The Murder of Brenda Powell
HELLO, I’M BACK!!! I promise I won’t leave you guys hanging for as long as I have. It’s just been a crazy month. But, today I watched an episode of Snapped for this case. It’s season 34 episode 4.
A loving mother is found in critical condition in her home.
Background
Brenda Doyle was born on March 16, 1969. She was a high achiever and graduated from the University of Akron with a degree in early childhood education. She went on to work at the Akron Children’s Hospital. She was very loved by all of her patients.
In 1996, Brenda married Steven Powell. They went on to have 2 children together. Sydney was born in 2000, and their son in 2003.
Brenda was described as always being happy and was especially close with her daughter.
Brenda Powell
Brenda and Sydney
The Welfare Check
On March 3, 2020, the police received a phone call from school officials from the University of Mount Union. The university is a private liberal arts college in Alliance, Ohio, about a 40-minute drive from where the Powells lived.
The school officials told the police that they had been on the phone with Brenda Powell regarding her daughter, Sydney. The officials heard loud thuds and screaming before the phone went dead. They tried calling back but insisted that the police go to the house to check on the situation.
When the police arrived, they could hear screaming. There was a broken window and blood in the back of the house. The sliding glass door was found to be unlocked.
The police entered the home. Inside, they found a young woman covered in blood. She was identified as Sydney Powell and was asked where her mom was. She was hysterical and trying to stop the officers from walking down the hallway.
Sydney told the police that an intruder had broken in and that her mom was bleeding. Brenda was found in her bedroom covered in blood. She had several wounds to her head and neck. Brenda had a faint pulse and was rushed to the hospital.
A Violent Struggle
Sydney was very emotional and uncontrollable. She was removed from the scene. The police continued to ask her for information about what had happened. On their body cam, Sydney could be heard saying she wanted her dad. The only information Sydney could tell them was she heard a bang and her mom telling her to get out.
Steven received a call from one of his friends who worked as a police officer. Steven had been told that something had been happening at his address, so he rushed home. Sydney was lying on the ground by the mailbox when Steven arrived.
Sydney went into a catatonic state and was rushed to the psychiatric unit of the hospital.
With Brenda and Sydney out of the house, the police could search the home. An iron skillet and knife were found on the ground in one of the bedrooms. The bedroom was covered in blood. Brenda’s phone was also found as she had been on the phone when she was attacked.
A Shocking Discovery
Steven was interviewed by the police about his communication with Brenda and Sydney that day.
Steven said he and Brenda had breakfast and then both left for work. Sydney would be arriving later from college for spring break.
Steven said he tried to log in to pay Sydney’s tuition but his login didn’t work. He contacted the university, and that’s when he was told that Sydney was no longer enrolled. She had been academically suspended 2 months earlier.
Steven tracked Sydney’s phone as he and Brenda had downloaded Life360 onto it. Sydney had arrived at their home, so he went home to speak to her. Sydney broke down and told him how overwhelmed she was with school. Steven contacted Brenda about the situation and went back to work.
At 11:49 am, Steven received a phone call from Brenda that she was pulling into the driveway. An hour later, Steven received the phone call that something had happened.
Steven said he spoke to Sydney before he left work and asked why there were police at the home. He said Sydney started screaming and said there had been an intruder.
Steven said Sydney had always been good in school and excelled in soccer. She received a scholarship to the University of Mount Union.
What Really Happened?
After examining the crime scene, the police believed that the scene had been staged. There had been blood found on the inside and outside of the bedroom. Sydney had cuts on her hands from punching the window out.
Sydney’s bloody footprints were also found as she had been walking all over the house.
The police spoke to the school officials and learned that Sydney had picked up one of the calls pretending to be her mom. They recognized her voice and when they asked if it was Sydney on the other end, she hung up. The officials described Sydney as being calm when she picked up the phone.
The police also determined that Sydney had attacked Brenda in about 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Brenda had hit and stabbed about 3o times.
Sydney’s Behavior
About 4 or 5 hours into the investigation, Sydney was charged with murder.
After Sydney’s arrest, the police spoke to school officials and some of Sydney’s friends.
In the Fall of 2018, Sydney left to attend college. She went with one of her friends and joined a sorority. She completed her freshman year, but in 2019, her grades began to slip. In 2020, she was disenrolled and went home for Christmas break.
Sydney’s friends said she returned from break and acted like nothing was wrong. Sydney continued to pretend she was still a student.
Due to it being a small university, Sydney was asked to leave campus. Sydney moved out of her dorm a week before the murder.
Sydney was searching for nearby hotels because she couldn’t go home without telling her parents.
The Trial and Conviciton
Sydney’s trial was set to begin in February 2022. Her defense attorney was going to argue that she was insane at the time of the murder.
While being held at the psychiatric unit, Sydney was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
After receiving treatment, she was released to her family while she awaited the trial.
Steven took Sydney to Brenda’s family farm. Sydney took care of the horses and dogs. Sydney had 3 doctors evaluate her. They all said she had long periods of lucid thoughts. They said she first snapped on the day of the murder but it had nothing to due with her parents discovering that she was no longer attending school.
Brenda’s family said they didn’t think Sydney should be held responsible as she wasn’t aware of what she had done. They asked that she be deemed unfit for trial.
The state continued going forward with the trial. They argued that Sydney knew what she was doing at the time of the murder and tried to cover it up.
The prosecution hired their own expert to examine Sydney. The expert ruled that Sydney was sane enough to stand trial.
Sydney’s trial was postponed due to COVID-19. She was out on bond for 3 1/2 years. There were multiple attempts to try to resolve the trial so that Brenda’s family wouldn’t have to go through it.
The trial eventually began on September 7, 2023.
After 2 weeks of trial, Sydney was found guilty of murder. She was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 15 years. She will be eligible for parole in 2038.
Sydney at trial
Other
Sydney’s family is trying to appeal her conviction.
There is a scholarship in Brenda’s name at the Akron Children’s Hospital. The scholarship gives children who have gone through cancer moving onto higher education a financial reward.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I can see why the trial could have gone both ways. I don’t think Sydney was in her right mind when she killed her mom. If she was really in her right mind, then she’s a damn good actress. The body cam footage of her on the ground was hard to watch. But she did cover up the murder. She was able to pretend to be her mother on the phone smash out a window and make up an intruder story. It reminds me a little of the Bart Whitaker case that I covered. Bart was also found guilty of having his family killed because he didn’t graduate from college. Luckily, for Sydney, she may be out of prison before she turns 40.
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