In the summer of 2017, in Snellville, Georgia, the life of 46-year-old Erica Denise Powell, a mother of six, was tragically cut short. On the evening of July 20th, what began as a domestic dispute with her husband, Walter J. Lowe, escalated to a fatal conclusion. Powell was shot in the head in the master bedroom of their home. The devastating discovery was made by her young son, who was either 10 or 12 years old at the time. He had been playing outside and saw his stepfather leave the house.
When he went inside to check on his mother, he found her deceased.
The investigation quickly centered on Lowe, who had a history of domestic violence against his wife. A prior incident in 2015 had led to charges of battery and terroristic threats against him. Despite the legal troubles, the couple had reconciled and had been married for less than a year before the fatal shooting. In the days following the discovery of Powell's body, Walter J. Lowe, then 51, turned himself in to the authorities. He was subsequently charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The case proceeded to trial, where the prosecution presented evidence of the volatile nature of the couple's relationship. They argued that Powell had been taking steps to leave her husband, including securing a new job and expressing her desire for a divorce. Lowe's defense contended that the shooting was not intentional. However, after a ten-day trial in August 2018, a jury found Walter J. Lowe guilty of his wife's murder. The conviction brought a measure of legal closure to a case that highlighted the devastating consequences of domestic violence, leaving a family to mourn the loss of a woman they described as a 'superwoman' who had lovingly raised her children.
