"There's Bad Voices": Anthony Sowell's Police Interrogation Played to the Jury, WEWS Report, 2011
WEWS News 5 Cleveland's report from July 14, 2011, the day jurors watched Anthony Sowell's police interrogation, with short excerpts in which Sowell tells detectives about a broken heart and "bad voices."
- Subject
- Anthony Sowell
- Recorded
- July 14, 2011
- Runtime
- 3:25
Content warning: A murder suspect is questioned about the bodies of 11 women found in his house and speaks of "bad voices"; the case involves the rape and murder of 11 women. No graphic detail is spoken.
The Interview
This is a 3:25 report broadcast by WEWS News Channel 5 in Cleveland at 5 p.m. on July 14, 2011, the 11th day of Anthony Sowell's murder trial, when prosecutors played the video of his police interrogation to the jury. It contains short excerpts of that interrogation, recorded by the Cleveland Division of Police on October 31 and November 1, 2009, in which Sowell is heard in his own voice for about half a minute, together with the questions of detectives who are not named in the clip. Reporter Paul Kiska, live outside the courtroom, narrates the rest.
Historical Context
Between October 29 and November 3, 2009, Cleveland police found the remains of 11 women at Sowell's house on Imperial Avenue; he was arrested on October 31, 2009. Detectives questioned him at the Justice Center over that night and the next day. He was tried in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas in the summer of 2011, and the recorded interrogation was shown to the jury as a state exhibit over several days in July.
Circumstances
As the anchor puts it, this was the first time since the bodies were found that the public heard Sowell "in his own voice." Kiska describes Sowell on the tape as "defensive and evasive." He reports that the police first called him Anthony, then Tony, and gave him cigarettes and coffee, and that Sowell then told them a girlfriend had broken his heart a couple of years earlier, which is when, by his account, "the rage and voices started."
What the Interview Covers
In the excerpts a detective offers Sowell coffee; Sowell says he spent "the whole weekend just crying" and that "it was just like having a breakdown or something." The detectives warn that their questions are about to get more serious and ask about bodies found on the third floor. In the longest excerpt, asked what the voices said, Sowell answers, "It's bad. There's bad voices," says it was one voice, and, pressed for how many times, answers "Yes. Maybe." when a detective suggests "between 10 and 15." Kiska closes by reporting that Sowell said he thought the voice was a ghost but never admitted hurting anyone, and promotes a 6 p.m. report on Sowell's statement that he hurt women only in his dreams.
What Makes the Recording Significant
The report preserves what the station called the first time the public heard Sowell in his own voice since the bodies were found, from the day the jury saw the interrogation. His account of a voice, of dreams and of a breakdown was the core of what he told police; he did not admit the killings in the interview. These are his claims, made under questioning, and the jury convicted him of all 11 murders eight days later.
Archival Importance
The footage comes from the Cleveland station's own channel.
Important Caveats
Sowell is heard only in short excerpts, and the tape audio is poor: several of his answers and the detectives' lines are unclear in both machine sources (see the transcript's variant readings). The detectives are not named in the clip and should not be identified on the page; the court record names several interviewers, but which of them is heard is not established. The girlfriend Sowell refers to is not named in the clip and should not be named on the page. Sowell's statements about voices and dreams are his claims. The anchor is not named.
Interrogation Tape: [unclear: "I saw it's going to sound like it's a wheel. It was started off and she told me no. That's a lot more like." (Whisper) / "...what started off CPC told me no" (captions)]
Anchor: This is video from inside the interrogation room as detectives questioned Anthony Sowell about the bodies of 11 women they found in his house. For the first time since those 11 bodies were found, we are hearing from Sowell in his own voice. The riveting video is a key piece of evidence against the accused serial killer. [unclear: "News Channel 5's" / "He justifies" (Whisper)] Paul Kiska is outside the courtroom for us tonight. And Paul, Sowell appeared to be pretty defensive in those tapes.
Paul Kiska: Defensive and evasive, but he did tell police that he heard voices.
Detective: Anthony, [unclear: "you want" (Whisper) / "and what" (captions)], you're a smoker?
Anthony Sowell: Yes.
Detective: You want some coffee [unclear: "and a cigarette?" (Whisper only)]
Paul Kiska: At first Cleveland police called him Anthony, then Tony, give him cigarettes and coffee. Sowell starts to open up, tells police a girlfriend broke up with him, broke his heart a couple years earlier, and that's when the rage and voices started.
Anthony Sowell: I [unclear: "said" (Whisper); possibly "stayed"] the whole weekend just crying.
Detective: At that point you feel that you weren't able to control your pain or your anger or whatever?
Anthony Sowell: I just thought anything was up. I mean, it was just like having a breakdown or something.
Paul Kiska: Police tell Sowell their questions are about to get a lot more serious.
Detective: [unclear: "It might be the most important fifteen minutes of your life." (Whisper) / "...and probably the next block of time, 15, 20 minutes" (captions)]
Paul Kiska: Detectives ask Sowell about bodies found in the house on the third floor.
Interrogation Tape: [unclear: "Upstairs on the third floor we stay. We found lots of folks up there." (Whisper) / "...stairs day. We sound fossil folks out there." (captions)]
Paul Kiska: Then the most riveting part of questioning. Sowell said the voices got worse. Bad things would happen. Police wanted to know how often.
Detective: But with these other people, you [unclear: "know how" (Whisper) / "got" (captions)] the voices?
Anthony Sowell: Yeah.
Detective: And what did the voices say? Can you remember?
Anthony Sowell: [inaudible] [unclear: "communal... so... this man" (captions only)] It's bad. [unclear: "I thought open" (captions)] There's bad voices. [unclear: "There's bad people." (Whisper) / "a spirit people" (captions)]
Detective: Is it one voice or is it more than one?
Anthony Sowell: One voice. [unclear: "and it's dream let out" (captions only)] I don't know. I don't know.
Detective: How many times?
Anthony Sowell: I don't know.
Detective: Can you guess? If you had to throw a number out there, what would you say? Like, 10? 20?
Anthony Sowell: No. Not that many.
Detective: 15?
Anthony Sowell: No.
Detective: So between 10 and 15?
Anthony Sowell: Yes. Maybe.
Detective: To the best that you can think.
Anthony Sowell: [unclear: "10, 15, yes. 10 and 15." (Whisper) / "the symbols a friend 10, 15" (captions)]
Paul Kiska: Now, Sowell told detectives from the Cleveland Police Department that the voice he heard, he thought was a ghost, but he never admitted to hurting anyone. Now, coming up at 6 o'clock tonight, News Channel 5, you'll hear Sowell talk about how he only hurt women in his dreams, and [unclear: "you heard" (Whisper) / "you hurt" (captions); probably "what"] police had to say about that during the interrogation. Reporting live downtown from the Justice Center, Paul Kiska, News Channel 5.
Anchor: All right, Paul, thank you very much. We will continue to bring you highlights from inside the courtroom here on News Channel 5. And if you want more in-depth coverage, just log on to our website, newsnet5.com. ---