Ohio man appeals death sentence for killing 11 women

COLUMBUS (AP) — Attorneys for an Ohio serial killer convicted of hiding the remains of 11 women around his Cleveland home say his original defense team should have focused on sparing him from the death penalty.

Attorneys for Anthony Sowell told the Ohio Supreme Court in an appeal filed today that it was a forgone conclusion he would be convicted.

The appeal says the defense trial strategy was irrational and should have focused on avoiding the death penalty. The appeal seeks a new trial or new sentencing hearing.

Original defense co-counsel Rufus Sims says Sowell received an aggressive defense and that conceding guilt when he was presumed innocent would amount to legal malpractice. Fellow co-counsel John Parker declined comment.

The women whose bodies were found at Sowell’s home began disappearing in 2007.