"She was bold, brave, spontaneous, full of life, witty, smart and beautifully herself, a true firecracker," Kirchner said during a Virginia State Police news conference announcing the case's resolution.

Powell was just 18 years old when she was murdered in 1988. Her body was found in the Elizabeth River 25 days after she disappeared while walking to a party in rural Gloucester County. She had been stabbed multiple times.

"She spoke her mind, followed her heart and never apologized for being herself," Kirchner remembered. "She wasn't afraid to take chances or make mistakes. She believed in living every moment as if it mattered, because to her, it did."

DNA evidence identified Alan W. Wilmer Sr. as Powell's killer. Wilmer died in 2017 at the age of 63. But if alive, officials said he woul

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