Ohio Sex Offender Accused of Living With Dead Bodies Indicted on 11 Counts of Murder

Kyle Eden
Blog # 7
Soc 33


CLEVELAND — A registered sex offender who police say was living with 10 dead bodies and a skull has been indicted on 11 counts of aggravated murder, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

Anthony Sowell, 50, previously had been charged with five murders. Now, he is indicted on a total of 11 murder counts and dozens of others, including kidnapping, abuse of a corpse, attempted murder, assault and rape charges.

Prosecutor Bill Mason expects to seek the death penalty.

Sowell's home was searched after a woman said Sowell had attacked her there on Sept. 22. He has been charged with rape, kidnapping, felonious assault and attempted murder in that attack and has pleaded not guilty.

Sowell, who served 15 years in prison for a 1989 attempted rape, was arrested while walking in the neighborhood on Oct. 31, two days after police began searching his home.

Of the 11 alleged victims, all black women and most apparently strangled, 10 have been identified. Their remains were found in his home and buried in the yard.

Authorities said the victims were homeless or living alone and had drug or alcohol addictions. Sowell lured women to his home with the promise of alcohol or drugs, authorities said.


This once again is a lack of social control. Many people talk about all the social control we have but what is socially controlling this man? Nothing controls this man in this situation. Maybe the only thing is he keeps the bodies in his house due to the fear of prison. He needs serious help and it is sad he never got it. It is sad that he was this mentally ill to kill all these people and live with the dead corpse. It is very sad. There is maybe the control of having a woman companion is what drove him to this.