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10 Things To Know About Serial Killer Anthony Sowell

Anthony Edward Sowell also known as The Cleveland Strangler was a feared American serial killer and rapist. He was born on 19^th August 1959, and murdered eleven women which he was convicted for. All the bodies of the women he murdered were found in his home in Cleveland, Ohio.

He was raised in East Cleveland by a single mother alongside seven other children of his sister. His mother, Claudia Garrison used to subject the children to physical abuse. In the process of subjecting the children in the homestead to abuse, Anthony on the other hand started raping his niece for two years since she was ten years.

At the age of 18 on 24^th January 1978, Anthony joined the United States Marine Corps. He served for seven years before being discharged on 18^th January 1985. His first attack on a woman was in 1989 when he tied a three months pregnant woman to a chair in his home and was later charged and sentenced to 15 years.

After his release from prison in 2007, Anthony began dating Lori Frazier, a niece of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson. She began complaining about the bad odor of decaying bodies which Anthony found an excuse to cover up. In September 2009, he invited a certain woman for drinks but he ended up raping her which made her report to the police.

In October 2009, police raided his home and found the bodies of the women he had murdered. Some of the bodies were found in shallow graves. He was handed the death penalty but he died in prison from an unspecified terminal illness.

Here are the 10 Things To Know About Serial Killer Anthony Sowell:

1. Anthony Used to Rape His 10-year-old Niece for Two Years

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Anthony Sowell lived with his other siblings alongside the seven children of his sister who died from a terminal illness. The children were physically abused by Sowell鈥檚 mother, Claudia Garrison.

Leona Davis, one of the children of his sister narrated how they were abused while the other children witnessed from the other room. To make matters worse, Anthony used to abuse them more.

He started raping Leona, his niece when she was ten years old. Anthony raped his niece almost on a daily basis for two years.

2. He Served in the US Military for Seven Before He was Discharged

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On 24^th January 1978, Anthony Sowell joined the United States Marine Corps. His training began at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina. He also trained as an electrician at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

Anthony was later assigned to the 2^nd Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point as well as overseas. After seven years in service, he was discharged and given multiple awards for his service.

3. Sowell Served 15 Years in Prison for Kidnapping & Raping a 3-Months Pregnant Lady

In 1989, a three-month pregnant woman who had been invited by Anthony tried to flee from his house. He gagged her with a towel after tying her hands and feet with a knot and belt. 鈥淗e choked me really hard because my body started tingling,鈥� she told the police. 鈥淚 was afraid I was going to die.鈥�

He was charged with kidnapping, rape, and rape attempt. He pleaded guilty to attempted rape and was sentenced to 15 years in jail. He was freed in 2007.

Read 10 Things to Know About Murderer Wayne Williams.

4. His Fianc茅e Complained of the Foul Smell of Decaying Bodies in His House

After Anthony Sowell completed his time in prison in 2007, he had to begin his life again. He started dating Lori Frazier the niece of Cleveland Mayor, Frank G. Jackson. The two began residing together at his house.

However, she used to complain about the foul smell of decaying bodies in their house. Anthony told her that the smell was from his stepmother鈥檚 home. This smell made her stop spending more time at home and moved out later.

5. Sowell was Used to Rape Women after Inviting them for Drinks

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After his Fianc茅e moved out of his property, Anthony Sowell developed the previous behavior of raping women. This time around, he used to lure them to his house for drinks and other substances. In September 2009, Larundra was invited to his home for a drink.

However, while at his home, the pair had drinks and he turned angry hitting her, choking, and raping her until she passed out. Police came over on October 29 but they never found him. He was arrested two days later.

6. Eleven Bodies & Remains were Found on the Property of Anthony Sowell

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During the raid by the police on the property of Anthony Sowell, they made a disturbing discovery. The bodies of two women were discovered in a shallow grave in the basement of Anthony鈥檚 home.

Four additional bodies of other women were discovered on the third floor and in crawlspaces. Investigators discovered three more deaths and the partial remains of a fourth after digging in the backyard. A human skull was also found in a bucket which was within the house making the total get 11.

7. Anthony Pleaded Not Guilty to the Multiple 11 Murder Counts, 74 Rape Counts & Other Charges

Sowell was charged with 11 charges of aggravated murder and 74 counts of rape, kidnapping, evidence tampering, and corpse abuse. He initially pled not guilty due to insanity, but then amended his plea to 鈥渘ot guilty.鈥�

He was convicted on all but two counts on July 22, 2011, including the murders of the eleven women whose remains were discovered in his residence in 2009. The death penalty was recommended by jurors on August 10.

8. The US Supreme Court Rejected Sowell鈥檚 Appeal to Reverse His Death Sentence

Anthony was sentenced to death and imprisoned at Chillicothe Correctional Institution on September 14. However, his attorneys, Jeffry F. Kelleher, and Thomas Rein filed a Notice of Appeal with the Ohio Supreme Court in November. His execution date was set for October 29, 2012, but in March, he filed a Motion for a Stay of Execution, which was granted in April, pending the outcome of his appeal.

His attorneys worked hard to overturn the death sentence to life imprisonment which never succeeded. He filed another appeal with the United States Supreme Court in May 2017. The US Supreme Court decider to turn his appeal down in October. The Ohio Supreme Court refused his plea to reopen his case in February 2018. The State of Ohio鈥檚 8^th District Appellate Court dismissed his other appeal in May 2020.

Also, read 10 Things You Didn鈥檛 Know About Serial Killer Paul Durousseau.

9. Sowell鈥檚 Victims were African-American Women

Anthony Sowell had his preference for victims during his killing spree. On 5^th November 2009, two of his eleven victims were identified.

To the shock of many, all his victims were African-American women. They were either slender or morbidly obese and they were all mothers between the age of 25 and 53.

10. The Residence of Anthony was Demolished after His Conviction

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Everything belonging to Anthony Sowell went south after he was arrested and convicted. In December 2011, the residence in which Anthony Sowell was living on 12205 Imperial Avenue was demolished. The demolishing of the former residence of Sowell was done under the order of the city鈥檚 leaders.

Anthony Sowell was incarcerated in the Chillicothe Correctional Institution where he spent ten years. On 21^st January 2021, he was transferred to the Franklin Medical Center in Columbus where he was supposed to begin his end-of-life care. However, he passed away on 8^th February 2021 from an unspecified terminal illness.

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