Murder suspect insists he has ‘nothing to hide’

Kim Smith

Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2000 | 10:57 a.m.

A Las Vegas man linked to a quadruple murder case because of his "scary eyes" told jurors he had nothing to do with the deaths.

Richard Powell, who took the stand Thursday and again Monday, told jurors he decided to testify during his capital murder trial because he has "nothing to hide."

Powell is accused of killing 24-year-old Samantha Scotti on May 1, 1992, because she set up a drug buy in 1990 that led to police finding more than a kilo of cocaine and $29,000 cash in his car. He ultimately served a seven-year sentence in federal prison.

Killed along with Scotti were Lisa Boyer, 26, Jermaine Woods and Stephen Walker, both 19.

Aside from an 18-month-old boy, the only other eyewitness to the crime was a 4-year-old girl who told police "Little Ray" and a man with "scary eyes" killed the four.

Powell was identified as the man with "scary eyes" through a photo lineup, but he wasn't indicted in the case until after he reportedly bragged about the killings while in prison.

Vernell "Little Ray" Evans was convicted in 1994 and is on Nevada's death row. Powell, too, could get the death penalty if convicted.

According to earlier court testimony, Powell once had large dark circles around his eyes. Throughout the trial he has been wearing glasses and he told jurors he has been wearing them because the glare of the lights bother him.

Powell also told jurors he didn't kill Scotti, he didn't help anybody kill Scotti and he didn't pay to have her killed. Nor did he have anything to do with the deaths of the others.

Powell also testified that the three federal prison inmates who testified against him had easy access to the legal documents he kept in his cell, thus explaining how they could have intimate knowledge of the case.

Deputy Special Public Defenders Bret Whipple and Lee McMahon told jurors during opening statements that Scotti didn't lack enemies because she had informed against at least nine other drug dealers. The other victims, too, they said, weren't without enemies.

Closing arguments in the case were expected to be held this morning following the testimony of any rebuttal witnesses.