Serial killer Anthony Sowell, convicted in murders of 11 women, dies in Ohio prison

CLEVELAND — A convicted serial killer sentenced to death in the murders of 11 women, whose bodies he hid in and around his Mount Pleasant home, died Monday at Ohio’s Chillicothe Correctional Institution.

Anthony Sowell, 61, was receiving end-of-life care at an area hospital for a terminal illness unrelated to COVID-19 when he died, a spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Corrections confirmed to WJW.

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According to the TV station, Cleveland police searched Sowell’s Imperial Avenue home during a rape investigation and discovered two bodies on Oct. 29, 2009. Within days, investigators had identified the remains of 11 women: Tonia Carmichael, Nancy Cobbs, Tishana Culver, Crystal Dozier, Telacia Fortson, Amelda Hunter, Leshanda Long, Michelle Mason, Kim Yvette Smith, Diane Turner and Janice Webb.

“I am glad he is dead,” Donnita Carmichael, daughter of Tonia Carmichael told WJW. “God made it happen. I will never ever ever forgive him.”

Sowell was found guilty in 2011 on 81 counts, including aggravated murder and kidnapping. In addition to the murders, he was also convicted of raping two other women and attempting to rape a third, USA Today reported.

He continued to appeal his case, however, and as recently as May an appeals court ruled that Sowell failed to present enough evidence that he did not receive a fair trial and that his trial attorneys ineffectively represented him during the penalty phase, the outlet reported.

Meanwhile, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley issued the following statement on Sowell’s death:

“My thoughts and prayers at this time are with the family and friends of the victims of this monster. This community will never fully recover from the horror that occurred on Imperial Avenue. My hope is that law enforcement and the criminal justice system have learned from the mistakes that allowed this diabolical predator to go undetected for so long.”

Cox Media Group