Cleveland House of Horrors

SERIAL KILLER
Darious L. Anderson
May 23, 2013
SERIAL KILLER
Darious L. Anderson
May 23, 2013

Anthony Edward Sowell – “House of Horrors”
Anthony Edward Sowell – “House of Horrors”

Mr. Anthony E. Sowell is a sociopath suffering from a number of mental disorders. Anthony suffers from Anti-Social Personality Disorder (ASPD), Sadistic Personality Disorder, and Inferiority Complex Disorder. He also has a psychopathic personality, based on The Biosocial Theory, and The Pleasure Principle Theory. Anthony Sowell was a serial killer because of the aforementioned elements to his personality. As we study Mr. Sowell more closely, the facts will show that Mr. Sowell’s terrible crimes of passion and outrage were a mirrored reflection of his own sadistic and dysfunctional aptitudes.
A “Sociopath,” or more modern medical term, A.S.P.D. (Antisocial Personality Disorder) is a condition characterized by persistent disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood. Deceit and manipulation are central features of this disorder. A “Sadistic Personality Disorder” is characterized by cruel, aggressive, manipulative, and demeaning behavior directed towards others. Abusiveness and violence are common in the sadist 's social relationships, because the sadist lacks concern for people and derives pleasure from harming or humiliating others.” (PsychNet-UK, May 2013)
“An Inferiority Complex”, in the fields of psychology and psychoanalysis, is a feeling that one is inferior to others in some way.” (ScienceDaily, 2013) “Psychopathy” is a personality disorder characterized by a constellation of interpersonal, affective and behavioral characteristics. (Hare, 1998). “Biosocial Theory” is described as an approach to criminology that focuses on the interaction between biological and social factors as they relate to crime. (Woodfan, Oct. 2008). In Freud 's psychoanalytic theory of personality, “The Pleasure Principle” is the driving force of the id that seeks immediate gratification of all needs, wants, and urges. In other words, the pleasure principle strives to fulfill our most basic and primitive urges, including hunger, thirst, anger, and sex. When these needs are not met, the result is a state of anxiety or tension. (Cherry, 2013) Now that we have a medical understanding of the many mental disorders that plagued Mr. Sowell, let us dive in deeper to understand how all of these elements and factors played into the terrible crimes Mr. Anthony Sowell committed. Mr. Anthony Edward Sowell was born August 19, 1959 in East Cleveland, OH. He was one of three children raised by a single mother, Claudia “Gertrude” Garrison in the home of his ill grandmother. There were seven other children (his sister’s children) being raised in the home as well.
There were signs of sexual, emotional, and physical abuse early in his childhood. One of Sowell 's earliest memories was of an older nephew forcing Sowell and other family members to perform acts of a sexual nature on each other. Sowell said that he did not recall the nephew "doing anything overtly to him sexually," but Sowell was forced to perform oral sex on the nephew. There were also reports of domestic violence in the home. Mr. Sowell witnessed his mother being beaten. All of these elements were slowly adding up to an edifice of pain, stress and sorrow that would one day explode into the man he became.
According to Cuyahoga County Court Records, He spent 15 years in a state prison after pleading guilty to rape. In 1989, according to prosecutors, he brought a victim to his residence on Page Avenue, choked her, tied her up with a necktie, threatened to kill her and then raped her twice. He told her no one would hear her scream. At a parole hearing, he blamed his behavior on his drinking. Anthony Sowell moved back to the three-story white house at 12205 Imperial Avenue in 2005 when he was released from prison.
From 2005 until 2007 Anthony worked in a factory and was involved in a normal relationship with, of all people, the Mayor of Cleveland’s Niece – Lori Frazier. In 2007 he was laid off and started collecting unemployment. When his unemployment ran out, Mr. Sowell returned back into his usual coping mechanism patterns. Mr. Sowell used his charm to lure trusting, vulnerable women into his home to drink and/or take drugs. One night in December 2008, a woman waved police down on Kinsman Road and East 116th Street. She was covered in blood. Gladys Wade told the officers that Anthony Sowell had invited her in for a beer when she passed by on her way to one of the neighborhood 's small corner grocery stores.
When she declined, Sowell attacked her. She said he dragged her upstairs, strangling her so hard that she blacked out. When she came to, she said, she found that he 'd forced her out of her clothing, and was choking her and trying to rape her. Sowell was arrested during another rape investigation while awaiting trial in 1990, but the victim ultimately refused to cooperate with investigators.
In April 2009, Tanja Doss agreed to go to Anthony Sowell 's place for a beer. Although Doss knew that Sowell had been in prison, she didn 't know why. In fact, most people in his neighborhood didn 't know that this seemingly nice guy was a convicted sex offender. Once she got to his room, he snapped, she later said. According to Doss, Sowell choked her and threatened to kill her. He demanded that she knock three times on the floor if she wanted to live.
He told her that no one would miss her, that no one would even notice she was gone. He made her strip, but didn 't rape her because they both passed out. On Sept. 2, 2009, Anthony Sowell checked in with the county sheriff 's office, as required. On Sept. 22, deputies paid a surprise visit to verify his reported address. Sowell met them at the door and answered their questions, and they left, as usual. Police say just hours after the deputies left, Sowell dragged a woman inside his house, choked her with an extension cord, and raped her. She told police that she was able to get away by promising that she wouldn 't go to the police, and that she 'd come back with $50.
The next incident was when neighbors saw a naked woman jump, or fall, out a second story window and called 911. An ambulance took the woman to the MetroHealth Medical Center. She was reportedly under the influence of drugs, and said she 'd been "partying" all day. She refused to talk to police at the hospital. Cops went to Sowell 's house, but no one answered the door. On October 29, the police were back, warrant in hand; ready to arrest Anthony Sowell, who was not at home. Upon entering the residence, they found two decomposing bodies. The next day, they found three more. They didn 't catch up with Sowell until Halloween, when they arrested him a mile from his residence on Mt. Auburn Avenue. A few days later, police charged Sowell with five murders — and found six more bodies in the house. By mid-November 2009, police had found and identified the remains of eleven victims.
The eleven victims are Tonia Carmichael age 52; Nancy Cobbs age 43; Tishana Culver age 31; Crystal Dozier; Telacia Fortson age 31; Amelda “Amy” Hunter age 47; Leshanda Long age 25; Michelle Mason age 45; Kim Yvette Smith age 44; Janice Webb age 48; and Diane Turner age 38.
During the arraignment, Mr. Sowell plead not guilty that was later upgraded to a not guilty by reason of insanity. During the trial portion of this case, which finally started on June 6, 2011; clear and convincing evidence was presented to both find Mr. Sowell sane and responsible for the kidnapping, rape, murder and dismemberment of these unfortunate victims. On July 22, 2011; Mr. Sowell was convicted on all but two of the 85 counts listed in his indictment. On August 10, 2011 the Jurors in his case recommended the Death Penalty. On August 12, 2011 Judge Dick Ambrose, the presiding judge over Mr. Sowell’s trial, upheld the
Jury’s recommendation and Mr. Anthony Edward Sowell was sent to Death Roll. “Dr. James Knoll was called to testify to counter a defense claim that Anthony Sowell, 51, is psychotic and should have his life spared. Knoll said the way the victims were tied up, choked and strangled reflected a common theme in sexual sadism - controlling helpless victims. The intent of carefully binding the victims and choking them was complete domination.” (Sheeran, T. 2009)
Dr. George Woods, an expert hired by the defense, testified that Sowell suffers from several mental illnesses, including obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder from abuse he sustained during childhood. Sowell grew up in a family that had a history of physical abuse that went back for generations. The history of this man created the monster he became. Mr. Sowell had a hatred for women because of what he experienced with his own mother. Mr. Sowell’s ideologies about sex were manipulated by his own sexual abuse as a child. Mr. Sowell acted out of his own experience and now will have to pay the ultimate price for his deeds.
Currently, Mr. Sowell continues to fight to save his own life, even after taking the lives of at least eleven women. He is now trying to bargain his way, using his usual psychopathic ways to influence a higher judicial system, the Ohio Supreme Court, to overturn his sentence of Death because he wasn’t given a fair trial due to the amount of media present. According to Mr. Sowell, the media influenced the jury and as a result, he should only be given Life in Prison without the possibility of parole. This measure, as all other previously attempted, will not prevail. Mr. Anthony Edward Sowell is destined to die and he will pay for what he did to those innocent victims. Mr. Anthony Edward Sowell was the managing owner of the House of Horrors, which by the way, has been torn down and left in ruins; just like his life.

WORKS CITED
"Sadistic Personality Disorder Criteria." Sadistic Personality Disorder. N.p., May 2013. Web. 20 May 2013.

"Inferiority Complex." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 2013. Web. 20 May 2013.

Hare, R. D (1998) Psychopathy, affect and behavior. In Psychopathy: Theory, Research and Implications for Society (eds D. Cooke, A. Forth & R. Hare), pp. 105–-139. Dordrecht: Kluwer
Dolan, Mairead. "Psychopathic Personality in Young People." Psychopathic Personality in
Young People. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, May 2013. Web. 20 May 2013.

Hare, R. D (1998) Psychopathy, affect and behavior. In Psychopathy: Theory, Research and Implications for Society (eds D. Cooke, A. Forth & R. Hare), pp. 105–-139. Dordrecht: Kluwer

Woodfan, Lake. "Biosocial Theory." - Essays. Studymode, Oct. 2008. Web. 20 May 2013.

Cherry, Kendra. "Pleasure Principle." About.com Psychology. N.p., 2013. Web. 20 May 2013.

Hawkins, Kristal. "Anthony Sowell: The Cleveland Strangler." Anthony Sowell: The Cleveland Strangler (2013): n. page. — Introduction — Crime Library on TruTV.com. 2013. Web. 21 May 2013.

Sheeran, Thomas J. "Witness: Anthony Sowell Not Mentally Ill." Wkyc.com. The Associated Press, 09 Aug. 2011. Web. 22 May 2013.

Cited: "Sadistic Personality Disorder Criteria." Sadistic Personality Disorder. N.p., May 2013. Web. 20 May 2013. "Inferiority Complex." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 2013. Web. 20 May 2013. Hare, R. D (1998) Psychopathy, affect and behavior. In Psychopathy: Theory, Research and Implications for Society (eds D. Cooke, A. Forth & R. Hare), pp. 105–-139. Dordrecht: Kluwer Dolan, Mairead. "Psychopathic Personality in Young People." Psychopathic Personality in Young People. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, May 2013. Web. 20 May 2013. Hare, R. D (1998) Psychopathy, affect and behavior. In Psychopathy: Theory, Research and Implications for Society (eds D. Cooke, A. Forth & R. Hare), pp. 105–-139. Dordrecht: Kluwer Woodfan, Lake. "Biosocial Theory." - Essays. Studymode, Oct. 2008. Web. 20 May 2013. Cherry, Kendra. "Pleasure Principle." About.com Psychology. N.p., 2013. Web. 20 May 2013. Hawkins, Kristal. "Anthony Sowell: The Cleveland Strangler." Anthony Sowell: The Cleveland Strangler (2013): n. page. — Introduction — Crime Library on TruTV.com. 2013. Web. 21 May 2013. Sheeran, Thomas J. "Witness: Anthony Sowell Not Mentally Ill." Wkyc.com. The Associated Press, 09 Aug. 2011. Web. 22 May 2013.