According to the Akron Beacon Journal, a former Ohio college student was found guilty of fatally stabbing her mother so that she wouldn’t find out about the daughter getting kicked out of school.
RELATED: Louisiana Woman Allegedly Stabbed Grandfather In The Face After Being Asked To Take A Shower
On Wednesday (September 20), 23-year-old Sydney Powell was convicted by a jury in Summit County, Ohio for the 2020 murder of her 50-year-old mother Brenda Powell. Per the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office, Powell was hit with charges of murder, felonious assault, and tampering with evidence.
Prosecutors said, “In March of 2020, Powell (who was 19 years old a the time of the murder) struck Brenda Powell in the head with an iron skillet, then stabbed her nearly 30 times in the neck.” At the time, Powell’s mother was under the impression that her daughter was still a student at Mount Union University, but she was not.
Prosecutors claimed the former Ohio college student killed her mother because she had recently gotten kicked out of college and did not want her mother to find out. After the brutal attack, the mother, who was a child life specialist at Akron Children’s Hospital for almost 30 years, died at the hospital from her injuries sustained.
Since the murder, Powell was evaluated by three defense experts who all diagnosed her with schizophrenia. Each of them concluded that she did not comprehend the wrongness of her actions due to her suffering from a mental disorder.
However, during the trial, prosecutors called upon a clinical psychologist to testify in court in response to the defense’s claim that Powell suffers from a mental illness.
Per CourtTV, Dr. Silvia O’Bradovich argued against the defense’s claim and said that the former Ohio college student began experiencing symptoms at the age of 11, which would make her case extremely rare, being that symptoms in women usually surface when they are in their mid to late twenties.
Dr. O’Bradovich said, “The best source of information for an insanity evaluation is what was said and felt at the time of the incident. It just didn’t add up to Schizophrenia.”
Meanwhile, Assistant Prosecutor Brian Stano stressed that what Powell did was “purposeful.” Stano said, “Sydney stopped attacking with the pan, presumably went to the kitchen with a knife. She had to switch weapons and keep attacking her. Just the knife just in the neck multiple times? That is purposeful. That is trying to end someone.”
It is reported that Powell is due to be sentenced on September 28. She faces a maximum life sentence with possible parole after 15 years, plus additional time for the evidence tampering conviction.
#Socialites, be sure to check out the post below, then leave us your thoughts in a comment after!