Anthony Sowell's shocking case - A detailed case overview of Living With a Serial Killer season 2 episode 8

The Living With a Serial Killer episode on Anthony Sowell, infamously known as the Cleveland Strangler, charts the horrifying discovery in October 2009 when authorities uncovered the remains of 11 women in Sowell’s East Cleveland home, a site later dubbed a literal "House of Horrors."

The episode also presents unheard perspectives from Sowell's younger sister, Tressa Garrison, who endured threats and societal backlash following the revelation of her brother's crimes. On Wednesday, August 20, Oxygen will re-air season 2 episode 8 of the documentary series Living With a Serial Killer, which examines Anthony Sowell's case.

Interested viewers can watch the episode on Peacock, the Oxygen app or website, Apple TV, and via YouTube TV. The episode's portrayal stays focused on the factual timeline of Sowell's actions, investigation, and the emotional toll on those connected to him.

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The crime of Anthony Sowell - discovery of the House of Horrors

Anthony Sowell lived with the decomposing bodies of his victims for two years (Image via Unsplash)

Sowell's serial murders took place from May 2007 to September 2009, targeting vulnerable women in Cleveland's East Side neighborhood. He lured victims to his home with offers of drugs or alcohol, often crack cocaine, before strangling them. The 11 confirmed victims were all African-American women, all dealing with substance abuse, as per Oxygen.

In September 2009, survivor Latundra Billups escaped what she described as an assault at Anthony Sowell's home, prompting authorities to issue a warrant and search the property, as per Oxygen. When police entered the home on October 29, 2009, they were met with a foul stench and the scene of a gruesome crime. They found two bodies in the basement and additional remains on the third floor and in crawlspaces, some buried in the backyard, and even a skull in a bucket inside the house.

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Early life and background of Anthony Sowell

The remains of Anthony Sowell's victims were found within the house (Image via Getty)

Born on August 19, 1959, in East Cleveland, Ohio, Anthony Sowell lived in a densely populated home as one of seven children with his single mother, Claudia Garrison. After Sowell's sister died from a long-term illness, her seven children also came to reside there, so the home was even more congested. Accounts from family members detail a troubled childhood marked with physical abuse, as per Oxygen.

Sowell's niece, Leona Davis, subsequently related that the kids were regularly whipped with electrical cords by Garrison, sometimes until they were bleeding, and that Sowell started r*ping her on a daily basis from when she was 10 and he was 11. Other men in the household engaged in the same behavior, allowing for a culture of regular trauma, according to The Plain Dealer.

Anthony Sowell enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in January 1978, at the age of 18. He underwent recruit training at Parris Island, South Carolina, and electrician training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He served at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, a tour in Japan with the 3rd Force Service Support Group, and at Camp Butler in Okinawa, as per Havelock News.

He received awards such as the Good Conduct Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and letters of appreciation prior to his honorable discharge in January 1985, after seven years. After leaving the military, Sowell went back to civilian life, but before long, he ran into legal problems.

In 1989, he assaulted a pregnant woman, binding and choking her during the attack. He was charged with kidnapping, rape, and attempted rape and pleaded guilty in 1990 to attempted rape and received a 15-year sentence, as per Oxygen.

Released in 2005, he worked in a factory until 2007, then subsisted on unemployment payments and selling scrap metal. Neighbors reported a continuing putrid smell outside his house that they complained to the authorities about, but nothing was done then. Sowell also created a presence on an internet dating site, claiming to be looking for a submissive partner, according to CBS News.

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Trial and aftermath

Anthony Sowell was given a death sentence (Image via Unsplash)

Anthony Sowell's trial began in June 2011, when he was charged with 85 counts, 11 of which were aggravated murder, as per Oxygen. Prosecutors used evidence from survivors and witnesses at the crime scene and from forensic specialists, describing the strangulations and dumping of bodies.

Sowell first pleaded not guilty due to insanity but changed it to not guilty, according to Oxygen. Following deliberations, the jury found him guilty on July 22, 2011, of 82 counts, including all murder charges. On August 12, 2011, he was sentenced to death.

Appeals were made, with Sowell's attorneys challenging matters such as a denial of a request for closure of the public trial and ineffective counsel. The Ohio Supreme Court upheld the convictions and the death sentence in a 5-2 ruling on December 8, 2016, as per The Plain Dealer. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case in 2017. During his time on death row at Chillicothe Correctional Institution, Sowell was afflicted with health problems and relocated to a medical center.

Oxygen reported that Anthony Sowell passed away on February 8, 2021, at age 61, due to a terminal illness at Franklin Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio, before any date for his execution was scheduled, as reported by NBC News. The aftermath of the case involved community initiatives to honor the victims and changes in Cleveland's missing persons policies. Anthony Sowell's house was razed in 2011, being replaced by a garden, according to The Plain Dealer.

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