"The Sentence of Death Should Be Imposed": The Jury's Verdicts Against Anthony Sowell, 2011

Name: "The Sentence of Death Should Be Imposed": The Jury's Verdicts Against Anthony Sowell, 2011
Uploaded: 2011-08-10T00:00:00Z
Duration: 8 min 6 s
Description: Courtroom footage from Cleveland, August 10, 2011: Judge Dick Ambrose reads the jury's 11 death verdicts against Anthony Sowell, one for each murdered woman, and polls the jurors.

Courtroom footage from Cleveland, August 10, 2011: Judge Dick Ambrose reads the jury's 11 death verdicts against Anthony Sowell, one for each murdered woman, and polls the jurors.

Subject: Anthony Sowell
Recorded: August 10, 2011
Runtime: 8:06

Content warning: Concerns the murders of 11 women, each named as the verdicts are read. No graphic detail.

The Interview

This is not an interview, and Anthony Sowell does not speak in it. It is courtroom footage from Cleveland on August 10, 2011, posted by WEWS News Channel 5 without narration. Judge Dick Ambrose asks Sowell to rise and reads the jury's verdicts from the penalty phase of his trial, one for each of the 11 women he was convicted of murdering, then polls the jurors.

Circumstances

In Ohio, a jury that recommends death in a capital case must find that the aggravating circumstances outweigh the mitigating factors beyond a reasonable doubt; the judge then makes his own assessment before imposing sentence. Judge Ambrose imposed the death sentence two days later, on August 12, 2011.

What the Recording Covers

For each count, in order, the judge reads the jury's finding that the aggravating circumstances outweighed the mitigating factors beyond a reasonable doubt and that "the sentence of death should be imposed," and notes that all 12 jurors signed the form and did not complete the alternative form for life without parole. The victims are named in count order: Tonia Carmichael, Nancy Cobbs, Tishana Culver, Crystal Dozier, Telacia Fortson, Amelda Hunter, Leshanda Long, Michelle Mason, Kim Smith, Janice Webb and Diane Turner. The judge then asks each juror, by number, whether these are his or her verdicts, asks counsel whether they want further polling, says the court will conduct its own analysis under Ohio Revised Code 2929.03(D)(3), and sets the sentencing hearing for 9:00 a.m. on Friday, August 12.

What Makes the Recording Significant

The footage records, nearly in full, an Ohio jury's death verdicts being read victim by victim in one of Cleveland's worst murder cases, with each woman's name spoken in court.

Important Caveats

Sowell is not heard. This is the jury's recommendation; the sentence was imposed by the judge on August 12, 2011. The case number read aloud is not clear in the machine text and should not be quoted until checked. Several jurors' answers are not picked up by the machine sources. The judge addresses two lawyers by name to ask whether they want further polling; their replies are not audible in the machine text. The middle name "Yvette" for Kim Smith is as heard; the court opinion uses "Kim Smith."

Judge Dick Ambrose: I will now read the jury's verdicts. I'll ask the defendant to please rise. With respect to the matter of State of Ohio versus Anthony Sowell, criminal case number [unclear: "530885" / "530-8854"], sentencing proceedings as to Count 1, Tonia Carmichael: "We the jury, being duly impaneled and sworn, do hereby find that the aggravating circumstances which the defendant was found guilty of committing do outweigh the mitigating factors presented in this case by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. We therefore unanimously find that the sentence of death should be imposed upon the defendant, Anthony Sowell." All 12 jurors have signed their name to this verdict form and have not completed the additional form with respect to life without parole, as directed by the court.

Judge Dick Ambrose: Moving on then to Count 7, sentencing proceedings relating to Nancy Cobbs: "We the jury, being duly impaneled and sworn, do hereby find that the aggravating circumstances which the defendant was found guilty of committing do outweigh the mitigating factors presented in this case by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. We therefore unanimously find that the sentence of death should be imposed upon the defendant, Anthony Sowell." All 12 jurors have signed their name to this verdict form and have not completed the alternate verdict form regarding life without parole.

Judge Dick Ambrose: With respect to Count 13 and Tishana Culver: "We the jury, being duly impaneled and sworn, do hereby find that the aggravating circumstances which the defendant was found guilty of committing do outweigh the mitigating factors presented in this case by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. We therefore unanimously find that the sentence of death should be imposed upon the defendant, Anthony Sowell." And all 12 jurors have signed their name to this verdict form and [unclear: "have not completed" / "again not completed"], uh, the contrary form.

Judge Dick Ambrose: With respect to Count 19 and Crystal Dozier: "We the jury, being duly impaneled and sworn, do hereby find that the aggravating circumstances which the defendant was found guilty of committing do outweigh the mitigating factors presented in this case by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. We therefore unanimously find that the sentence of death should be imposed upon the defendant, Anthony Sowell." All 12 jurors have signed their name to this verdict form and did not complete the opposite form.

Judge Dick Ambrose: Sentencing proceedings as to Count 25, Telacia Fortson: "We the jury, being duly impaneled and sworn, do hereby find that the aggravating circumstances which the defendant was found guilty of committing do outweigh the mitigating factors presented in this case by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. We therefore unanimously find that the sentence of death should be imposed upon the defendant, Anthony Sowell." All 12 jurors have signed their names to this verdict form and again have not completed, uh, the contrary form.

Judge Dick Ambrose: Sentencing proceedings as to Count 31, Amelda Hunter: "We the jury, being duly impaneled and sworn, do hereby find that the aggravating circumstances which the defendant was found guilty of committing do outweigh the mitigating factors presented in this case by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. We therefore unanimously find that the sentence of death should be imposed upon the defendant, Anthony Sowell." All 12 jurors have signed their name to this verdict form and have not signed the contrary form.

Judge Dick Ambrose: Sentencing proceedings as to Count 37, Leshanda Long: "We the jury, being duly impaneled and sworn, do hereby find that the aggravating circumstances which the defendant was found guilty of committing do outweigh the mitigating factors presented in this case by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. We therefore unanimously find that the sentence of death should be imposed upon the defendant, Anthony Sowell." All 12 jurors have signed their name to this verdict form and have not signed the contrary form.

Judge Dick Ambrose: Sentencing proceedings as to Count 43, Michelle Mason: "We the jury, being duly impaneled and sworn, do hereby find that the aggravating circumstances which the defendant was found guilty of committing do outweigh the mitigating factors presented in this case by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. We therefore unanimously find that the sentence of death should be imposed upon the defendant, Anthony Sowell." All 12 jurors have signed their name to this verdict form and have not signed the contrary form.

Judge Dick Ambrose: Sentencing proceedings as to Count 49, Kim Yvette Smith: "We the jury, being duly impaneled and sworn, do hereby find that the aggravating circumstance or circumstances which the defendant was found guilty of committing do outweigh the mitigating factors presented in this case by proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and we therefore unanimously find that the sentence of death should be imposed upon the defendant, Anthony Sowell." All 12 jurors have signed their name to this verdict form and have not signed the contrary form.

Judge Dick Ambrose: Sentencing proceedings as to Count 55, Janice Webb: "We the jury, being duly impaneled and sworn, do hereby find that the aggravating circumstances which the defendant was found guilty of committing do outweigh the mitigating factors presented in this case by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. We therefore unanimously find that the sentence of death should be imposed upon the defendant, Anthony Sowell." All 12 jurors have signed their name to this verdict form and again, uh, have not signed the contrary form regarding life without parole.

Judge Dick Ambrose: Sentencing proceedings as to Count 61, Diane Turner: "We the jury, being duly impaneled and sworn, do hereby find that the aggravating circumstances which the defendant was found guilty of committing do outweigh the mitigating factors presented in this case by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. We therefore unanimously find that the sentence of death should be imposed upon the defendant, Anthony Sowell." All 12 jurors have signed their name to this verdict form and have not signed the contrary verdict form.

Judge Dick Ambrose: Uh, those are the, uh, verdicts of the jury as written. Uh, the court will now poll, uh, jurors, uh, for their individual, uh, verdicts with respect to those that I've just read. And again, I did that, and you may be seated. Uh, I did read to you the, uh, verdicts in the last phase of the case, and we went through the same procedure. Again, I'm simply going to ask if all these 11 verdicts that I have read are your individual verdicts. I'll ask you by juror number, and you can just respond by saying, uh, yes, and if they are not, then you say no. Uh, with respect to, uh, the 11, uh, sentences here, uh, with respect to the 11 victims, and the, uh, finding that the, um, aggravating circumstances outweigh the mitigating factors, and that you are imposing a sentence of death: uh, are these your verdicts? Uh, juror number one?

Juror Number One: Yes.

Judge Dick Ambrose: And juror number two, are these your verdicts? [No answer picked up by either machine source.]

Judge Dick Ambrose: Juror number three, are these your verdicts?

Juror Number Three: Yes.

Judge Dick Ambrose: Juror number four, are these your verdicts? [no answer picked up] Juror number five, are these your verdicts? [no answer picked up] Juror number six, are these your verdicts? [no answer picked up] Juror number seven, are these your verdicts? [no answer picked up] Juror number eight, are these your verdicts? [no answer picked up] Juror number nine, are these your verdicts?

Juror Number Nine: Yes.

Judge Dick Ambrose: Juror number 10, are these your verdicts?

Juror Number 10: Yes.

Judge Dick Ambrose: Juror number 11, are these your verdicts?

Juror Number 11: Yes.

Judge Dick Ambrose: And juror number 12, are these your verdicts? [no answer picked up] All right. Then the court, having polled the jury, the court is satisfied that these are the verdicts of the jury in this case. I'll ask counsel if they wish to poll jurors as to individual verdicts as to any particular count. Mr. [unclear: "Neary"] (name as heard; not verified)? [no reply picked up] Thank you. Mr. [unclear: "Bombik" / "Bamba"] (name as heard; not verified)? [no reply picked up] All right. Then, um, the court, uh, has received the jury's verdict. The court will proceed, uh, to sentence the defendant in accordance with Revised Code Section 2929.03, subsection (D)(3). And, uh, so the court will do its own analysis, and then, uh, we'll, uh, conduct that sentencing hearing. Uh, as of now, we'll set that hearing for 9:00 on Friday, uh, that's this Friday, uh, August 12th. [08:05 to 08:06: no further speech; clip ends.] ---