Texas man charged in wife's murder left her in bathroom for days
Arrest documents state Weldon Powell shot his wife in the head and surrounded the body with ice before fleeing the scene.
By Thiago Kovalenko ·
Weldon Powell, a resident of Quitman, Texas, has been held on a bond of $1,000,000 after being charged with the murder of his wife, Brittany Powell. Wood County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested the man on Wednesday following a report of a welfare concern.
The arrest follows a three-day period during which the couple’s relatives had not heard from Brittany Powell. Her brother-in-law contacted dispatchers to express concern because neither Powell had reported to work. He noted that the silence was unusual for the couple.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the last contact between the family and Brittany Powell occurred three days prior to her discovery. She texted her sister about a physical altercation with her husband. When asked if she was safe, she replied that she “was not good” and promised to call as soon as possible.
The brother-in-law used the Life360 application on his phone to track his sister-in-law’s location. The app showed her at Lake Quitman three days earlier. He went to the lake around noon on Wednesday to search for her but did not find her. At 2:30 p.m., he called Weldon Powell, who stated he was running errands while his wife remained at home.
After failing to see the suspect’s truck at a nearby store, the brother-in-law drove to the couple’s residence. He knocked and called out for Brittany Powell but received no response. He told Weldon Powell he was calling the police, after which the suspect stopped answering his phone.
Around 6 p.m., dispatchers located Brittany Powell’s phone at Lake Quitman. Approximately 45 minutes later, the couple’s landlord entered the home to check on their pets. He discovered the body in the bathroom and called 911. The landlord stated that Weldon Powell arrived at the property and sped away at high speed upon seeing him.
Deputies found Weldon Powell near the front gate of Holiday Villages and took him into custody. The affidavit alleges that Brittany Powell was shot in the temple. Blood marks on the floor indicated she was dragged from an outside back door into the bathroom. The documents state the suspect surrounded her body with ice and left it there for several days.
