The names of a Virginia couple who bought the winning $217 million Powerball ticket at Richmond International Airport were revealed during a press conference held on Thursday.
Dave and Nancy Honeywell of Fredericksburg, Va., are the lucky recipients of the second-largest jackpot ever won in Virginia.
Both Honeywells are employed with the Department of Defense, where Dave Honeywell is a computer scientist and his wife, Nancy, is a project manager.
Dave Honeywell bought the ticket at a Lottery Express self-service machine in the airport's atrium on his way to Denver for a business trip. He used Easy Pick, allowing the computer to randomly select the numbers on his ticket.
The next morning, Dave checked the numbers on the Lottery's website and called Nancy immediately to tell her the news.
"I think my heart has started beating again," Dave said.
"I thought he might be having a heart attack," Nancy told lottery officials.
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The ticket sold for the Feb. 6 drawing matched all five numbers -- 5, 27, 36, 38 and 41 -- plus the Powerball, 12.
The Honeywells opted to accept the one-time cash option worth $136.4 million before taxes, as opposed to receiving the full jackpot (minus taxes) in 30 annual payments.
"We're delighted to present the second-largest prize ever awarded by the Virginia Lottery to Dave and Nancy Honeywell," said Virginia Lottery Executive Director Paula Otto.
"In addition to this great prize, sales of Powerball tickets in Virginia for the 12 drawings leading up to February 6 generated more than $4 million in profits for Virginia's K-12 public schools."
This is Virginia's first Powerball jackpot win. The state's largest Mega Millions jackpot winner was J.R. Triplett of Winchester, who won a $239 million in 2004.
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