Man gets six life terms for rapes of female sailorsBy Louis Hansen
The Virginian-Pilot
© January 11, 2011
NORFOLK - Santiago Powell greeted two young female sailors at gunpoint in December 2009.
To prove he was the "baddest" gangster in the city, a prosecutor said, Powell held the women for hours while he robbed and raped them.
A jury on Monday convicted Powell of 28 felonies, including four counts of rape, abduction, robbery and weapons violations. Circuit Judge Mary Jane Hall followed the jury's recommendation and sent enced Powell to six life terms, plus 253 years.
The five-day trial brought testimony about Powell's role in a local affiliate of the Bloods gang.
"He thrives on power and he thrives on violence, and that's why he committed these crimes," prosecutor Charlotte Purkey said.