76: MURDER: Kanika Powell

Detective Perspective

True Crime, Documentary, Society & Culture, History

5 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 12 February 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On the morning of August 28, 2008, Kanika Powell, a 28-year-old laboratory employee with top-secret security clearance, left her apartment in Laurel, Maryland, to run errands. She had spent the past five days on edge after three different men—one posing as an FBI agent and two claiming to be delivery drivers—knocked on her door, each asking for her by name.

She refused to let any of them in.

Just before noon on the 28th, Kanika returned home. Moments later, she was ambushed outside her apartment and shot multiple times.

Despite years of investigation, her killer has never been identified, leaving many unanswered questions. Was Kanika targeted because of her top-secret security clearance? Or was there something even more sinister at play?

28-year-old veteran Kanika Powell received three mysterious knocks at her door, starting on August 23, 2008. The first man claimed to be an FBI agent. The other two—one on the evening of August 27 and another on the morning of August 28—said they were there to deliver packages. Each man knew Kanika’s name, but she refused to let any of them in.

After the final knock, Kanika left home to run errands. She returned around 11:50 a.m. and was gunned down in the hallway of her apartment at the Deerfield Run Apartments in Laurel, Maryland. The killer and murder weapon have never been found.

Anyone with information is asked to call Prince George’s County Police Department at 301-352-1200 or Prince George’s County Crime Solvers Hotline at 1-866-411-8477.

Editor: Shannon Keirce
Research/Writing: Polly Kotowski

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Transcript

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0:00.0	On the morning of August 28, 2008, Kinnika Powell, a 28-year-old laboratory employee with top-secret security clearance, left her apartment in Laurel, Maryland, to run errands.
0:18.9	She had spent the past five days on edge after three different
0:22.0	men, one posing as an FBI agent and two claiming to be delivery drivers, knocked on her door,
0:27.9	each asking for her by name. Just before noon on the 28th, Kanika returned home, and moments
0:34.0	later she was ambushed outside her apartment and shot multiple times.
0:38.3	Despite years of investigation, her killer has never been identified, leaving many unanswered questions.
0:44.3	Was Kanika targeted because of her top secret security clearance?
0:48.3	Or was there something more sinister at play? Play. . .
0:57.0	. Hey everyone. Welcome back to Detective Perspective. My name is Derek Levasser. I'm a licensed private investigator and former police detective.
1:28.1	Each week I'll be covering an unsolved case and story format. I'll then give you my perspective
1:32.5	on the investigation and provide contact information for the individuals or organizations
1:37.5	connected to the case so that if you have any tips, you can contact them directly and maybe
1:42.4	you can help solve a case. So if you're someone who's interested in true crime specifically unsolved cases,
1:47.7	and you would like to hear my opinion on those investigations,
1:50.7	please consider subscribing whether you're watching on YouTube
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1:57.6	Okay, so a couple quick house cleaning things before I dive into the episode.
2:00.7	I know some of you don't like it, so you can fast forward 30 seconds if you really. Okay, so a couple quick house cleaning things before I dive into the episode. I know some
2:01.1	of you don't like it. So you can fast forward 30 seconds if you really need to. But I want to thank everyone
2:05.2	who supported me on traders. It was a great experience. And I know from just reading the comments and
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2:15.4	And that's really why I wanted to do the show. So you don't know
	...

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