Transcript of Anthony Sowell’s Statement

on August 12, 2011 in Serial Killers by Brian Combs

Tags: Anthony Sowell

What follows is the transcript of the testimony given Monday by Anthony Sowell in the sentencing phase of his trial. He was being interviewed by his attorney John Parker.

This is not sworn testimony, and the prosecution was not allowed to cross examine Sowell.

Sowell is very difficult to understand at times, but I believe this transcript to be fairly close. I’m sure the court reporter notes will be more accurate, but it could be months until those are available.

You can also watch the video, should you so desire.

Parker: Good afternoon Anthony.

Sowell: Good afternoon.

Parker: Okay, I need you to keep your voice up so the jurors can hear you. Let’s just start by having you give the jury your full name.

Sowell: Anthony Edward Sowell.

Parker: And what’s your birthday Anthony?

Sowell: August 19, 1959.

Parker: And how old are you right now?

Sowell: 51.

Parker: Right. Are you divorced?

Sowell: I’m divorced.

Parker: Right. And I believe you have one child, Twyla.

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: I want to talk to you first or ask you some questions first about your childhood. There was a time where you lived on East 88th Street, is that right?

Sowell: Correct.

Parker: You also lived on Central for a short time?

Sowell: Correct.

Parker: And there was a time when you lived on Parkgate.

Sowell: Yeah.

Parker: And I want to talk or ask you questions initially about when you live on Parkgate, do you remember a person by the name of Princess.

Sowell: Yes, I do.

Parker: And did Princess have a brother.

Sowell: Shorty.

Parker: His name is Shorty.

Sowell: I don’t know — I don’t know his name but that’s what we call him, Shorty.

Parker: And when you lived on Parkgate, do you know approximately how old were you? What grade were you in?

Sowell: I am — I don’t — I just finished first grade when we moved in I think so 6, 7, I was 8th grade in here.

Parker: Okay, and did something happen with Princess?

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: Can you tell the jury about that?

Sowell: She sexually abused me.

Parker: Did this happen one time?

Sowell: Many.

Parker: Many times. Can you give the jury the details?

Sowell: No, I don’t want to talk about that.

Parker: But that’s when you were living on Parkgate.

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: Now, there was a time when you lived with Robin and Monica before Parkgate.

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: Was there something that you saw happen between Robin and Monica?

Sowell: He took her in her closet and — he was like having lots of — there were a lot sexual activity going on there. This was happening at my sister’s house.

Parker: Patricia’s house?

Sowell: Yes sir. And he basically, being the oldest, he was like directing everybody what, you don’t really want to do but I remember how he taken Monica, which I call my older sister, into the closet.

Parker: You don’t know what happened exactly in the closet?

Sowell: No, no.

Parker: Right. And how old would you have been around this time?

Sowell: Probably, definitely under five.

Parker: And was there a time when —

Sowell: Well, five or six, I take that back.

Parker: Was there a time you remember something happening between you and Rob?

Sowell: I don’t remember what it was exactly but he was messed when I bit him.

Parker: You bit him?

Sowell: Yeah, I never did that before, but I bit him. I got tired of him messing with my thing. I don’t know what exactly happened.

Parker: Where did you bite him? What part of his body?

Sowell: On his arm somewhere, probably right above his wrist.

Parker: You bite him hard?

Sowell: Oh yeah.

Parker: I want to move on to when you and your family moved to East Cleveland.

Sowell: Okay.

Parker: When you moved to the house on Page in East Cleveland, do you remember what grade you were in?

Sowell: Sixth.

Parker: And was there any difference between the East Cleveland school system and the Cleveland school system that you came out of.

Sowell: Big difference.

Parker: What was the difference?

Sowell: East Cleveland’s schools are much better.

Parker: Can you give us some examples?

Sowell: Well, they had cardboard on the class, rooms on the floor. Each classroom had their projector, overhead projector, film projector. The classes are much better. We had, sometime later I had to pick an instrument I had to play.

Parker: Okay. Did you play a musical instrument?

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: What do you play?

Sowell: Cello.

Parker: Alright. And at the end of the sixth grade did you have a program or a concert?

Sowell: Yes. Well, we had to learn two songs I think. We did a concert for our parent — teachers and parents.

Parker: Do you remember what song you played on your cello?

Sowell: Yes, I remember one, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Parker: Did you enjoy learning that musical instrument?

Sowell: Oh yes. I love music.

Parker: And you had a teacher named Mr. Seidman, is that right?

Sowell: Correct. Science teacher.

Parker: That was a little later on, right?

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: Did you enjoy Mr. Seidman’s class?

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: Did you participate when he taught the kids how to play chess?

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: And is that where you learned how to play chess?

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: Was there something you’ve done throughout your whole life after that?

Sowell: Yes sir, I became quite good at it.

Parker: Okay. Now, I want to talk about your home life on Page Avenue as a child.

Sowell: Yeah.

Parker: You obviously know Ramona and Leona, correct?

Sowell: Correct.

Parker: You saw their testimony —

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: — over the last week or so? Did you know about those beatings that they suffered?

Sowell: Of course.

Parker: Did you witness those beatings?

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: Were you ever whooped or beaten yourself?

Sowell: Of course.

Parker: Can you explain that?

Sowell: Whooped and beaten, I mean…

Parker: Right. Well, were you beaten with a switch ever?

Sowell: Switch, iron cord, when I was sleeping use a cane, broom.

Parker: And who are the people who would whoop you like this?

Sowell: Both my grandmother and mother.

Parker: Do you remember an incident when you were brought up in Page, when you were upstairs in bed asleep?

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: What happened in this instance?

Sowell: My mother came up and started whooping me while I was asleep.

Parker: What was she using to whoop you?

Sowell: I think it was extension cord that time.

Parker: The house on Page, was there a lot of yelling and screaming?

Sowell: Everyday, all the time.

Parker: Explain that as best as you can.

Sowell: There’s just constant yelling and screaming. I mean they argue about money, they argue over (Inaudible) to get rid of this constant, all day, they were yelling at the kids, they was always going off. There’s a lot of war in here.

Parker: It’s like a war?

Sowell: It’s like a war.

Parker: When you were brought up in that house, did you feel like you got any nurturing from your mother?

Sowell: That didn’t go down.

Parker: That didn’t go down?

Sowell: That didn’t go down. That’s why I steal the day like my sister and kids get together I cannot actually really go hold their hands and stuff. I can’t do it. Physically, I can’t do it.

Parker: Have you ever hugged your sister?

Sowell: No.

Parker: That’s how — the way you love her. You love her, don’t you?

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: She has never hugged you? Did you get to a point, Anthony, where you wanted to get out of that house?

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: Why do you want to get out of the house?

Sowell: Because I just want to escape.

Parker: How did you escape?

Sowell: I joined the Marines.

Parker: Did your mother want you to join the Marines?

Sowell: She didn’t, she argued against it but she end up signing the papers, because this might happen anyway when I turn 18 in August that year. I finished school when I was 17 so I was going. I got into the Marines. That started off early that year. I actually signed up with the army — I was literally with the army at first. Early that year, around February or March, I started at the recruiting camp at school but then I got called him, came up and started talking to me and talked to my parent and I initially took my entrance test with the United States Army.

Parker: Why didn’t you join the Army?

Sowell: Because I heard the Marines were tougher.

Parker: Why do you want to go to the tougher?

Sowell: Because I have a point to prove.

Parker: What do you want to prove?

Sowell: That I can do it. That I — I was constantly kind of put down and stuff so —

Parker: Were you picked on in school?

Sowell: Sometimes.

Parker: Why would kids pick on you?

Sowell: Because I was quiet and you know all to myself sometimes and avoid. I just wasn’t used to really associate with a lot of other kids from slum.

Parker: Were you allowed to have friends with you at home?

Sowell: Well, when we got to East Cleveland, yes.

Parker: Okay. Before East Cleveland?

Sowell: No.

Parker: So you joined the Marines to prove a point.

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: To whom are you going to prove it?

Sowell: My mother.

Parker: So you in fact joined the Marines.

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: And you did very well at your camp, correct?

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: You got behind (Inaudible), is that right?

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: And you met a woman that became very special to you at the Marine Corps?

Sowell: My wife.
Parker: Your wife. What’s your wife’s name?

Sowell: Kim Yvette Lawson.

Parker: Where did you meet Kim?

Sowell: Okinawa, Japan.

Parker: When you were serving the Marines?

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: Was she a Marine officer?

Sowell: Yes sir, she was.

Parker: So you met Kim in Japan and you ended up marrying her, is that right?

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: Where did you two get married?

Sowell: North Carolina. New Bern, North Carolina.

Parker: And you loved her, didn’t you?

Sowell: Of course. Still do.

Parker: You still do.

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: How would you describe your relationship with your wife Kim?

Sowell: It was really good.

Parker: It was good?

Sowell: It was good. Best I ever had in my life.

Parker: Best thing. Did she help you with some things?

Sowell: Oh, yeah most definitely.

Parker: What kind of things did she help you?

Sowell: Well, she understood me better, could handle me better than anyone I ever seen. I don’t know, we just had that connection. Well, I know we’re talking about my childhood, I would not abuse her too, but a lot of things, I just learned, I know I had come up from a bad — I had a bad childhood and after we ge0t married I had, you know, I had some issues that she helped me on.

Parker: So could you be affectionate with her?

Sowell: I could be affectionate but she was one of those really touchy kinds of females and I could just learn just one time. I would not think we’d be sitting on the couch and I think she put her arm around me or something like that, I almost act violent. I just don’t — I didn’t like her touching me like that.

Parker: She helped you with that?

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: Now, you were still in the Marine Corps when — she left the Marine Corps before you, is that right?

Sowell: I think she might have left after me.

Parker: Okay. But there was a point in time when the two of you got divorced.

Sowell: Yes, 1985.

Parker: She went back to her hometown in California. As far as you know.

Sowell: She was already in California.

Parker: She was already there.

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: Now, there was an incident while you were in North Carolina and I believe you were married to Kim at this point where you were in an accident involving your car. Do you remember that?

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: Tell us about that.

Sowell: Well, as a matter of fact, that was night my mom was coming down and I had my sister and my daughter had been down to visit me and my mom was on the way to come down at night, so friends of mine — a friend of mine, another Marine was being transferred to Washington, D.C. the next day and so he was having — him and his wife were having a going away party and because my mom was coming, Kim has to stay home plus you know my daughter and sister was there too and she — my sister was only 16 so. So my wife stayed home and I went ahead to the party. On my way home, my car overheated and shut off, and when I went up by the hood, and when — I was messing around because it was hissing at the hose. It just blew off and when it blew off, they pointed straight to my face so it did hit in the face but I didn’t have a chance to close my eyes and everything so it actually just hit me straight to my eyes and my face. And —

Parker: That burned your face?

Sowell: Second to third degree burns.

Parker: It burned your eyes.

Sowell: Yes. Split them.

Parker: Were you blinded by that incident?

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: For how long?

Sowell: Over three months.

Parker: And your wife had to treat you to get you through that.

Sowell: Yes. That’s all I have. Well, I didn’t want my sister and daughter there, you know going through that so I must sent them home.

Parker: You set them home, you and your wife dealt with your injuries.

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: And you left the Marines in what year?

Sowell: 1985, January.

Parker: Now, after you left the Marines, you were arrested on various serious cases, is that right?

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: And you plead guilty to attempted rape, is that right?

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: And then you went to prison for that?

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: Now, while you were in prison, you were actually at different prisons within the Ohio system, is that correct?

Sowell: Correct.

Parker: You were at Chillicothe at one time?

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: Did you work while you were at Chillicothe?

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: What kind of work did you do?

Sowell: I started off as an electrician.

Parker: And then at some point you went to work at the Ohio Prison Industry.

Sowell: Yes, OPI.

Parker: OPI?

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: And what kind of work did you do there?

Sowell: I was a cabman.

Parker: What does that mean?

Sowell: Cabman is a — okay you know that — the snow truck you see out here with the boards in front of him but shovel the snow bulk in front and dump it and flash lights, that’s we make good knowledge of the (Inaudible).

Parker: Right, and so what was your job with respect to that?

Sowell: The cabman does the electrical systems inside the, under the dash, inside the cap of the truck. I had to do all the wirings, like put the bottom lights, troughs and everything, and hook them up into the electrical system.

Parker: Then there was a time you went to prison called Madison, is that right?

Sowell: Correct.

Parker: What kind of work did you do in Madison?

Sowell: I worked in repairs, minor engine (Inaudible).

Parker: I’m sorry, you keep the repairs.

Sowell: I mean the dorm, yard crew and you know.

Parker: Right. And there was a time you then got transferred up to the prison called Grafton.

Sowell: Correct.

Parker: About how many years did you spend in Grafton?

Sowell: Nine.

Parker: What kind of jobs did you have in Grafton?

Sowell: I started off on the yard crew, went to OPI.

Parker: Ohio Prison Industry?

Sowell: Yes, another OPI.

Parker: A different one.

Sowell: A different one.

Parker: And —

Sowell: And later, I was laid off, and sent to the kitchen.

Parker: Right. So there was a time you started working in the kitchen of Grafton.

Sowell: Correct.

Parker: Did you enjoy that work?

Sowell: Not at first.

Parker: Not at first. Okay.

Sowell: Kitchen is a punishment in prison.

Parker: Okay. Is there a point in time where you began to enjoy it?

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: And what did you enjoy about that?

Sowell: I like to eat.

Parker: Okay. Did you work there every day in helping count and prepare food?

Sowell: That came like a year later. I did the — I was called the hotbox.

Parker: Okay.

Sowell: And the job of the hotbox there is to assist the cooks and also get the food from the cooks and distribute out. There are different foods and when you come in, your line is like a V. You got a line going this way, a line going this way. Each side got to be — the food got to be put in there and that’s what I did so I had to keep count of who is coming to chow, was it like steak week or you know what the meal was and you know.

Parker: And when you worked in the kitchen, you were being evaluated by the staff of the prison, is that right?

Sowell: Correct.

Parker: You became friends with Roosevelt Lloyd while in Grafton?

Sowell: Correct.

Parker: You and Roosevelt got to be good friends.

Sowell: Correct.

Parker: And when did you get out of prison?

Sowell: June 1985. I mean June of 2005.

Parker: What were your goals when you got out of prison?

Sowell: First was to get a job.

Parker: What does that mean to you?

Sowell: To me, that — I had always worked and to me that was like critical.

Parker: And did you go to a reentry program?

Sowell: I got out on a Friday, I think. I called them and I had an appointment right the next week.

Parker: That networks for (Inaudible).

Sowell: Correct.

Parker: And you went through their program, is that right?

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: They helped you get a job?

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: Do you remember a job that you had working in Old Jacobs Field?

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: Working with the Cleveland Indians.

Sowell: Yes, I do.

Parker: What did you do there?

Sowell: I was hired as a cook.

Parker: Is that through like a temporary agency?

Sowell: It’s called Paragon.

Parker: Paragon.

Sowell: It’s a food service, temp service.

Parker: What was your job when you worked there?

Sowell: I did prep.

Parker: What’s prep?

Sowell: Prep is preparing — basically preparing the food before cooked.

Parker: What type of things did you actually do?

Sowell: Well, vegetables — carrots, onions, tomatoes, whatever, I make up the salads, I make up the condiment plates, all kind of things like that.

Parker: Did you enjoy that one?

Sowell: I did because I’ve never done that’s why. I was asked before I took the job whether it would be okay because I’m actually a cook, and I do prep. No, that’s not, most cooks have gone for.

Parker: And it’s kind of one step below.

Sowell: Yes, but then I still get to pay my tax with my salary, and of course I want to learn that part of it anyway so, I said, you know, I’ll do it. No problem.

Parker: How many hours did you work there?

Sowell: Twelve

Parker: Why did you work such long hours?

Sowell: That’s the hours, starts around on the morning. Cooking — people don’t know Jacobs Field got about five different kitchens. They got a main kitchen, then they got terrace lounge, club lounge, all the different lounges, they have kitchen so we can go until night. I was going. When I’m in the main kitchen sometime, then shipping up to the terrace lounge. I work a lot at the club, which I like the club lounge.

Parker: How would you describe that job?

Sowell: It’s the best job I ever had.

Parker: The season came to end, right?

Sowell: Correct.

Parker: And you went to another job after that?

Sowell: Nampak.

Parker: Nampak?

Sowell: North American Package.

Parker: How was that job?

Sowell: Terrible.

Parker: Why do you say so?

Sowell: It’s hard.

Parker: It’s a hard job.

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: There’s mainly pressure.

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: How long did you work there?

Sowell: Three months.

Parker: Why did you not work here longer?

Sowell: I was laid off.

Parker: Did you get another job after that?

Sowell: Yes. Uh, Custom Rubber.

Parker: What kind of work did you do there?

Sowell: Machine operator.

Parker: What type of things did you do?

Sowell: Injecting molding.

Parker: Now, did you work in full time while you were there?

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: Did they treat you well?

Sowell: Yeah.

Parker: Now, there comes February of 2007 and you have a major medical problem. Is that fair to say?

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: What happened?

Sowell: I had a major heart attack.

Parker: Tell us about the day meeting up before you went to VA Hospital.

Sowell: Well, I didn’t know. I had a heart attack but I didn’t have symptoms of a heart attack so when I had a heart attack, I thought I had a flu — what have happened, I was going to my sister one day and this was right after the big snow storm and was an elderly woman shoveling snow on my street and I walk pass them and when I walk pass, I said, “Ma’am you shouldn’t be shoveling snow like that.” And she said, that she can handle that, she can do it, they wouldn’t deliver her mail as long as it’s half a block, so I turned around and I shoveled it for her. I was heated, walked to my sister’s — I’m going to walk, so I like to walk, so I walked over to my sister’s house and there I threw up. That’s when it actually happened.

Parker: You didn’t realize that at the time?

Sowell: No, I just thought I — because she got so many kids, she got nine kids, I thought — matter of fact they’ve commented, you know I just got here, I can’t be sick already. So I called my niece Danielle and just stop by the house and had left but I called her back and told her to give me a ride home because I know I couldn’t make it back home by myself.

Parker: And you said something about your walk.

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: What do you mean by that?

Sowell: I like to walk. My father liked to walk.

Parker: Walk long distances?

Sowell: Yes, very long distance.

Parker: Would you walk from your house in Imperial to your job at Custom Rubber?

Sowell: I’ve done that before.

Parker: That’s down East 55th Street.

Sowell: Correct.

Parker: Off St.Claire.

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: How far did you think that is?

Sowell: I don’t know, a few miles.

Parker: How long would it take you to walk?

Sowell: An hour and a half.

Parker: Okay. Now, after this —

Sowell: But I didn’t finish about the heart attack.

Parker: I’m sorry. Go ahead.

Sowell: So I kept on going to work and I was getting sicker and sicker. I was taking Theraflu and stuff like that, still getting sicker. So just finally, as a matter of fact, my boss has been asking about being sick and I told her, no, I was alright.

Parker: By the name of Chris.

Sowell: Yes, Chris.

Parker: Okay, go on.

Sowell: And so I finally got really sick when I came in but I was determined to — I come in to work at six. Christine which is office, front officer don’t get until eight for this day, she happen to be here but I didn’t really know. So I was really trying wait until eight o’clock when they got here, so I worked at eight and I stopped but at that time my body totally shut down, I couldn’t — I could barely lie to crawl up the steps almost and they called Chris over and Chris told me to go home but don’t come back until I get well, so she again messed me up.

Parker: So you were — you tried to work after this?

Sowell: After the heart attack?

Parker: Yeah.

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: There came a point in time when you went to VA?

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: Right. You literally.

Sowell: Well, I had problems with my ID.

Parker: Okay.

Sowell: This was a Wednesday, when she left to go for work, but when you have a heart attack, you’re so tired. By the time I get home I like to do was lay down and go to sleep. So that was Wednesday. Thursday, I’m really trying to get my ID. My ID had been taken by somebody and I tried to get it returned so I messed around for the whole day doing that. So that was Thursday. Friday, I called my sister and told her to give me a ride over there to pick up my ID. My sister didn’t show up until four in the evening and she took me over to get the ID, the people who won’t give me my ID, so she took me to the VA Hospital anyway. They won’t let me in because I haven’t registered in VA. I never went in VA before.

Parker: And you didn’t have your ID.

Sowell: And I didn’t have ID so they won’t accept so that took me to Saturday I just got on you instead of hanging but I just got up caught a bus and went down to 55th Driver’s License Bureau to get my ID and got over to the VA.

Parker: What happened when you got to the VA?

Sowell: Well, I fell out. I was on the 50 and 50 come around at the front of VA, it goes down beside, and when the bus is going to front, I stood up and when I stood up, I just fell down.

Parker: So they got you into a hospital, into VA.

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: And then you were transported over to Cleveland Clinic.

Sowell: Well, not directly. They took me upstairs. I was to say immediately after they took my blood pressure and stuff because there obviously was wrong. And I was sent upstairs which they then helped me staying but once they examined me and everything, it found out that I had heart damage, that I’ve had heart attack some time ago.

Parker: So at that point you get taken over to the Cleveland Clinic.

Sowell: Yes. Well, because it was a Saturday, a weekend, your VA don’t have a full staff, I had to have an emergency surgeon right then. They didn’t have time to call in their doctors so they had to put me in an ambulance and send me to Cleveland Clinic.

Parker: That’s when they put in the pacemaker.

Sowell: No. Not directly. I’m on an operating table, I had a clogged ar — three clogged arteries.

Parker: Alright.

Sowell: Two major arteries clogged, 100%. One was 80%. On the first day, soon as they took me out of the ambulance, I went straight on an operating table. And they unclogged two arteries. They didn’t want to do all of the stress in my heart so they did two of them at the first day and I was sent upstairs. I got a pacemaker like that — I think that Monday night they was transformed to critical, critical upstairs, and I started to die. And they have to give me as emergency pacemaker which they put it to your neck and just a few days later, they took, they cleared the artery and like after that, about towards the end then they gave the switch pacemaker. Because the pacemaker, temporary pacemaker is like a box about this big, this wide, and it’s on a stand. I had to walk around with it.

Parker: Right. And they put it in this permanent pacemaker in your chest.

Sowell: Pacemaker. Let’s — pacemaker with different layer.

Parker: Okay. So you’ve got that in your chest ever since.

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: They wanted you to do rehab after you got out of the hospital, is that right?

Sowell: Correct.

Parker: Did you do all your rehab?

Sowell: I didn’t do any.

Parker: Why didn’t you do the rehab?

Sowell: Number one, it was the Cleveland Clinic. I was only sent to Cleveland Clinic on a heart problem. Not the after care, that bill alone was almost $200,000. I cannot — there’s no way I could afford. And they wanted me to go to rehab everyday of the week.

Parker: Everyday.

Sowell: Everyday, from that morning to, basically eight hours. Every day, I said I could not. I said, number one, I wouldn’t be able to pay for it. And number two, I would lose my job.

Parker: And you wanted to go back to work to Custom Rubbers?

Sowell: I did go back to work.

Parker: You did go back to work.

Sowell: Correct.

Parker: How long did you stay in Custom Rubbers?

Sowell: Well —

Parker: If you remember.

Sowell: I’m suggesting March, May, until June — to July.

Parker: Alright. Why is that you left the Custom Rubbers?

Sowell: Well, I don’t know what the month was. I don’t know whether June or July.

Parker: Okay. Whatever month it was —

Sowell: I got sick at work.

Parker: Okay.

Sowell: They had to call an ambulance and I went — they took me into the hospital and when I returned to work, the worst thing is going to happen. I got sick again after a heart attack at work, that really was the nail in the coffin.
Parker: So you just couldn’t do the work anymore?

Sowell: Not — I could do the work but — I couldn’t do the work, that was one thing but on the employer standpoint —

Parker: Right.

Sowell: — even though they want him, because I asked them, you know, they really, that’s kind of a big liability to have somebody who has had heart problems and fallen out of work and stuff, it would be an issue so, there’s kind of a combination.

Parker: Alright. So after that incident, you left Custom Rubber?

Sowell: Yes, when me and Chris got together and discussed and I thanked her for giving me a chance and everything. Yes, but I don’t want to cause her no problem.

Parker: You were a registered sex offender, right?

Sowell: Correct.

Parker: So that with a corrected file, you’ve got a lot time into prison.

Sowell: Correct.

Parker: It’s hard to find a decent job, right?

Sowell: Correct.

Parker: But they’d given you a chance.

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: You worked there for about a year and a half.

Sowell: Correct.

Parker: After you had the heart attack, did your health change?

Sowell: Drastically.

Parker: How did your health change?

Sowell: Well, we were speaking of chess, I will give you example. I’m a good chess player. I play on the Internet. I used to play on the Internet all the time. My game — I could not win a chess game after this heart attack. I just stopped playing. I could not win a game.

Parker: How were your emotions?

Sowell: Well, I was depressed, mood swings, there’s just all kinds that I can’t even explain. I would just feel sad and lonely and stuff all the time, you know.

Parker: Was there a point in time after the heart attack, you started to hear a voice.

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: Did you give that voice a name?

Sowell: I didn’t give it a name, it had a name.

Parker: It had a name.

Sowell: Yes.

Parker: What was the name?

Sowell: Arnie.

Parker: Would Arnie speak to you?

Sowell: Yes sir.

Parker: Anthony, you know why you’re here obviously.

Sowell: Correct.

Parker: Is there anything you want to say to the families of the victims in this case?

Sowell: Well, all I can say is I’m sorry. I know that it might not sound that much but I truly am sorry from the bottom of my heart. This is not typical of me. I don’t know what happened. I can’t explain it. Well, I know it’s not a lot but that’s all I can give.

Parker: Thank you, Your Honor.