CALGARY- Police have charged a Calgary man with second-degree murder, in the deaths of local radio legend Billy Powers, 71, and his 64-year-old wife Donna Lee.
Police say they were called to Southland Drive and 14 St. S.W. early on Thursday morning, to check on the welfare of a man. When they arrived they found him naked, and after speaking with him, they went to the Powers’ home in Braeside and found the victims dead in their bed.
Powers was the sports director at News Talk 770, and was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 2001.
Donna Lee had worked for the Calgary Jewish Federation for the last eight years, and on Friday they released a statement about her death.
“Donna Lee was more than an employee – she put her gigantic heart into everything she did and became a vital member of our community,” said Federation executive director Drew Staffenberg. “We’ll miss her cheerful competence, but more than that, we’ll miss her laugh – that could be heard around the building and brought joy to everyone who heard it.”
He added that Billy also had a place in the Jewish community, and was a daily presence visiting his wife, chauffeuring his grandchildren around and sharing jokes.
“Billy may have been better known in Calgary, but Donna Lee was the power behind the Powers.”
35-year-old Derek Puffer of Calgary has since been charged in the case. Police say he is not known to them.
Puffer was living with the Powers’ at the time, and there was no sign of a struggle at the scene.
Autopsies were completed on Friday, which found the Powers’ died as a result of a stabbing. Investigators are now trying to determine a motive for the killings.
The Powers’ are Calgary’s 13th and 14th homicide victims of 2013.
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