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Old Idaho Pen event stirs up strong emotions from local man with ties to grim past

On Friday April 13th, the Old Idaho Penitentiary will host an event commemorating the state's only double execution. The event has stirred up strong emotions for one local man who has close ties with both of those men.

BOISE -On Friday the 13th, the Old Idaho Penitentiary will open its doors for an event that will teach people about the only double execution in the state's history.

It's an event that has stirred up a lot of emotion for the son of one of those men who was executed in 1951.

Steve Powell knows he's not going to stop the Historical Society from hosting this event, but he wants people to understand that while the crime his father and his uncle committed back in 1950 was undoubtedly wrong, there are still victims that have to live with what happened today.

"Most people I've met in my life do not know about my family background," said Powell.

Inmate #7986 at the Old Pen, Troy Powell, is Steve's father. Inmate #7987, Ernest Walrath, is Steve's Uncle.

Back in 1950, when Steve was just five months old, Troy and Ernest set out to rob a storekeeper near downtown Boise.

"I think it was my father that hit the old man in the back of the head with a sock full of rocks," Steve said. "He knocked the old man out. I believe he cut the tip off his tongue."

According to Idaho Historical Society records, his uncle confessed to delivering the final blow that ultimately killing the storekeeper.

The duo landed on death row at the Old Pen.

On Friday, April 13, 1951 Troy and Ernest walked through a door that led to the outside of the Pen's grounds and became Idaho's only double execution. They were also the youngest. Troy was only 20, and Ernest was 21.

"I saw both of their pictures hanging in the gallows," Steve said. "It was tough."

It's a piece of the state's history that the Historical Society puts on display every few years when April the 13th falls on a Friday.

"This particular story is such a large part of the site's history and the state's criminal history," Jacey Brain, and Interpretive Specialist at the Old Pen.

A story that Steve only learned about in his early 20's.

"I've carried this burden with me for my whole life," Steve said. "Bottom line was, they killed this guy and they were executed for that murder, I'm not disputing that, but don't celebrate it. The truly tragic thing about something like this is there's more than one victim."

67 years later, that list includes Steve.

The Historical Society says their goal isn't to be malicious but to educate.

"Our goal is to always tell the story subjectively and to explain the history of the site to guests in a matter of fact way in a 'this is what happened' way to help them better understand the workings of the site and the state as a whole."

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