“I shot her,” Tommy Powell told first responders just seconds after they knocked on the door of his home, searching for his missing girlfriend. The 55-year-old later admitted to living with her body for days, after taking out an insurance policy in her name.
In August, Powell was convicted of 32-year-old Amberly Harris’ murder. Last month, he was sentenced to life in prison for the crime.
Law&Crime Network obtained newly released body camera footage of Powell’s arrest on Dec. 15, 2022. The video shows him readily admitting to her murder.
“Is Amberly here?” A detective asks, after knocking on the door to Powell’s Independence, Kentucky, apartment.
“No. She passed away,” Powell can be heard telling officers. “I shot her.”
Body camera video shows two officers rushing into the apartment to find Harris’ dead body in a back room. Powell later told first responders he killed his girlfriend on Monday, three days prior.
Newly released body camera video shows Tommy Powell admitting to killing his girlfriend and living with her body for days (Law&Crime / Independence police)
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Meanwhile, the video shows a third officer putting Powell into handcuffs.
“Tommy, I’m going to read you something real quick, alright?” the officer tells Powell.
“Miranda Rights,” Powell replies, seemingly expecting his arrest.
He later told first responders he “lost control” during an argument with Harris, admitting he killed her with a “20-gauge” shotgun. Investigators recovered the murder weapon inside the home.
First responders had been called to the home as part of a well-being check after Harris’ employer reported she hadn’t been seen in multiple days. Investigators determined her cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head.
The month before Harris’ murder, investigators say Powell took out an Eagle Financial Services insurance policy in her name. The accidental death and dismemberment policy, worth $20,000, listed Powell as a beneficiary.
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