An Akron woman who had been accused of fatally stabbing her mother three years ago has been found guilty by a jury in the Summit County Court of Common Pleas.
The defendant, Sydney Powell, 23, was found guilty of two counts of murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence for stabbing her 50-year-old mother, Brenda Powell, with a steak knife nearly 30 times and beating her with a cast-iron skillet in March 2020, when Powell was 19, according to the Summit County Prosecutor's Office.
According to the Akron Beacon Journal, during closing arguments, prosecutors said that Sydney Powell "killed her mother because she had just found out Sydney had been kicked out of Mount Union University and didn’t want her secret to be revealed."
During testimony, experts couldn't agree on whether the defendant was sane when the murder happened. Powell had entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, according to Court TV reporting.
The jury deliberated for 9 hours and 23 minutes before finding Powell guilty, Court TV reports. Powell became very emotional just before the verdict was read and was audibly crying while being taken into custody.
Powell's sentencing was set for Oct. 28, where a judge will decide whether she will serve her sentence in prison or a mental health facility.
Authorities said on March 3, 2020, they responded to the 1900 block of Scudder Drive near White Pond Drive after receiving a phone call about a possible struggle inside the home. Police said Powell assaulted her mother, Brenda Powell, during an argument.
Brenda Powell was transported to Cleveland Clinic Akron General Medical Center, where she later died, police said. According to the Summit County Medical Examiner's Office, she died from multiple sharp and blunt-force injuries.
Sydney Powell was later charged for her mother's death and held in lieu of a $250,000 bond.
Watch our report on the stabbing from 2020:
CLICK HERE to read more from the ABJ.
