Verdict and Seeking Justice

A beloved healthcare worker is viciously attacked in her home They got a females down love them. I've never seen anything this brutal before. Svere head trauma, multiple stab wounds. Her daughter is the only witness She mentioned something about an intruder, somebody broke in. She's completely catatonic. She has no touch with reality at all Well She's gonna be okay B ro An investigation reveals the cracks in a loving relationship It was almost like sisters that they just really got along Did you notice any up changing her mood. I could tell she's getting more upset. The evidence points to a suspect who is desperate to hide the truth. she was really trying to keep up this facade that everything in her world was okay. It was a problem that had built up, built up, and finally came to a head when the truth came around On march third, twenty twenty, police in Akron, Ohio receive an alarming call from a nearby university Scholars were from the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio. It's about forty minutes from here And they were calling because they were in the middle of a conversation with somebody named Brenda Powell in reference to Brenda's daughter, Sidney Pell who was a student at Mount Union, and the conversation got interrupted in a strange way They reported that they heard a bunch of strange noises they described as a couple loud thuds sccreams And then some other You know, just unusual sounds and then the phone went dead. They tried to call back and they didn't get an answer. They were concerned that something had happened to Brenda. They wanted us to police to go out just check making sure everything's okay When the officers arrived, they went to the front door. I can hear her screaming in there. I toond Officer Legacy went around towards the rear of the house And he had noticed that one of the rear windows had been broken And there appeared to be some blood around it. There was a sliding glass patio door And he had observed that that had also been broken in. Aack of bl And And there was some blood looked like some blood smears there. That could play. And that's where he made entry. Inside, the officer finds a young woman covered in blood Where's your mommy She says she's Brenda's daughter, Sidney Powell Sydney is just hysterical She's preventing the officers from going down the hallway. She mentioned something about an intruder. someomebody broke in So they really don't know what they're dealing with She did say that her mom was bleeding, so they went to check it out. Officer Legacy made the discovery that Brenda was on the floor in the bedroom, surrounded by a massive amount of blood Brenda is bleeding from multiple wounds to her head and neck So the officer immediately calls for emergency services So for get that meetings As officers rush to provide Brenda with lifeif saving care, Sydney is inconsolable She was very Very emotional. Come on ream So their first action was to remove Sydney from the interior of the scene She're gonna be okay. Bing ro. Come on D need your name. Come on, come on You need to cooperate with me, all right? S. All dad What happened? What's going on? What's going on? I to get up She live on the ground We a b The police are trying to determine what's going on. You know, they see Sydney covered in blood. They don't know if there is an intruder that's gone, an intruder' still on scene in the house, police are pretty shocked to find that Brenda is still alive, considering the amount of blood unseen. So they try and do anything at all at all to stop the bleeding, to keep her alive as long as possible Brenda Doyle was born on march nineteenth, nineteen sixty nine in Salem, Ohio She was a high achiever from an early age Excelling in Catholic school and going on to graduate from the University of Akron with honors She had her degree in early childhood education. She then proceeded to work at Akron Children's Hospital as a child life specialist When she started there, she was dealing basically with with adolescents and children that dealt with cancer or blood disorders I met Brenda in nineteen ninety five through some mutual friends. This was a setup We went on our first date as a group of us herer smile is what really attracted me to her the first time she just had that it off snarky sarcastic looking little smile on your face that just she was she just always seemed happy twenty seven year old Brenda was equally sure footed in her relationship She and thirty year old Steve Powell married in nineteen ninety six, just a year after their first date together couldn't really make a decision on who wasn't going to be in the wedding. so I think we put All of our friends and guy had seven groomsmen, and she has seven bridesmaid. so it was a Large, fun wedding Brenda and Steve went on to have two children together Their daughter Sidney was born in two thousand And three years later, they had a son For the next two decades, Brenda split her time between work and family up had one of the most difficult jobs I could ever imagine She had to sit with families and talk to them about a cancer diagnosis about chemotherapy. with kids who are going through the worst time in their life Brenda was amazing She was loved universally by everyone that she worked with Brenda's personality as a mother was very nurturing all those years of Being at the hospital and dealing with the children that were there, I think she just did all she could to protect her childs and did everything to make sure that, you know, they grew up healthy Brenda and Sidney were especially close It was almost like sisters that they just really got along. Siddney was the mini M of renda. I mean, they had the same personalities I remember her and her mom were always texting. I think Syidney really did look up to her mom wanted to be how Branda was be there to help people Always put others first. Sydney appeared to share her mother's drive and ambition as well Syiddney's grades always were good and all throughout elementary school and high school. She did a little bit of everything sports wise and ended up really settling in on soack which she excelled at We were teammates. Sydney was B of fire She was very small, but on the field, I mean she was, you know onene of our best players. so we always looked up to her Um, you know, as a role model or as someone who would set an example on the field Syidney's high school academic career was impressive enough to earn her a presidential scholarship to the University of Mount Union She moved into campus housing in the fall of twenty eighteen, but maintained frequent contact with her family Cidy was very excited to go to college. I think she was ready to spread the wings a little bit go out there. She was going to get into something sports Physical fitness, training related And she eventually switched out of that to psychiatry By her sophomore year, Sydney seemed to be flourishing and her relationship with her mother was closer than ever. Mount Union is approximately forty minutes from where we live She would come home sporradically on the weekends since it was so close. Sydney had a concern Brenda would be the first one she would talk really talk and they got along. But now, the mother and daughter have been involved in a vicious attack leaving Brenda clinging to life and Sydney traumatized Are you caught? Yeah, you'reum. I than so. Yeah, you're a. No, I was hoping or I grabbsed her. All right, stop I tell you what, can you sit on the ground? real quick While first responders tend to Syidney and Brenda Her father, Steve Powell, races home I got a call from my friend who happens to be a police officer heard a call go out with my address. Sydney was down by the mailbox when I got it home She was almost shaking. I had no idea what was going on A witness' erratic behavior perplexes officers B thing h, should not actually right. And when tragedy strikes, detectives must grapple with a harsh reality. I'm sure at that point I ended up going into shock And after that it's pretty much open blur fifty year old Brenda Powell is in critical condition after she was attacked during an apparent break in Her husband, Steve Powell, has just arrived home to find his daughter, Syidney in a state of shock I don't know. I don't know. b. wind broken headind was a broken head. Show you Nle So Souse! tried to go up into the house and I made it basically as far into the The front room as I could and then they proceeded to escort me out of the house You outside, sir. No I. Yes, you do. Outside, all the way back to the right.. You need to stay outside Go ahead. Please have a seat. O. Okay As paramedics continue treating both women, officers cordon off the crime scene. My friend got there and they took me back to his car It very frustrating to not have any information what was going on where Your daughter's laying down by the mailbox and you don't know where your wife is. Now, Brenda didn't look good. However, one of the paramedics was able to find this faint pulse. so based on that, they rushed her to the hospital Syidney is completely experiencing a psychotic break. She's completely catatonic. She continues to mumble kind of nonsensically. She's likely going in and out of things and she sees this evidence of a terrible crime around her Sdney sitting Sydney Sdney G on She just was just laying there shaking and calling the street. wasn't mumbling, wasn't saying anything Something definitely was not right. It was not Normal behavior Shes not acted right? No, she's not acting right. All right. What was she involved with? What is this? Well, we don't know We couldn't really determine at the scene what exactly her injuries were, but one of the paramedics crews looked at her and they ended up taking her to a hospital to get examined An officer escorts Sydney, hoping to gain more information With Brenda and Syiddney both on the way to the emergency room. Investigators begin searching the house for evidence When I arrived, I met with Officer Legacy and he kind of took me through the path that he took through the house We were just trying to figure out, okay What are we dealing with We know Siddney was screaming about somebody breaking in Besides the bedroom and the broken windows, there was nothing out of place. I didn't see any signs of Any struggle or anything like that inside the kitchen And then he took me down the hallway that separates the kitchen and the bedroom He was pouring out different blood smears. ear to be blood smears on both sides of the wall I just remember Turning the corner, looking into the bedroom and just seeing all that blood It's one of the worst scenes've been to There was an iron skillet that was on the floor near to where Brenda was and also a knife It look like to us that these might have been the possible weapons that were used In addition to the weapons, detectives also find the cell phone Brenda was using when she was attacked We're thinking what happened? Are we dealing with somebody that broke in and attacked them for you know, a burglary type situation What about Siddney? Was Sidney involved in this? Does she have any information And It's about an eight or nine minute drive. to the hospital the police officers trying to figure out what's going on, asking Sydney some basic questions What are you saying, Cindy Yeah. What are you saying She's not making any sense. She has no touch with reality at all from the ambulance, Sidney's then taken to the psychiatric ward As Siddney is interacting with officers and her dad, something that we hear her say over and over again is get out of the house, get out of the house police obviously don't know she's victim. She is clearly in a state of shock And she really wasn't focusing on the detectives ure really wasn't acknowledging that they were even present. We decided not to ask her any more questions at that point. We needed more information. Sydney wasn't going to be able to tell us anything. We're going to have to figure out other ways about what happened In the emergency room Doctors are doing everything they can to save Brenda Powell's life Her nineteen year old daughter, Sidney is being treated for wounds of her own. But she's still unable to tell anyone what happened Investigators hope Brenda's husband, Steve, can provide some insight. When they finally took me to the police station, they basically took a statement on what transpired up until the time that I got there. Any communication I had with Brenda or Sidney up until that moment Wh you had to call from? G call for me of the call went out a distust call from the University of Mount Union, where my daughter was going in And I said, Well, that's funny becausecause Grnda saved my wife Steve says the day began like any other. He and Brenda had breakfast, then both headed into work Sydney was scheduled to visit that weekend for spring break which reminded Steve to pay her tuition for the following semester Do you longonged your ask likeess that's weird so I recover my password and I put in the right answer and it didn't work. So I sent my Union Billy an email and says, basically What's wrong So she called me back today as well reason you can't get on along story ors your daughter' unenrolled The university informed Steve that due to poor grades, his daughter had been academically suspended two months earlier So I text Syidney am I go, G give me a call? I have a question to ask you.. I call her, no answer Steve and Brenda had installed Life three hundred sixty on their phone So they could see where Sydney was at all times So Steve sees on his phone that his daughter's home He thinks to himself, whyy is she home I go home and there she is. She's at home she's crying because I go I said going on nowus wases, I'm overwhelmed in school And I don't really like what I'm doing and it seems like it's a waste of my time and your money. me shocked Since the winter quarter ended, she wasn't even rolled and they never knew about it Steve called Brenda and made Brenda aware what's going on and he decides to go back to work. Now the mom Brenda Powell' coming home because she obviously wants to know what's going on as well According to Steve, he received a call from Brenda at eleven forty nine AM to let him know she was pulling into the driveway An hour later, he received the call from a friend in law enforcement that officers had been sent to his address. Wh call, Brenda No, no, sir. I call we' in the backro you need know me answir. I'm pacing around my doctor call. mom's on the phone with me with So what cops wrong way There was her to break again, and she just started. When mister Powell told her that the police were on their way, she immediately said there was an intruder. She started screaming. But up until that point, there was no other nine hundred eleven call from that address. So that was a huge, huge piece of information that kind of directed us a little bit about what might have happened. The focus became Sydney. Why didn't she reach out for help examamining the scene itself with the broken glass there was blood inside outside. It's kind of odd to have blood on both sides of the window. It was the opinion of all of us that the intruder scenario was highly unlikely As the interview progresses, victim assistance workers come to offer Steve their support just before detectives receive word from the hospital We're home man whose wife has rof What happened it looks like I think someone broke to The note was broken, but there's no force entry now The window was broken, but nobody actually came C The sliding doorm was a lot Did your wife and Pght around like go heated? No. A want no I just trying to figure out in my head, you know, what actually could have happened because Nothing was adding up to me. I had nothing to go on. I'm sure at that point I ended up going into shock of some sort because I don't remember I don't remember talking to them after that. I didn inform my son of what had happened. and after that it's pretty much a blur While Steve copes with the heartbreaking news, investigators must reassess the situation The lack of forced entry into the home, combined with signs of an altercation, suggest a painful possibility I think he had some kind of idea that Sydney was responsible for this. I don't think He thought that there was an intruder evenven though he might not wanted to believe it At that point, we know we're dealing with a homicide investigation It was just very unusual that we're trying to piece together, okay, was there an intruder or did Syiddney do this Despite her claims of a break in, Sidney Powell has become an unexpected person of interest in her mother's murder Since Brenda was on the phone with university administrators when she was attacked, detectives review her cell phone records for more information we know from looking at the cell phone records is There was about three minutes and thirty seconds between that first call and the second call And what we know is All of the injuries to Brenda happened within that three minutes and thirty seconds Investigators speak with the deans to corroborate. They were in the middle of a conversation with Brenda Powell But then they heard thumping and screaming and then the phone went dead. They're very emotional about it and they just didn't know what to make of it The deans say after the line went dead They immediately tried to call back And after a few attempts, someone answered And what they describe as a calm voice This is Brenda And Dean Gaffne and Dean Frasier having known Sidney as a student, they knew right away that that was Cindney. They asked her Sidney, is that you And then the phone went dead again Sidney's behavior on the phone where she says this is Brenda where she's pretending to be her saying everything's fine. It's a falsehood She never said anything about an intruder. So we began more and more as we looked into this that that was unlikely and that Sydney was actually responsible for this Forensic analysis seems to support police suspicions When the crime scene unit came, we started taking our time looking at the scene appeared with the knife and a skillet that those most likely came from inside of the house The most damning evidence is a set of bloody footprints in the house We were able to eliminate any Foreign Su being involved. It was Sydney's We knew that the main incident happened in a bedroom. and by observing all that blood all over the place in different locations throughout, it was clear to us that You know, Sydney had been moving throughout the house differentnt times you know, before and after the police arrived Although Sydney appeared traumatized at the time The evidence indicates she attempted to cover up what she'd done The broken window was at the very rear of the house. We didn't see any rock or any object that would have done it. So we think that she most likely did it with her own hands becausecause she did have blood on her hands after she knew the police were coming, she most likely broke out the windows to portray an intruder instead of what really happened four five hours into the investigation, we got authorization to sign charges on her for murder, for murdering her mother. We took her into custody. She didn't make any further statements. It's no longer who done it. We know who did it Anytime you handle a homicide that involves family members, why is always going to be the first question I first heard Siddney was arrested. I had the same response everybody heard. There was no way Anybody that knew Sydney Brenna would have guessed that This would have been the scenario that played out I've never seen Anything as brutal before. Brenda had severe head trauma and she had multiple stab wounds right below the base of her neck between her shoulders. It's going through our minds that, you know, what could happen to cause that much rage Following Sydney's arrest, detectives visit her university to better understand her psychological state After talking with the officials at Mount Union, we learned quite a bit about the situation that was going on with Sydney Sydney starts Mount Union Fall of twenty eighteen gooes there with one of her best friends. She joins a sorority By all appearances starts to just live a normal college life. She completes her first year and everything seems to be going fine But it's fall twenty nineteen when we notice that her grades start slipping. Sydney went from a three point eight grade point average I'm down to academic probation within two semesters So something was clearly wrong with Sydney There's conversations with deans. And eventually sheind up being disenrolled as a student in that spring twenty twenty semester Syiddney went home for Christmas break And she just couldn't tell her parents that she had been expelled or suspended from school Sydney's college friends tell investigators she came back from the break, acting like nothing was wrong. Sth even went back for the spring semester then January of twenty twenty and continue to even try to convince her friends and her roommates that she was still a student when in fact, she wasn't. She We're still going to classes. even though she wasn't in arm. She was trying to figure out ways of getting in the dorm building We talked to the city's roommate and best friend She would see her leave with a bookbag They went to social events together, like there were everybody else in Sydney's life She had no idea that Cidy was no longer a student. Did you notice any You you know changing her mood? Was she talking about anything When you were just talking or with their friends, she always seemed happy. I can tell until the end where she was kind of just like struggling and she kind of was Sad Oh I could tell she was getting more upset and more sad and I told her if you need anything, I'm here, but she never really opened up. Syidney was really trying to keep up this facade that everything in her world was okay when it was all completely crumbling. Mount Union is a small campus. The deans are obviously aware of what's going on with Sydneian find out she's still trying to stay on campus and pretend to be a student. And they pretty much make it clear to her she can't keep doing that Syidney's friends say she moved out of her dorm a week before the murder through examination of her phone, computer We knew that she was doing Google searches from various hotels and that she adopted home The school has made it pretty clear she's not allowed to stay on campus anymore. But she also knows she can't go home without letting her parents know what's been going on. so she doesn't want to choose that either. She's running out of money. She's running out of options Coming up Was this a crime of passion or a mental health crisis know leading indicators that would be That type of diagnoses And a divisive trial ensues I did not meet a family member that wanted a murder conviction, that wanted a life sentence for Sidney Powell's murder trial is set to begin in february twenty twenty two. two years after the brutal attack on her mother, Brenda Powell. Just before the court date arrives, prosecutors discover how she intends to plea. H offense was she was insane at the time and that prevented her from knowing the wrongfulness of her conduct One of the different things about not guilty by reason of insanity is that the defense has the burden to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the person is suffering from a severe mental disease or defect. She was being held involuntarily at the psychiatric unit. During that stay, they finally diagnosed her with schizophrenia This is the age when these serious mental diseases start to manifest. te's early twenties for females It was very surprising to hear that That is what the diagnosis was because there was no leading indicators that would be tyype of diagnoses The doctors started treating her immediately with antip psychotropic drugs. And she stabilized to the point where she could be released from a psychiatric hospital. Syidney is released on bond to her family while she awaits trial My job was now to make sure she is now going to be taken care of. I took her down to Brenda's mom's They have a farm down in easastern Ohio. She would always be really good with the horses and the dogs out there How were these she was getting better Sydney's lawyers had three doctors evaluate her And they all had the same conclusion All three of these doctors said is she was experiencing long periods of lucid thoughts but they were interrupted by serious and significant psychotic episodes that first serious psychotic break heard with her and Brenda, unfortunately the day that Brenda was killed I mean, it just doesn't make sense that the reason she killed her mom was because she got kicked out of school Killing Brenda doesn't solve that problem kind of attack, that kind of brutality is completely out of character for Syiddney and it screams insanity When we watch Sydney on the body cam police first arrive. She's completely disassociated. Where's your mom She had no recollection of any violence with her and her mother, but she's coming to and she's seeing this horrific crim scene and she's trying to make sense of what's going on eachach and every doctor saw that video, saw that footage, said That's a catatonic state. G me Brenda's family tells prosecutors they also don't think Syidney should be held responsible for her actions And they ask that she be declared unfit for trial very supportive her Grandparents are very supportive brrother supportive The goal for the whole family and for Syidney in law is just to get her better And we want a bag noobody. close to Brenda or Steve or Sidney was wishing to pursue this criminally We weren't asking them to let her go scot free or or without any of the analysis by the doctors. We wanted them to look at seriously and consider those three separate medical opinions showing that she was not guilty by reason of insanity. That's all we wanted The state ultimately decides to continue in pursuit of a trial standard in Ohio is that not only does a person have some kind of mental disease going on at the time, but it's because of that mental disease that they couldn't appreciate the wrongfulness of their actions Wh she may have had some mental health issues at the time her actions around the crime are clearly consistent with someone who knew exactly what they were doing and then try to cover it up Sydney never stops the cover up You know, even in the seconds afterwards, when the dean calls back and she's able to talk to him, she is still saying no, no, I'm Brenda. She pretends to be your mom. I'm not a psychiatrist, I don't have a medical degree. I can only look at the evidence that we have When she called her dad, she had just brutally killed her mother But she was still to me thinking Okay, I need to do something to make the police think that I didn't do this to make them think that there's an intruder preparation for the trial, Prosecutors hire their own expert to evaluate Syidney Dr. Obreredvich takes a look at the case file, interviews the defendant, gets her hands on as much information as possible and ultimately comes to the conclusion that Ciddy is competent to stand trial. and that she was sane at the time of the crime The psychologist interprets Sydney's behavior not as evidence of insanity but as a trauma response caused by witnessing her own brutal actions Siddney was also diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder as a result of what she had done to her mom and all the after effffects Prosecutors seek a trial date but it's delayed by the COVID pandemic. Siddney was out on bond for about three and a half years before the case went to trial She actually thrived while out on Bon. She helped out with the horses on the farm and it was helpful to her Pursuant to the doctors, she improved. understood what they were charging her with. I understood what happened. I understood everything, but still in my Heart of hearts, I'm still thinking this is not This is not happening This is not where nobody wanted it. There were Multiple attempts to come to a resolution to the trial prior to, so the family wouldn't have to go back through this. I was disappointed that this didn't happen in this case. It seemed to me prosecutors were interested in one thing, one thing only, which was a guilty verdict After multiple postponements, Syidney Powell's murder trial begins on september seventh, twenty twenty three. Narly four years after the death of her mother. Our heart goes out to the family in this case I know that they had different wishes And I do respect that But ultimately, we have to do our job and prosecute a crime what the whole trial centered upon was Did she know what she was doing or was it under the influence of some type of mental disability you have is a battle of the experts. was really all or nothing. And what I mean by that is it was either guilty of murder or not guilty by reason of insanity The trial is broadcast on television and streamed online Watching the trial was hard I think myself, along with everyone else who tuned in just wanted to know why. Why did she do the gruesome things that she did to her mom. Wh was her best friend, you know, confidant or someone that, you know, really loved and supported her You just look into her eyes like that's not her. She's not seeeeing the bodycam footage was I think harder than I thought it was going to be hearing her yell The Sidney Powell, I knew wouldn't ever do something like that Sdney We think the evidence showed clearly and conclusively that on Siddney was in the midst of a horrific, psychotic, violent break and did not know the wrongfulness of her conduct. After two weeks of hearing the evidence, the case rests in the hands of the jury Unfortunately They came back and said murder Do not buy thato was insane at the time In the state of Ohio, there's only one sentence for murder, and that is Life in prison with the possibility of parole after fifteen years So the judge imposed that sentence Although we were prepared for as best you can, a guilty verdict, it was still soul crushing We understand that this was not Sydney This was a very small little snippet in time. It's something Horribly wrong The investigators and the prosecutors, it wasn't for mental illness, it was just from problem that had built up and finally came to a head when the truth came out In that split second when she realized that her lie was going be un cover, she sab within that state that she was in She had more power than she realized down, I feel like she wasn't intentionally trying to kill her mom Even after her conviction, Syidney's loved ones are pursuing an appeal she knows and she doesn't We tell her that, you know, we still love her Brenda Wood You want us to continue to fight. have that sense of feeling that And she is right there with us leading this charge Siddy A lot of people told me how much Brend had touched You know, maybe not even their lives, but they they their cousin or anybody She just could do that I've spent a lot of time with Sydney, and Syidney more than anyone on the planet is trying to search for some answer. and you know, she is also incredibly remorseful and grieving, the loss of her mom, the loss of her best friend I really feel for the Pow family. It's traragic. I feel for Steve having to lose his wife in this manner and then essentially lose his daughter I can't imagine what they're going through It's just tragic. After Brenda's passing, we tried to figure out a way to keep her memory alive. And they actually came up with a, you know, a Brenda Cape House scholarship That's at Akron Children's Hospital. It gives financial reward for kids that have gone through cancer and are going on to a highigher education Brenda, you, loved working with the kids at the hospital That's just the way Brenda was. She was like Mother to them all She was just a sweet soul