Kevin James Powell of Greenfield has been found guilty of first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder, District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced Thursday morning.
A jury found Powell guilty of the September 2022 attack which he carried through with an axe. On Sep. 14, 2022, the deceased victim and his brother were staying at a Motel 6 in King City while they were in town for work. The two were standing outside of the motel room when Powell pulled into the parking lot, got out and retrieved a three-foot ax from the backseat, according to a news release.
As Powell ran up to attack the victims, one brother managed to get away with minor injuries. The victim tripped during the attack and suffered serious injuries. He later died at the hospital.
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According to the news release, Powell testified that he attacked the victims “due to methamphetamine-induced psychosis.” In addition to the murder charges, the jury found Powell used a deadly weapon and that the crimes involved “great violence, great bodily harm or a high degree of cruelty, viciousness or callousness.”
During the trial, the court also found Powell had a prior strike conviction for Street Terrorism. The 1988 Street Terrorism and Enforcement Prevention Act addresses the threat of violent street gangs in California.
Powell faces up to life in state prison and will be sentenced by Judge Rafael Vazquez on Jan. 9.