Anthony Sowell

Anthony Sowell
Sowell in the wanted flyer issued by the Cuyahoga County sheriff office, November 2009
Born	Anthony Edward Sowell (1959-08-19) August 19, 1959 Ohio
Other names	The Cleveland Strangler The Imperial Avenue Murderer
Conviction(s)	Death sentence for murder
Killings
Victims	11
Span of killings	May 2007–September 2009
Country	United States
State(s)	Ohio
Date apprehended	October 31, 2009

Anthony Edward Sowell (born August 19, 1959) is an American serial killer, identified in press reports as the Cleveland Strangler. He was arrested in October 2009 as a suspect in the murders of eleven women whose bodies were discovered at his Cleveland, Ohio, duplex at 12205 Imperial Avenue in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood.^[1]

Sowell was charged with eleven counts of murder, rape, and kidnapping; he pled not guilty by reason of insanity but later changed his plea to simply "not guilty".^[2] On July 22, 2011, he was convicted on all but two counts against him, including the murders of the eleven women whose bodies were found in his house in 2009. On August 10, jurors recommended the death penalty for Sowell.^[3] On August 12, Judge Dick Ambrose upheld the jury's recommendation.^[4] As of June 2013, Sowell continues his legal fight. He has asked the Ohio Supreme Court to change his sentence from death to life in prison on the basis that he did not receive a fair trial because of the extensive media coverage of the murders.^[5]

In October 2012 the book Nobody’s Women: The Crimes and Victims of Anthony Sowell, the Cleveland Serial Killer, was published detailing Sowell's crimes and how he picked his victims.^[6]

Early life

Anthony Edward Sowell was raised in East Cleveland, one of seven children born to single mother Claudia "Gertude" Garrison. Seven other children belonging to Sowell's sister also lived in the household, having moved in after the death of their chronically ill mother. According to Sowell's niece, Garrison subjected the siblings to physical abuse while her own children watched from adjacent rooms. In one incident, Garrison forced her to strip naked in front of the other children, then whipped her with electrical cords until she bled. Sowell himself began raping his niece on an almost-daily basis for two years, starting at the age of eleven.^[7]

Military service

At the age of 19, Sowell entered the United States Marine Corps on January 24, 1978. He attended recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina, then was further trained as an electrician at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. On July 13, 1978, he was assigned to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, also in North Carolina. In 1980, Sowell spent a year overseas with the 3rd Force Service Support Group, then returned to Cherry Point. He was then ordered to Marine Corps Base Camp Butler in Okinawa, Japan on January 20, 1984. A year later, he transferred to Camp Pendleton in California for three days until his discharge on January 18, 1985. During his seven-year Marine Corps career, Corporal Sowell received a Good Conduct Medal with one service star, a Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, a Certificate of Commendation, a Meritorious Mast, and two Letters of Appreciation.^[8]

1989 attack, incarceration and release

In 1989, a woman who was three months pregnant went to Sowell’s home voluntarily. When she tried to leave, he bound her hands and feet with a tie and belt, then gagged her with a rag. The victim told police: “He choked me real hard because my body started tingling. I thought I was going to die.”^[9] Sowell was charged with kidnapping, rape and attempted rape. He eventually pled guilty to the charge of attempted rape, and as a result he served 15 years in prison. He was released in 2005.^[10]

Sowell worked in a factory until 2007 when he began collecting unemployment benefits.^[9] Neighbors said he earned a living selling scrap metal.^[1] They complained to the health department of a foul smell in the neighborhood.^[9] He was a member of an online dating service, where he stated that he was a "master" looking for a submissive person to "train".^[11]

Lori Frazier, a niece of Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson, began a relationship with Sowell shortly after his release from prison and resided in his home. She claims to have smelled the stench of decaying bodies and that she was told that the smell was coming from Sowell's stepmother and when she moved out that the smell was from Ray's Sausage Shop, located next door to the Sowell residence. There is some confusion about when Frazier stopped living in Sowell's home. In a video interview she mentions moving out in 2007, but in a published article she is said to have been living there until 2008.^[12] Another article quotes a friend of Frazier's stating that Frazier stopped spending time at Sowell's home in 2008.^[13]

Discovery of bodies and arrest

In September 2009^[8] Sowell invited a woman he knew to his home for a drink. On September 22, 2009 she reported to police that after a few drinks, he became angry, hit her, choked her and raped her as she passed out. On October 29, police arrived at his home with a warrant to arrest him for the alleged rape. He was not there, but they found two bodies on the floor in the living room.^[9] He was located and arrested two days later.^[8]

The bodies of four other women were found throughout the home, buried in a shallow grave in the basement and in crawl spaces in the house.^[14] After digging in the backyard, investigators found three more bodies and the remains of a fourth. Police also found a human skull in a bucket inside the house, which brought the body count to eleven.^[9]

At the time of his arrest, Sowell was 50 years old. He had been living at that location for four years.^[9] He was held on $6 million bond.^[15] His trial was repeatedly delayed: first to February 14, 2011 at the request of Sowell's defense attorneys who requested more time to prepare,^[16] and later to May 2 at the request of the prosecution due to scheduling conflicts.^[17] His trial was further delayed and eventually began on June 6, 2011.^{[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]}

Victims

On November 5, 2009, the first of the eleven victims to be identified was Tonia Carmichael, a 53-year-old African American woman who had disappeared more than a year earlier. Her body was found buried in his backyard. She appeared to have been strangled and was identified through the use of DNA evidence. Her mother had reported her missing in December 2008.^[28]

On November 5, 2009, the second victim was identified as Telacia Fortson, a 31-year-old African American woman who had disappeared five months earlier. Although she had been missing since June, her mother did not report her missing until she heard the news coverage regarding the dead bodies discovered in Sowell's home.^[29]

On November 8, 2009, three more bodies were identified. Crystal Dozier was a 38-year-old African American woman who went missing in May 2007. Dozier, the mother of seven children, had a criminal record and a history of drug abuse. She lived in the area where her body was discovered. Her family reported her missing to the Cleveland Police Department. This was not the first time she had gone missing, and the family accused the police of failing to investigate. The family took it upon themselves to post fliers and call hospitals.^[15]

Amelda "Amy" Hunter was a 47-year-old African American woman. Hunter, a beautician and a mother of three, had a criminal record and a history of drug abuse. She did not live in the area where her body was found, but she did visit frequently. A previous injury left her unable to use one of her arms. Her family did not report her missing until after police began removing bodies from Sowell's house.^[15]

Michelle Mason was a 45-year-old African American woman who was last seen in October 2008. She was a mother with a criminal record and a history of drug abuse. She lived in the area where her body was found. According to records, the police conducted a full investigation when her family reported her missing.^[15]

Records of missing persons going back to Sowell's June 2005 release from prison are being searched and DNA testing is being conducted on the bodies found at Sowell's house. Protesters holding posters of missing loved ones have gathered outside his home.^[1]

East Cleveland police are also reopening several cold cases from the late 1980s. The murders by strangulation used a similar modus operandi and had stopped around 1989, the same time that Sowell was arrested.^[30] The FBI is gathering information to see if Sowell may be linked to unsolved cases in cities where he once lived.^[15][31]

Known murder victims

Name	Age	Date of death
Crystal Dozier	38	c. May 2007
Tishana Culver	31	c. June 2008
Leshanda Long	25	c. August 2008
Michelle Mason	45	c. October 2008
Tonia Carmichael	53	c. December 2008
Nancy Cobbs	43	c. April 2009
Amelda Hunter	47	c. April 2009
Telacia Fortson	31	c. June 2009
Janice Webb	49	c. June 2009
Kim Yvette Smith	44	c. July 2009
Diane Turner	38	c. September 2009

Aftermath

In December 2011, Sowell's former residence at 12205 Imperial Avenue was demolished on the order of city leaders.^[32][33] Sowell resides on death row at Chillicothe Correctional Institution.

Media

House of Horrors: The Shocking True Story of Anthony Sowell, the Cleveland Strangler, written by Cleveland-based journalist Robert Sberna, examines Sowell's crimes and profiles the 11 women he murdered and the six women who survived his attacks. The book was released in October 2012 by Kent State University Press. House of Horrors was named 2012 True Crime "Book of the Year" by ForeWord Reviews.^[34]

Nobody’s Women: The Crimes and Victims of Anthony Sowell, the Cleveland Serial Killer was written by Michigan-based crime author Steve Miller. The book details Sowell's murders and how he selected his victims. It was released in October 2012 by Penguin Publishing.^[35]

The film Plastic has themes inspired by Sowell's crimes.^[36]

Letter controversy

In November 2012 Anthony Sowell released a letter through the controversial website Serial killers ink.^[37] The letter was to the people of Cleveland. Sowell railed against former trial judge and newly elected Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty and addressed the issue of artwork which he had recently sent to the owner of the website.^[38][39][40]

See also

• Anthony Kirkland

References

External links

• Anthony Sowell's entry at Ohio's Electronic Sex Offender Registration and Notification
• Anthony Sowell – The Plain Dealer special section