How far would you go to preserve your string of lies and the illusion of a life people think you lead? In this true crime case, the answer to this query would be: much farther than most reasonable people would ever be willing to go.
Everybody has told a lie at one point or another, whoever says they haven’t, is lying. Some people are more inclined to lie than others, however. But no matter who you are, lying requires a large amount of brain power to pull off. Now, imagine dragging a whole trainload full of accumulating lies for months on end, and seeing yourself finally reach the end of the line, about to be exposed as a deceiver, a fraud. The weight of the stress would be unimaginable for most of us.
For 19-year-old Sydney Powell, this became very much a reality. She lied and lied until lying would not be enough to get her out of the hole she dug herself into. A hole that her loving parents were ready to help her crawl out of if they had gotten the chance. They tragically wouldn’t. Sydney’s highspeed train of lies would ram right into her mother, Brenda Powell, killing her, and destroying the stable life their tight-knit family had led.
The background of the murder
Sydney was born in 2000 to Brenda and Steve Powell. She has a younger brother and the family of four lived in Akron, Ohio. Sydney graduated high school in 2018 and was enrolled at the University of Mount Union to study Psychology. Up until this point, she had never been a problematic child and had always had decent grades.
In December of the following year, Sydney was suspended and prohibited from attending the university. She was doing poorly in academics, having failed 3 of her 4 classes in the fall semester of her second year.
Being suspended is a hard blow but it’s not a hopeless situation. She was not expelled; Sydney would be able to return to college after the Spring semester. However, instead of accepting her new reality, she continued to go around campus, staying at the dorms, and even attending sorority meetings, all things she was technically no longer allowed to do.
Sydney kept this up until she couldn’t anymore, and a third meeting with university staff forced her to abandon campus for good. Sydney avoided facing her parents by staying at hotels until her money ran out and she had no other choice but to return home.
The day life irredeemably changed for the Powells
On March 3, 2020, Steve discovered Sydney’s suspension after being shut out of the platform that’d always allowed him to pay her tuition. He called Mount Union and discovered Sydney was no longer enrolled, although, he’d have to talk to his adult daughter himself if he wanted to know why. He did so, and Sydney told him the truth, or, at least, some version of it. Her father reassured her, telling her they’d figure things out.
Mr. Powell left for work. During the day, he called his wife alerting her that there were some pressing matters to discuss, but telling her he’d clarify once she got home. Brenda, a child life specialist at a local hospital’s hematology-oncology unit, rushed home as soon as she could and demanded to know from her husband what was going on. They talked in the driveway, and once they hung up, Mrs. Powell entered the house and left the college a voice message for them to call back. Two university staff members did as requested but nothing could’ve prepared them for what they’d soon hear from the other side.
Sydney pummeled her mother with a cast-iron skillet before changing weapons and stabbing her over 20 times. The college staff heard the beginning of the attack before the call abruptly cut off. They tried calling back and, after the third attempt, someone picked up saying: “Yes, this is Brenda.” However, the two university employees knew better, and after calling Sydney out for posing as her mom, the girl promptly hung up. Understandably worried, they spared no time in calling the authorities to the scene.
Sydney would try to pretend it was a home invasion, which she staged poorly by breaking a window’s glass from the inside out. In a similar vein, when authorities arrived the girl left breadcrumbs of apparent insanity, such as lying down in the fetal position, still covered in blood, while repeatedly mumbling the words “get out.” Watching the footage, which can be found online, and knowing how easily Sydney lied, this seems like a ploy to lay the groundwork for the defense that would be used later in trial.
Regardless, Sydney Powell would be arrested on suspicion of murder by the end of the same day.
The aftermath
It is undeniable that Sydney suffered from mental illness, but did she experience a momentary psychotic break that triggered her mother’s murder and made her unable to recognize the wrongness of her actions? That’s the point where the defense and prosecution’s arguments diverged.
Steve and Brenda’s mother remained on Sydney’s side and did not wish for the trial to happen. Nevertheless, they both would have to take the stand on the 2023 trial wherein Sydney would be found guilty of killing her mother. She was sentenced to 15 years to life.
Sydney Powell may not have shown the level of callousness of another young adult caught in a web of their own lies like Chandler Halderson, but she still went through with the murder of her parent despite being offered an out of her crumbling illusion. Hopefully, 15 years will be enough for Sydney to set her life straight and for her family to find the closest semblance of peace after such a horrifically tragic life-altering event.
