GUILTY OH - Brenda Powell, 50, stabbed to death by daughter Sydney, Akron, Mar. 3, 2020

[RickshawFan]

Sydney Powell's Attorney Speaks to Court TV: 'This is not justice'

Defense attorney Don Malarcik spoke to Court TV after his client, Sydney Powell, was convicted of killing her mother.

www.courttv.com

I wonder if Malarcik prepared Sydney for today's verdict? I'll bet defense was surprised.

 

[texaslb218]

Interesting that she's sobbing loudly and heaving, but there are no tears or snot. I don't think I've ever seen anything like that. We get sobbing felons at verdict, but there's usually more stuff issuing forth.

I saw that there were NO tears!

 

[RickshawFan]

I still can't believe they found her guilty. All 12 of them. I thought at least one person would buy the idea that she was schizophrenic. The pros did an excellent job with both closings IMO.

 

[Trebor5591]

I wonder how the judge will sentence her? My guess is Sydney will get a sentence more towards the minimum than the maximum. JMO.

The prosecution supervisor said Sydney could be a danger to the community. Does anyone think she might kill again? Or was killing her mother a one time thing? Myself, I think it possible she might. She's already killed once. Life is full of stress and if released early, she might kill again given the right reason and opportunity. JMO.

 

[Tanager]

I still can't believe they found her guilty. All 12 of them. I thought at least one person would buy the idea that she was schizophrenic. The pros did an excellent job with both closings IMO.

I concur. I am a mental health professional, and I feel that the schizophrenia diagnosis was complete fabrication. Sometime, in mental health, we start to think that a mental health diagnosis is as concrete as a medical diagnosis, such as cancer or appendicitis. It just isn't so. Diagnoses in the DSM are just shorthand for ticking the right number of boxes on an observable checklist of behaviors and symptoms that can be interpreted differently by different professionals. We do ourselves and our clients a disservice when we make these diagnoses sound more immutable than they are. To be fair there are a few conditions that can be identified with a brain scan.

I really appreciated the prosecution systematically addressing the inconsistencies between the mental health professionals. I think the psychologist testifying for the prosecution seemed mildly peeved because of the circular logic employed by the defense about the mental health symptoms caused by the crime that they employed in their diagnosis. There was also considerable cherry-picking of the information was employed in the diagnostic process that was provided by individuals other than Sydney. To twist an old quote, you could diagnose a ham sandwich, if you want.

To me some of the most damning evidence was the fact that several providers at the hospital treating Sydney raised concerns about malingering. This was before she was identified as a suspect, and before the staff knew about what happened at the crime scene. I think you have to be a pretty hammy actor to elicit these kind of concerns in standard medical care unless you are trying to obtain unnecessary medication.

I am relieved by the verdict. I get distressed when there is injustice, and I think justice was served here without question.

 

[Irishknit]

I concur. I am a mental health professional, and I feel that the schizophrenia diagnosis was complete fabrication. Sometime, in mental health, we start to think that a mental health diagnosis is as concrete as a medical diagnosis, such as cancer or appendicitis. It just isn't so. Diagnoses in the DSM are just shorthand for ticking the right number of boxes on an observable checklist of behaviors and symptoms that can be interpreted differently by different professionals. We do ourselves and our clients a disservice when we make these diagnoses sound more immutable than they are. To be fair there are a few conditions that can be identified with a brain scan.

I really appreciated the prosecution systematically addressing the inconsistencies between the mental health professionals. I think the psychologist testifying for the prosecution seemed mildly peeved because of the circular logic employed by the defense about the mental health symptoms caused by the crime that they employed in their diagnosis. There was also considerable cherry-picking of the information was employed in the diagnostic process that was provided by individuals other than Sydney. To twist an old quote, you could diagnose a ham sandwich, if you want.

To me some of the most damning evidence was the fact that several providers at the hospital treating Sydney raised concerns about malingering. This was before she was identified as a suspect, and before the staff knew about what happened at the crime scene. I think you have to be a pretty hammy actor to elicit these kind of concerns in standard medical care unless you are trying to obtain unnecessary medication.

I am relieved by the verdict. I get distressed when there is injustice, and I think justice was served here without question.

Thank you for reminding me of the ham sandwich quote, it hits the nail on the head.

 

[RickshawFan]

I concur. I am a mental health professional, and I feel that the schizophrenia diagnosis was complete fabrication. Sometime, in mental health, we start to think that a mental health diagnosis is as concrete as a medical diagnosis, such as cancer or appendicitis. It just isn't so. Diagnoses in the DSM are just shorthand for ticking the right number of boxes on an observable checklist of behaviors and symptoms that can be interpreted differently by different professionals. We do ourselves and our clients a disservice when we make these diagnoses sound more immutable than they are. To be fair there are a few conditions that can be identified with a brain scan.

I really appreciated the prosecution systematically addressing the inconsistencies between the mental health professionals. I think the psychologist testifying for the prosecution seemed mildly peeved because of the circular logic employed by the defense about the mental health symptoms caused by the crime that they employed in their diagnosis. There was also considerable cherry-picking of the information was employed in the diagnostic process that was provided by individuals other than Sydney. To twist an old quote, you could diagnose a ham sandwich, if you want.

To me some of the most damning evidence was the fact that several providers at the hospital treating Sydney raised concerns about malingering. This was before she was identified as a suspect, and before the staff knew about what happened at the crime scene. I think you have to be a pretty hammy actor to elicit these kind of concerns in standard medical care unless you are trying to obtain unnecessary medication.

I am relieved by the verdict. I get distressed when there is injustice, and I think justice was served here without question.

They also used the fact that Abilify benefits Sydney as evidence that she's psychotic. That drug was advertised heavily about every 5 minutes on TV implying that you could skip into nirvana if you took it. There must be millions of prescriptions out there, and guaranteed those aren't all for schizophrenia.

 

[RickshawFan]

I wonder how the judge will sentence her? My guess is Sydney will get a sentence more towards the minimum than the maximum. JMO.

The prosecution supervisor said Sydney could be a danger to the community. Does anyone think she might kill again? Or was killing her mother a one time thing? Myself, I think it possible she might. She's already killed once. Life is full of stress and if released early, she might kill again given the right reason and opportunity. JMO.

I believe the statutorily-required sentence is 15 to life on just one count. Clearly no less than 15. Here the prosecution supervisor discusses the options:

 

[RickshawFan]

I wonder how the judge will sentence her? My guess is Sydney will get a sentence more towards the minimum than the maximum. JMO.

The prosecution supervisor said Sydney could be a danger to the community. Does anyone think she might kill again? Or was killing her mother a one time thing? Myself, I think it possible she might. She's already killed once. Life is full of stress and if released early, she might kill again given the right reason and opportunity. JMO.

In the Chandler Halderson case, prosecution argued successfully that a guy who murdered his parents to cover up an elaborate college lie could become extremely violent for what the rest of us would consider just a minor blip in life, and that meant he was extremely dangerous to the community. We have a similar situation here, but there might be some gender bias in favor of the defendant. I hope not, but the defense's gushy "love you's" might mitigate the sentence. It evidently can't go lower than 15, and still must go to the parole board after that.

 

[RickshawFan]

FWIW Halderson got LWOP for killing his parents as they were about to discover his college lie.

 

[RickshawFan]

The prosecution rebuttal closing had some interesting insights into what happened during the murder. Brenda was in her bedroom. Why? Likely to get privacy from Sydney. Sydney had to have got the frying pan while her mother kicked her out of the room, used the frying pan, hitting her several times, and then gone back to the kitchen to get the steak knife. The knife wounds suggest no random rage attack, frenzied and psychotic.... they're all to the neck area, which is where you can hit the carotid artery and kill the person.

The prosecutor also points out how easily lies come to Sydney. She's very good at lying on the fly. Malingering is totally within her skill set.

 

[RickshawFan]

On March 3rd, her parents discovered the truth, when her father Steven Powell couldn’t access the portal to pay her tuition. Powell confronted Sydney about it – and learned that she had been suspended. Her mother Brenda h

Snipped from court notes.

Actually, IIRC Steven Powell DIDN't hear from Sydney that she'd been suspended. She lied. She said there must be a mistake. The first either parent was going to know about the suspension was in the phone call during which Brenda was murdered. And she was killed before she was told.

 

[RickshawFan]

Do we have a fix on when sentencing is for Sydney Powell?

 

[dmac55]

Do we have a fix on when sentencing is for Sydney Powell?

“She will be sentenced by Judge Kelly McLaughlin on Sept. 28 at 8:30 a.m.”

Sydney Powell found guilty of murdering mother in Akron | wkyc.com

Akron jury finds Sydney Powell guilty of mother's 2020 murder

Prosecutors say Sydney Powell hit her mom, Brenda, in the head with an iron skillet before stabbing her almost 30 times in the neck. She faces up to life in prison.

www.wkyc.com

 

[RickshawFan]

“She will be sentenced by Judge Kelly McLaughlin on Sept. 28 at 8:30 a.m.”

Sydney Powell found guilty of murdering mother in Akron | wkyc.com

Akron jury finds Sydney Powell guilty of mother's 2020 murder

Prosecutors say Sydney Powell hit her mom, Brenda, in the head with an iron skillet before stabbing her almost 30 times in the neck. She faces up to life in prison.

www.wkyc.com

Wow. Already. After this woman was able to bond out instead of pretrial incarceration, I’m anxious to see justice served.

I’m unable to find O’Gradovich’s main trial and rebuttal testimony. I only have a cross. Anyone have it? She’s a breath of fresh air, IMO. She has an unusual manner for a courtroom, but I love it! Very skilled at answering questions, too.

 

[Trebor5591]

It does make me ill that there is the claim that "Brenda wouldn't want Sydney prosecuted". IMO no one gets to be in charge of another person's thinking and feeling, least of all someone who has been murdered.

I agree 100%. I feel like the memory of Brenda was disrespected by the stated wish not to punish Sydney for murdering her mother, and the claim that Brenda would have not wanted Sydney to be prosecuted!

I wonder how much money was sunk into Sydney's defense? It couldn't have been cheap. I hope Brenda's life insurance (if she had a policy) did not pay for it. JMO.

 

[RickshawFan]

I agree 100%. I feel like the memory of Brenda was disrespected by the stated wish not to punish Sydney for murdering her mother, and the claim that Brenda would have not wanted Sydney to be prosecuted!

I wonder how much money was sunk into Sydney's defense? It couldn't have been cheap. I hope Brenda's life insurance (if she had a policy) did not pay for it. JMO.

That defense must have cost a mint. I also found it kinda offensive that the attorney seemed to be in love with the defendant. The kissy kissy, touchy feely stuff was way over the top. It went along with the request to have a therapy dog at Sydney's feet the whole trial: the prosecution's therapy dog!!!!

 

[RickshawFan]

The body cam footage is horrendous (see trial coverage). I hope, at sentencing , LE gets an apology from Sydney for causing all those officers PTSD. Her family and Sydney herself have been so consumed with coddling her over PTSD symptoms (and malingering symptoms) as a result of this event, but no recognition that they've created permanent psych damage for first responders. As the perpetrator, she's responsible for that.

 

[RickshawFan]

Dr. Lieberman on Court TV points to "sociopathic" features. (She also spells out clearly why this is not schizophrenia.)

 

[Trebor5591]

I feel upset at the mealy-mouthed approach that the prosecution used in their sentencing recommendations. Like the murderess Sydney Powell is some delicate little flower that the judge should be reluctant to sentence. Sydney Powell murdered her mother in a horrible violent attack. She is a danger to the community and could possibly kill again. She needs to spend her life behind bars, in my opinion!