An Akron woman convicted of brutally killing her mother, Sydney Powell, maybe in line for a new trial following a recently overturned conviction. As reported by FOX8, Powell, who had initially been found guilty in a highly publicized trial, was convicted in September 2023 for the murder of 50-year-old Brenda Powell back in March 2020. The sentence handed down was life in prison with the possibility for parole after 15 years.
The conviction was set aside when the Ninth District Court of Appeals determined that Powell's due process rights were infringed upon, specifically her right to a surrebuttal. Her defense, claiming Sydney suffered from schizophrenia and could not discern right from wrong at the murder's time, was not allowed to call a rebuttal witness after the State's expert testified, the Beacon Journal elucidates. Judge Jennifer Hensal's decision stated, "the trial court erred by denying her pre-trial motion and that the trial court erred by refusing to permit surrebuttal."
In her defense, attorney Don Malarcik insisted that Powell, dismissed from the University of Mount Union due to failing grades, which she kept a secret for months, was not guilty because of insanity. As the Beacon Journal reported, her family is "ecstatic and hopeful" following the appellate court's decision. "People like Sydney who suffer from a serious mental disease do NOT belong in prison," Malarcik wrote.
While the prosecution's psychologist contended that Powell did not meet the legal definition of insanity, having been diagnosed with borderline personality traits and malingering, Powell's defense maintained that she suffered a psychotic break during the killing. This break was attributed to her diagnosed schizophrenia, which allegedly impaired her comprehension of wrongfulness. As per the Beacon Journal's coverage, three experts had diagnosed Powell, yet a psychologist for the prosecutors argued against these findings in the trial.
According to Cleveland19, no new trial date has been scheduled for Sydney Powell, who remains incarcerated at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville. The Summit County Prosecutor's Office, acknowledging the Ninth District's decision, noted that the ruling only addressed trial procedure, not the defendant's guilt, and is currently considering how to proceed.
