Harry Smith on Anthony Sowell and His Cleveland House of Horrors

By: Harry Smith
Topics: Daily Blotter

(AP)

Photo: Anthony Sowell, left, stands behind public defender in Cleveland court Nov. 4, 2009.

NEW YORK (CBS) There was a stench in the neighborhood in Cleveland that folks complained about for months. People said it's that little sausage factory.

PICTURES: Anthony Sowell's Home of Horror

But, it wasn't of course.

The smell was of decomposing human flesh in and outside the house of Anthony Sowell.

Authorities have counted at least ten bodies on the property so far and they're looking for more.

Sowell was let out of jail a few years back for an attempted rape conviction. And it looks like he's been luring women to his home and then killing them ever since.

A woman who escaped from Sowell said he tried to choke her. And said no one will care because "you're just a crack whore." I spoke with a young woman on Wednesday whose mother became addicted to drugs. She went missing from that neighborhood a year ago.

When the daughter went to the police… they laughed and said "oh she'll show up for Christmas."

Human beings viewed as dispensable, discardable. And Anthony Sowell was there to take advantage.

(CBS)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Harry Smith has been an anchor of The Early Show since October 2002. He also hosts a daily radio news and analysis feature, "Just a Minute," on the CBS News Radio Network. He serves as substitute anchor and occasional correspondent for CBS News Sunday Morning and anchored and contributed to CBS News documentaries, as well as to 48 Hours.

PICTURES: Anthony Sowell's Home of Horror

MORE ON CRIMESIDER
November 4, 2009 - Skull in Bucket Found in Anthony Sowell's Home, Say Cleveland Cops
November 2, 2009 - Anthony Sowell House of Horrors: Who's Buried There?
November 2, 2009 - Anthony Sowell Cruised Sex Fetish Site While Dead Bodies Rotted in His Cleveland Home
November 2, 2009 - Six Died Violently at Anthony Sowell's Cleveland Home, Say Police

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Associated Press has withdrawn reports referring to Sowell as a "convicted rapist." The AP says that Sowell was only convicted of attempted rape, according to police.

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by T6125 November 5, 2009 12:34 AM EST

This man should hit the electric chair, and quick. He is the devil. He deserves not the wait time in jail.

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by boonelee November 4, 2009 5:25 PM EST

Police officers laughing in a woman's face when she's concerned about her mother missing is a crime in and of itself. The argument that prostitutes or drug addicts consider themselves worthless is a moot point- as the state/city police are legally inclined to help ALL CITIZENS, regardless of that citizens particular life choice.
The unfortunate fact is that many workers in many different government agencies (the police, dshs, welfare, child services, etc) are often extremely jaded. They put effort into helping people, and yet those same people mess up their own lives again and show no thanks. This is understandable. However, it is still their duty to treat all individuals with the same concern.

Doing your job and showing empathy is not 'spitting into the wind'. I pity you if you think it is.

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by JonesTownMayor November 5, 2009 1:30 PM EST

boonelee,

I wasn't speaking about the alleged report that the police allegedly "laughed" in the reporting woman's face. The "spitting into the wind" phrase is about the futility of our attempts as a society to protect ourselves or render *justice.*

I defy you to work the dregs of our society day in and day out and not let it harden you. Because becoming desensitized is a self-defence mechanism natural to every creature. Showing empathy to someone who does not exhibit empathy for themselves is very, very difficult for humans to do. The police are fellow humans first of all. They absolutely try harder than the rest of us, because deciding to be a police officer is an act of sacrifice for the greater good. No amount of pay is enough to make it just about the money.

So save your pity for the victims and their loved ones who mourn them. Save your pity for our society which keeps giving off the odor and signs of decay, but we keep acting like it must be the sausage shop.

Let us execute Sowell, within five years, not ten, or 20 or never even if so convicted.

But anti-death penalty fools *LIKE* rapists, child molesters and murderers.

Yes, they do. Because they insist on keeping them around. So, go talk to them. Ask them why they think so little of women.

by JonesTownMayor November 4, 2009 4:44 PM EST

"Human beings viewed as dispensable, discardable. And Anthony Sowell was there to take advantage."

The first person to think of women as expendable was Sowell. You should be holding him completely responsible for what he did, not "society." The more you try to make everyone *but* Sowell feel guilty for not being perfect, therefore we lead Sowell into temptation, the more you demoralize your fellow citizens.

The more we feel like we're spitting into the wind, because we're never good enough for you, then the less we even try. Why should we keep trying when we'll get nothing but criticized? You never try to actually help. And by "you" I mean the careless main stream media you are a member of.

How about demoralizing the criminals for a change?

Unfortunately, even the women who were prostitutes and/or drug addicts consider themselves worthless. If we harshly punished soliciting prostitution, instead of tolerating it like we have for millenia, then prostitution would evaporate; there'd be no market for it. (And a lot of other crimes that naturally show up with prostitution would drop to the bottom of the charts.)

Good luck with that.

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