Who was Brenda Powell? Ohio student Sydney Powell gets 15 years to life in prison for stabbing mother to death over college suspension
AKRON, OHIO: Sydney Powell, a 23-year-old woman who killed her mother Brenda Powell after she was expelled from Mount Union University, was sentenced to at least 15 years in prison.
Sydney stabbed the 50-year-old Brenda, a child life specialist at Akron Children’s Hospital, Ohio, nearly 30 times in the neck using an iron skillet on March 3, 2020.
What are the charges against Sydney Powell?
After a six-hour-long deliberation, the jury reached a verdict last week. Sydney was found guilty of murder, felonious assault, and tampering with evidence.
On Thursday, September 28, Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Kelly McLaughlin handed Sydney the sentence under the life prison term. The 23-year-old will be eligible for parole after serving a decade and a half in prison, reported NBC News.
"To the victim, to the family and the friends, I am terribly sorry for your loss here. I cannot imagine what you have been through," Judge McLaughlin told the court.
Why did Sydney Powell attack Brenda?
The tragedy unfolded while school officials from Mount Union University were on the phone with Brenda after Sydney's suspension for poor grades.
When the school officials were alarmed by the screaming they heard from the other end of the line, they immediately contacted Akron police.
"The phone cut off at some point after, I would say, somewhere in the neighborhood of six or seven of those thudding, those sort of thud sounds, and the screaming had continued," Associate Dean of Students Michelle Gaffney testified.
School officials repeatedly called the Powell home back and a woman claiming to be Brenda picked up the call.
"The voice on the other end said, 'Yes this is Brenda. Yes, this is Brenda,'" recalled Gaffney.
"It was not Brenda. I was sure it was Sydney. Both Dean (of Students John) Frasier and I looked at each other and sort of shook our heads at each other and said that's not Brenda. He then said, 'Sydney I think this is you, this is not Brenda.' The phone (then) went dead," she added.
Sydney claimed she stabbed her mother in self-defense
The convicted murderer's father, Steven Powell, and her grandmother, Betsy Brown, found Brenda lying on the floor. They dialed 911 but the victim, who was bleeding profusely, succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.
Sydney, who had minor injuries, was also transported to the hospital. She claimed that she stabbed her mother in self-defense, saying that Brenda attacked her first.