A family looks back 10 years after the first bodies were found at the home of Anthony Sowell

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The sadness still hangs in the air on Imperial Avenue, but the anger was palpable as friends, family and community members came to the site of the former home of serial killer Anthony Sowell to mark the 10 year anniversary of the day the first victims were found.

Florence Bray’s daughter Crystal Dozier was murdered by Sowell and all these years later as hard as it is to come to this place she felt compelled to be here to make sure no one ever forgets her.

“He killed her in ’07, they didn’t find her body back there until Nov. 3 of ’09,” Bray said.

Bray is angry that Sowell continues to sit on death row at the Chillicothe Correctional Institution, doing hard time, but exhausting every possible appeal in an effort to save his own life.

“Ten years later my daughter is still dead and he’s still living, I am frustrated and I am angry,” she said, “He don’t want his life to end, but he ended theirs, it’s not fair.”

Since being sentenced to death Sowell has begun the exhaustive appeals process that follows a death sentence and Cuyahoga County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Chris Schroeder who is handling the appeals says the process is only about half complete.

Bray says she will not be satisfied until the execution is complete.

“And whenever they decide to execute him I would like to be there so I could see him close his eyes,” Bray said.

Bray was on Imperial Avenue taking part in a memorial service, she was there with her grandchild, Crystal Dozier’s daughter, and while her anger was understandable her sadness was still evident.

“I miss my daughter every day,” she said.

The appeal process at this point, revolves around Sowell’s contention that he did not receive proper representation and that he was denied a medical test, a PET scan of his brain, that he claims may have helped him avoid a death sentence.

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