19-year-old charged with murdering pregnant step-mother

A 19-year-old has been arrested and charged with the murder of a pregnant woman on Radio Drive in Macon, according to a release from the Bibb County Sheriffs Office.

Melanie Powers, 36, was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head just after 6:30 am. in the 1000 block of Radio Drive Sunday morning. According to the sheriff’s office, Powers’ step-daughter, Passion Latrice Watkins, was found sitting in a park on Pansy Avenue in Macon. She was taken into custody and interviewed about the murder.

After the interview, Watkins was charged with malice murder, aggravated assault, cruelty to children and feticide for the death of Powers’ unborn child, according to the sheriff’s office.

Powers’ 11-year-old son was also attacked by Watkins, police said, and was treated at the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. He was released to family members.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office at 751-7500 or Macon Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-877-68CRIME.

This story was originally published April 26, 2020 at 6:33 PM.