Anthony Sowell The Cleveland Strangler - 723 Words

My research paper is on Anthony Sowell, a serial killer, identified in press reports as the Cleveland Strangler. My research will examine and explain Anthony Sowell’s life and history prior to his crimes, the crimes and personality theories that apply to his deviant behavior. Anthony Edward Sowell was raised in East Cleveland. He was one of seven children born to single mother. Seven other children belonging to Sowells sister also lived in the household, having moved in after the death of their chronically ill mother. According to Sowells niece, Anthony’s mother subjected the siblings to physical abuse while her own children watched from adjacent rooms. In one incident, the mother forced her to strip naked in front of the other children, then, whipped her with electrical cords until she bled. Sowell himself began raping his niece on an almost-daily basis for two years, starting at the age of eleven. When Anthony turned 19 years old, he left his family to join the United States Marine Corps. He served a total of seven years in the Marines, traveling and living in the Carolinas, Japan and California. Anthony trained and worked as electrician in the military. He also received many awards during his service and was eventually honorably discharged in 1985. Anthony Sowell returned to Cleveland after being discharged from the United States Marine Corps. In 1989, a woman who was three months pregnant went to Sowell’s home voluntarily. When she tried to leave, he bound her