Alleged serial killer charged in Cleveland as bodies mount Agence France-Presse
November 05, 2009
CLEVELAND – A US judge charged Wednesday an alleged serial killer with five counts of murder and refused him bail as investigators examined the gruesome remains of up to 11 victims found at his home.
"This is without question the most serious set of allegations I've been exposed to," said judge Ronald Adrine, refusing bail due to the macabre nature of the crimes and defendant Anthony Sowell's past criminal history.
Defense lawyers argued unsuccessfully that Sowell, a 50-year-old convicted rapist, should be granted bail as he had a heart condition that required him to wear a pacemaker.
"The state believes he is an incredibly dangerous threat to the public," assistant country prosecutor Brian Murphy told the arraignment hearing.
The defendant looked straight ahead at the judge as he was ordered to remain behind bars, charged with the "aggravated murder," rape and kidnap of a first set of five victims, all of whom were strangled.
Police detained Sowell Saturday, two days after discovering the decomposing bodies of five African-American women inside his Cleveland home and another woman's body outside the house.
Investigators unearthed four more bodies and a skull at Sowell's home on Tuesday, bringing the total number of victims to a possible 11.
"We have located 10 bodies and a singular skull," Cleveland police spokesman Thomas Stacho told AFP. "It is not known yet if the skull is an 11th victim."
The first six victims have all been identified as African-American women and coroners are working on the identification of the rest.
Cleveland deputy police chief Ed Tomba said investigators had finished raking through Sowell's backyard on Tuesday night but were continuing to search his house for more evidence.
Police have asked members of the community who may have loved ones missing to come forward with photographs of the relatives in a bid to help the identification process.
Released in 2005 after spending years in prison for a 1989 rape, Sowell was arrested in his Cleveland neighborhood after a local resident recognized him and notified police.
He had been walking down a street and did not resist arrest, police said.
"He had an insatiable appetite to fill," said Cleveland police chief Michael McGrath, quoted Tuesday in a the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "I have to believe all these victims voluntarily went to the residence."
According to the prosecution, Sowell faces the death penalty if found guilty of the murders.
