'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAcACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABlAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABwgQAAEEAgIDAQAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQRAAUSIQYTIjEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQGEQABAwMFAQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMRACFRBAUSExQx/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwDIO2i+CeK7pOtd0cnctlltZJnuwiFCvogewfae+vy6ydzNBPVMkFostILq+DZVyKBfSb4i6xjAsOLXHIyetBnMiqgbfpfE24U3U86IwExF/tf/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Stephanie Powell-Anderson, an employee at the Trade Wilco convenience store on Trawick Road, Raleigh, was fatally shot during an armed robbery in April 2008. The crime scene was discovered by her fiance, Fred Hewitt. Stephanie succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.
A chilling surveillance video later revealed the events that led to the shooting incident as the robber forced the victim to open the safe. Authorities connected the crime to a string of similar murder, attempted murder, and burglary cases. They identified the suspect as Armond Devega after receiving a crucial tip from one of his ex-girlfriends.
An upcoming episode of ID's See No Evil will revisit Stephanie Powell-Anderson's case this Wednesday, February 15, 2023, at 9 pm ET. The synopsis of the episode, titled Comply or Die, states:
"In North Carolina, Stephanie Powell-Anderson's convenience store shift ends in bloodshed, as part of a larger pattern of violence plaguing the area; with the assailant growing bolder by the day, the heat is on to make an arrest before he kills again."
Stephanie Powell-Anderson was shot on April 10, 2008, during a botched burglary incident
At the time of her death, Stephanie Powell-Anderson used to live in Raleigh with her three children from her first marriage and her then-fiance, Fred Russell Hewitt. She worked at a Trade Wilco convenience store on Trawick Road and was tasked with regularly opening the store at 4.30 am.
Fred used to stop by the store every day to purchase a newspaper and spend time with her before going to work. But on April 10, 2008, he walked into the crime scene and found the mother-of-three slumped behind the counter. He called 911 dispatchers around 5.15 am, requesting an ambulance at the Wilco convenience store on Trawick Road.
When first responders arrived, they saw Fred sitting beside Stephanie, who was unresponsive, while the former was completely unaware of what had happened. He assumed she had a heart attack because of the small amount of blood at the scene. Stephanie was taken to a neighboring hospital, where she died from the wounds.
After an autopsy, the medical examiner stated that she died of a gunshot wound to the chest. With little to go with, detectives from the Raleigh Police Department initially questioned Fred because he was the first to arrive at the scene. Detectives subsequently found the store's surveillance footage covering the front door and the front and behind the counter.
The masked robber in Stephanie Powell-Anderson's case was identified as Armond Devega
CCTV video showed a tall African-American man, wearing a black hoodie and a blue bandana covering their face, approaching Stephanie Powell-Anderson while she was unlocking the store. The man then pulled out a gun and forced her to open the store at gunpoint. Stephanie was heard screaming throughout the incident as he forced her to open the safe. He shot her when she failed to comply.
The masked man then attempted to open the safe himself but to no avail. He left the store moments before the victim's fiance, Fred, arrived. Fred was then ruled out as a suspect, and the authorities considered the incident a case of a botched robbery.
Multiple similar cases in and around Raleigh and a crucial tip from a woman claiming to be the alleged robber, Armond Devega's ex-girlfriend, led authorities to the man with an extensive criminal record of armed robbery. Armond was arrested on October 24, 2008, from his parents' home after authorities found shoes with similar prints to those from the crime scene.
Armond was found guilty of the first-degree murder of Stephanie, a charge of attempted first-degree murder, and six of eight counts of robbery with a firearm relating to multiple crimes he committed starting in January and October. He was given life in prison without the possibility of parole on the murder charge and 57 to 72 years for the other charges.
