A 24-year-old woman from Ohio, Sydney Powell, who is serving a life sentence for killing her mother in a violent attack, might get a new trial after an appellate court overturned her conviction. The court ruled that the judge in her original trial made a mistake by not allowing a key expert witness to testify in her defense.
The shocking crime took place when Sydney attacked her mother, Brenda Powell, with a cast iron skillet and stabbed her over 20 times. Sydney was accused of trying to keep her mother from finding out that she had been suspended from Mount Union University due to poor grades. Despite pleading not guilty by reason of insanity, Sydney was convicted in 2023 of two counts of murder, assault, and evidence tampering. She was sentenced to 15 years to life by Judge Kelly McLaughlin at the Summit County Common Pleas Court.
Sydney’s appeal argued that Judge McLaughlin wrongly refused to let her present another expert witness to counter the testimony of the State’s expert, Dr. Silvia O’Bradovich. The appellate court agreed. In its decision, Judge Jennifer L. Hensal wrote that Sydney had the right to present rebuttal testimony to defend her insanity claim.
During the trial, three experts testified for Sydney, saying she was completely detached from reality during the attack. They described her mental state as “untethered from the world” and incapable of rational thought. However, Dr. O’Bradovich testified for the prosecution, arguing that Sydney was sane and even criticized the defense experts for using flawed methods. Sydney’s team wanted to respond to this, but the judge denied their request, saying there had already been enough expert testimony.
The appellate court strongly disagreed, stating that Sydney should have been allowed to counter the prosecution’s claims. The court pointed out that the prosecution’s critique of Sydney’s experts wasn’t included in their original report, making it unfair to block the defense from addressing it. The court’s ruling means Sydney will likely get another trial.
Brenda Powell’s murder was both brutal and deeply unsettling. At the time, Brenda, who worked as a child-life specialist at Akron Children’s Hospital, was on the phone with university administrators, Associate Dean Michelle Gaffney and Dean of Students John Frasier. They were discussing Sydney’s academic suspension.
Gaffney testified that, during the call, he heard loud thudding sounds and screaming. The call abruptly disconnected, but when they called back, someone claiming to be Brenda answered the phone. Gaffney and Frasier quickly realized it wasn’t Brenda, suspecting it was Sydney instead. When confronted, the voice went silent, and the call ended again. Alarmed, the administrators contacted the police to check on the Powell household.
Sydney’s defense argued that she suffers from schizophrenia and was experiencing a psychotic episode when she attacked her mother. Her attorneys presented testimony from psychiatrists who supported this claim, but the prosecution’s psychologist countered that her actions didn’t align with someone in a psychotic break.
Now, with the appellate court’s decision, Sydney’s case is heading back to the Summit County Court for a potential new trial. This ruling could change the course of her life sentence, giving her another chance to argue her insanity defense.
