Powell Lord III arrived in Llanview in 1993, attending Llanview University with his cousin Kevin Buchanan. They were even in the same fraternity together, Kappa Alpha Delta (KAD). Powell and fellow fraternity brothers, med student Zach Rosen and football star Todd Manning, were drinking beers at Rodi's Tavern one night when fellow college student Marty Saybrooke breezed into the bar to order a beer. She was not in a good mood and didn't mind letting loose with the three guys. Todd and Zach urged kind Powell to get down and dirty with Marty, but he refused. Later that night, Marty brought Todd back to her place and they had sex. Marty urged Todd to stay afterwards, but he laughed her off as a drunk and split. Marty later tutored Todd in Calculus, which he was failing, but also spread rumors about their night together, implying that Todd was an inadequate lover. Todd swore revenge on Marty "The Party" Girl. He got it one night, at the Spring Fling Dance. Marty, fresh from a fight with love interest Suede Pruitt, came to the frat house dead drunk. She engaged in wild partying, throwing herself at men everywhere while the scene quickly turned to mayhem. Kevin Buchanan arrived and tried to take Marty home, but she refused. When she nearly passed out, Kevin carried her up to his room and laid her down on his bed to sober up. Seeing this, Todd called his buddies Zach and Powell over and led them upstairs. Marty was just coming-to when they entered the room. Powell was extremely hesitant and refused when Todd ordered Powell to lock the door. Todd shoved him out of the way and locked it himself, turning his attention to the groggy girl on the bed. There in the room, Todd raped Marty as Zach and Powell stood by. Zach then took his turn and then he and Todd urged Powell to do the same. Powell tried to refuse, but Todd and Zach's chanting convinced him to go ahead and do it. After Marty came to and realized what had happened, she pressed charges against the three men. She also accused Kevin Buchanan of raping her, because she remembered him in the room that night. The Buchanans were shocked by Marty's accusations and automatically disclaimed any possibility that Kevin or Powell could be involved.

During the trial, Marty realized Kevin wasn't guilty and recanted her accusation against him. Todd, out on bail, continued to frighten and harass Marty, hoping she'd drop the case. Marty continued to cry rape, while Todd and his friends said it was completely consensual. Trouble arose for Todd when Powell, always the weak link, began feeling intense pangs of guilt. Marty and District Attorney Hank Gannon played on this guilt, hoping it would open the case. As the trial progressed, Marty and Suede found another of Todd's victims, Carol Swift, and had her testify against Todd as well. Nora Gannon, who was representing the men, began doubting her clients' innocence. One night in the alley outside Rodi's, Todd attacked Marty once more and got hit in the face by Luna Moody, leaving him with a scar. Then, under extreme pressure from Marty and Nora, Powell told Nora that he, Zach and Todd had indeed raped Marty - and that he wanted to change his plea to guilty. Nora was shocked; her case was ruined. She pleaded with Judge Fitzwater to let her drop the case, but Fitzwater refused, threatening Nora with disbarment. Nora was stuck in a nightmare - defending three rapists while Todd's chilling lies on the stand continued to make their case look better. As the trial wound to a close, a strung-out Nora delivered a rousing closing argument - for the prosecution. Leaving subtle hints and making incriminating insinuations, Nora threw the case and the judge was forced to declare a mistrial. No one was thrilled: there would have to be another trial after a long, drawn out jury selection process. Nora barely escaped disbarment, while Marty continued to lean on Powell to come clean to the public. He finally snapped and did so. Todd was furious, attacking and nearly killing Powell. However, the three were sent to jail and Marty appeared to be getting on with her life, though the memory of the rape still lingered and prevented her from having any intimate relationship with Suede.

While in jail, Todd managed to convince naive Rebecca Lewis that he wanted to change his ways. In honesty, Todd had begun to fall for Rebecca, but he still vowed vengeance on Nora. One day, released for the day to work at the Tabernacle, Todd escaped and made his way back to Llanview, intent on getting revenge on Marty at long last. While attempting to attack Marty at the abandoned Tabernacle, Todd and Suede got into a vicious fight and Suede ended up dead. As the police closed in, Rebecca traded herself for Marty and then Todd went on the run with her, ending up at his father's summer home in New York. Back in Llanview, Powell had been released early on good behavior and was terrified for Rebecca's safety. Though they were no more than friends at the time, he was still interested in her and wanted to see Todd back in jail where he belonged. Powell and Bo Buchanan, who was now the police commissioner, discovered Todd's location and burst in on the cottage. In a frenzy to escape, Todd let Rebecca go free and made off into the woods. Bo and Powell gave chase. In a fight on a footbridge, Todd was shot and fell into the icy river water. His body, it was assumed, was washed out to see. Rebecca and Powell returned to Llanview, breathless, and in the throes of a new-found love. They eventually became engaged.

Todd resurfaced before long and made his way back to Llanview, hiding out in the Tabernacle and befriending Tina Roberts' children C.J. and Sarah, who believed him to be a genie named "Ali". Learning that Rebecca was now working as a live-in babysitter at Llanfair, Todd snapped up the chance to get closer to her. Todd eventually confronted Rebecca, planting a long kiss on her, but she ran out in terror. Todd escaped police and eventually returned to Llanview during a costume ball at Serenity Springs, luring Rebecca outside and kissing her again. This time, she relented somewhat, but suddenly Powell broke them up and yelled for help. Todd ran off into the woods. The police gave chase. Finally, Todd was cornered and had no choice but to surrender. While Llanview breathed a collective sigh of relief, Todd was shipped off to Statesville prison. The night of his transfer, however, the car carrying Todd got into an accident with a oncoming car driven by Marty, who was taking C.J. and Jessica to a music camp in the mountains. Todd managed to free Marty and the children. Todd was eventually captured and returned to jail, but the governor granted him a pardon because of his heroic act.

After his pardon, Todd began filling his community service requirements at the hospital. It was there that he met new nurse, Alice Henson. Todd and Alice got to know each other quite well, though she was initially terrified when he told her he had been arrested for rape. Then, one night, Alice walked out to her car, fumbled for her keys and was suddenly attacked from behind by a masked figure. Alice was raped there, in the parking lot and naturally, everyone blamed Todd. Though he maintained his innocence, Marty convinced Alice that it had to have been Todd that had raped her. When another nurse fell victim to the serial rapist, Todd's freedom came into question again. When Todd tried to get close to Rebecca again, she pushed him away, scared that Todd was actually the culprit. Todd decided to find the criminal himself. He nearly caught him one night, trying to rape another woman, but the man got away. Then, Todd managed to track him to a hotel room. Breaking in, Todd was shocked to discover a notebook filled with poems to "Rebecca, my love". Powell was the rapist! Indeed, Powell was in the middle of a nervous breakdown. His guilt over raping Marty Saybrooke and his hatred for Todd had merged - he now believed that he was Todd. At the same time, Powell wanted Todd dead. While Todd lay asleep in his motel room one night, Powell broke in and stabbed him after a struggle. Marty donated the blood that saved Todd's life. Powell returned again, this time taking Todd hostage and threatening to kill both Todd and himself. Todd freed himself and attacked the psychotic Powell. Powell was arrested and sent to a mental institute, while Todd was exonerated once more. Rebecca soon left town.

In 2009, a series of stabbings occurred in Llanview and former police detective John McBain linked them to the Kappa Alpha Delta fraternity based on clues left on the victim's bodies. After ruling out Zach Rosen, John figured that Powell Lord could provide some clues. John and Marty drove to Rochester, N.Y., where Powell had been committed to the Sitwell Institute. They gained access to the institution by claiming to be Powell's cousins, Kevin and Jessica Buchanan. Marty went to see Powell first and found him sitting on the floor, wrapped in a straight jacket. Powell seemed not to remember Marty, but Marty flashed back to the night when Powell raped her. Powell said no one visited him because he had hurt girls, one specifically, and said if he could see that girl again he would tell her how sorry he was. Marty left, satisfied that Powell didn't remember her and wasn't capable of harming anyone again. While Marty was visiting Powell, John searched Powell's hospital records. He discovered that a doctor had been signing Powell out for visits, around the time of the KAD murders and Blair's stabbing, and the doctor was signing her name as Marty Saybrooke! John called Viki to see if there was any woman in Powell's life, and she mentioned his one-time finance, Rebecca Lewis. A quick online search revealed that Rebecca once worked at a hospital but quit six months ago, just before the killings began. After Marty and John left, a woman wearing a doctor's coat reading "Dr. Marty Saybrooke" appeared before the hospital administrator and was furious to see that Powell had visitors. The woman signed Marty's name to the forms and entered Powell's padded room. Powell, looking more coherent than he did when Marty visited, smiled and greeted the woman, who it turned out was Rebecca. Powell told Rebecca he was pleased that Marty and John had followed the trail to him. Rebecca then professed her love to Powell, and Powell said he needed to get out of the institute because he had "places to go and people to kill."

When John called the next day to arrange his own visit with Powell, he told the hospital administrator he wanted to speak to his doctor, Marty Saybrooke. The administrator claimed not to know anyone by that name, but Rebecca in fact asked the administrator to lie, claiming that Powell's family didn't want him to be better. After telling Powell that she had sent the invitations out as he requested, Rebecca called her brother, who it turned out was Llanview Hospital lab technician Kyle Lewis. The phone call was cut short when John appeared behind her, took her keys and went into Powell's padded room. But in Powell's place was the hospital administrator, who was dead. Suddenly Rebecca locked the door behind John, leaving him screaming inside the padded room. John found an invitation to the KAD Spring Fling reunion inside the room and began to get woozy. Rebecca explained that the invitations had been chemically tainted. John grabbed his gun and pointed it at Rebecca, but she called for help and orderlies rushed in and restrained John. Rebecca told the orderlies that John was wanted for murder and he's put in a straightjacket.

Marty, meanwhile, had received her own KAD invitation at the motel room and began to get woozy after opening it. Marty opened the door to try to get some fresh air but then collapsed. She opened her eyes to see Powell standing over her. Powell called Todd, who also had succumbed to the tainted invitations, and told Todd that he would see him at the Spring Fling. Later, after Powell had gotten Marty to the bed, Rebecca arrived and told Powell that everything was going according to plan. Rebecca and Powell then walked a drugged-out Marty out of the room.

Rebecca and Powell then went to Todd's house and collected Todd, Blair and Téa, all of whom had passed out from the fumes of the tainted invitations. Rebecca stayed behind with a scared Jack and young Sam as Powell took the adults to the KAD House, where Marty was. Powell had reconstructed the room in which Marty was raped in a twisted attempt to make Todd pay for his crimes. Powell had Todd tied up on the bed and he urged one of the women to kill Todd as payback for all of his crimes. Téa tried to kill Powell instead and ended up locked in the boiler room downstairs with Blair. Rebecca then showed up with Jessica's baby Chloe and told Powell that the baby was in fact Todd and Marty's granddaughter Hope. John showed up and shot and killed Powell, freeing everyone, while Rebecca was presumed dead in an explosion.