Convicted kidnapper jumps off bridge, tries to carjack driver and dies, TX cops say
A Minnesota man recently convicted of kidnapping fled to Texas, jumped off a bridge, then tried to carjack a good Samaritan before dying, police said.
David Powers, 37, was found guilty on April 22 of kidnapping, assault and criminal sexual conduct against his girlfriend at her suburban Minneapolis apartment in 2023, court records show.
Police showed up to the woman's apartment after she didn't show up to work, which worried her boss, according to a probable cause statement. Officers saw her 'frantically trying to open an upper-level window' until a 'large male' appeared behind her and pulled her out of view.
Police entered the apartment and saw much of the woman's furniture and belongings had been cut up or burned, and she was covered in bruises and scrapes, documents read. Her voice was hoarse, and she said Powers had 'snapped' the day before and started holding her captive, choking her multiple times, sexually assaulting her, and demanding that she show him more respect and to 'love him more.'
When the verdict was announced, Powers didn't show up to court, records show.
'I gave my closing argument without anyone next to me. Which in 27 years, I've never done before,' Bruce Rivers, Power's attorney, told WOAI. 'He got convicted of all counts, including aggravated accounts.'
The following day, April 23, police in San Antonio — a roughly 1,200-mile drive southwest from Minneapolis — responded to a call about an apparent suicide in progress, a news release said.
A man, later identified as Powers, jumped off a bridge and landed on a highway below, police said. Then he got back up and started walking on the highway while trying to flag down passing vehicles.
When someone did pull over to help, Powers attacked them and tried to steal their vehicle, police said. Officers arrived at the scene and took him into custody.
Powers was taken to a hospital where he died from injuries, police said, adding that an investigation is underway.
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