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September 6, 2014
Lindsay Rogers thinks of her cousin Christina Powell’s “big and beautiful smile,” and of how much she enjoyed Binghamton Mets or Senators games.
For Mirella Masciarelli, her son, Mario, was “a wonderful gift,” who loved Motocross racing and relished spending time with family.
But Judge Joseph Cawley had nothing but scathing words for Aaron Powell, 40, before sentencing the Binghamton man Wednesday to the maximum penalty of life in state prison without the possibility of parole. He was sentenced for the murders of Christina Powell, 35, and Mario Masciarelli, 24, in the Town of Binghamton last year.
“You are a cold-blooded killer,” Cawley said. “In prison, I hope you and your soul, if you still have one, are tormented by the images of what you did.”
Aaron Powell was found guilty on July 24 of strangling his estranged wife, Christina Powell, with a white electrical cord, and beating her friend, Mario Masciarelli, to death with a baseball bat on March 22, 2013, at her Lisi Lane home.
That Aaron Powell stalked both victims, beat to death a man he had never met and strangled the life out of the mother of his 5-year-old son, Sergio, was “nothing short of pure evil,” Cawley said at Wednesday’s sentencing at Broome County Court.
Aaron Powell, shackled and wearing an orange Broome County jail inmate’s uniform, kept silent and faced forward as Rogers and Mirella Masciarelli addressed the judge before the sentence was handed down.
Rogers described her cousin as a daughter, a granddaughter and a mother, who was well-loved by everyone who knew her.
“Good friends, family and laughter were good enough for Christina,” Rogers said in a brief, but emotional speech. “Christina was very easy to talk to for anyone that had the chance. She lived a beautiful life.”
Mirella Masciarelli’s voice became strained and she wiped tears from her eyes while speaking for nearly 40 minutes about memories with her only son, Mario, of Binghamton.
He was adventurous, especially between the ages of 16 and 20, and was always excited for family gatherings and dinners, she said. He loved working out at the gym and had a quirky obsession with keeping his teeth in good condition.
“Mario was full of life and had a sense of loyalty to family and friends,” Mirella Masciarelli said. “He always greeted everyone with a hug and kiss.”
There was no indication these murders were a spontaneous emotional act, they were pre-meditated for hours, District Attorney Gerald Mollen said Wednesday in asking for the maximum sentence.
“Families don’t get over crimes like this,” Mollen said outside the courthouse, “but at least I hope they feel a sense that the system did all it could.”
Aaron Powell’s assigned defense lawyer, Tom Cline, of Binghamton, said he filed a notice to appeal the murder convictions. An appeal would be argued before the state Appellate Division Third Department in Albany.
“Mr. Powell has maintained his innocence,” Cline said Wednesday. “He disagrees with the jury’s verdict.”
During the two-week trial in July, Cline questioned the investigation by police, and said authorities never considered any suspects other than Aaron Powell.
