Taunting killer executed

A US man was executed early today for killing a teenage girl and then bragging about it to prosecutors once he thought he could not face the death penalty.

Paul Warner Powell, 31, was pronounced dead just after 1am GMT at Greensville Correctional Centre in Jarratt, Virginia. He chose to die by electrocution rather than lethal injection.

Powell remained silent when asked if he had any last words.

He was convicted in 2000 and sentenced to death for fatally stabbing 16-year-old Stacie Reed of Virginia. He also raped and attempted to kill her 14-year-old sister.

The Virginia Supreme Court overturned that verdict, and Powell then wrote a taunting letter to prosecutors detailing the crime. He was convicted again in 2003.