Gibbons praised the investigative work of the Madison Police Department and members of the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis.
