A 24-year-old woman in Ohio, serving a life sentence for killing her mother with a cast iron skillet and stabbing her over 20 times, may get a new trial after an appellate court overturned her conviction.
The Ninth Judicial District Court of Appeals ruled that the judge in Sydney Powell’s 2023 murder trial made a mistake by not allowing her to call an expert witness to counter the testimony of the prosecution’s expert about her mental state during the crime... Continue reading here ▶
Background of the Case
Sydney Powell pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, claiming she killed her mother, Brenda Powell, to stop her from discovering that she had been suspended from college. Despite this, a jury found Powell guilty of two counts of murder, second-degree felonious assault, and tampering with evidence. She was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison by Judge Kelly McLaughlin.
Why the Conviction Was Overturned
During the trial, Powell presented three expert witnesses who testified that she was mentally incapable of rational thought at the time of the crime. They described her as being completely detached from reality. However, the State’s expert witness, Dr. Silvia O’Bradovich, testified that Powell was sane and criticized the methods used by Powell’s experts.
When Powell’s defense team tried to bring in another expert to respond to Dr. O’Bradovich’s critique, Judge McLaughlin denied the request, saying there had already been enough expert testimony.
The appellate court disagreed, stating that Powell had the right to respond to the State’s expert’s critique. The court explained that the critique was not included in the prosecution’s initial reports, so Powell couldn’t have prepared for it in advance.
The appellate court ruled that Powell’s right to present rebuttal evidence was violated, and it ordered the lower court to act on this decision, likely resulting in a new trial.
Details of the Crime
Prosecutors argued that Powell attacked her mother, Brenda, because she had been suspended from Mount Union University for poor grades and didn’t want her mother to find out. Brenda Powell, who worked at Akron Children’s Hospital, was on a call with university officials when she was attacked.
Associate Dean Michelle Gaffney, one of the people on the call, testified that they heard thudding noises and screaming before the line went dead. When they called back, someone claiming to be Brenda answered the phone, but Gaffney and her colleague, John Frasier, realized it was Sydney pretending to be her mother. They contacted police for a welfare check.
Powell’s Defense
Sydney Powell’s lawyers argued that she was suffering from schizophrenia and was in the middle of a psychotic episode when she attacked her mother. They called three psychiatrists who supported this claim. However, the prosecution’s expert argued that Powell’s behavior did not match that of someone experiencing a psychotic break.
With the appellate court’s decision, Powell’s case will likely go back to trial, giving her another chance to present her defense fully.
