Convicted killer enters penalty phase

Convicted serial killer Anthony Sowell said in an apology read Monday in the penalty phase of his Cleveland trial that his crimes were "not typical" of him.

Sowell, 51, was convicted in July of aggravated murder, abusing a corpse and tampering with evidence in the deaths of 11 women whose bodies were found at his home in 2009. He was also convicted of trying to kill three other people who survived, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reported.

Relatives of several victims were in court to hear attorney John Parker help Sowell during the second week of the mitigation phase in his capital murder trial.

Sowell described his life, talking about his time already spent in prison and the jobs he worked after his release. He alleged he'd been abused as a child, beaten with canes and whipped, The Plain Dealer reported.

Although Sowell didn't outright admit killing all 11 women, he apologized.

"The only thing I want to say is I'm sorry. This is not typical of me," Sowell said. "I know it's not enough, but that's all I can give you."

The apology didn't sit well with some of the victims' relatives.

"It was rehearsed and weak," said Donnita Carmichael, daughter of victim Tonia Carmichael.

"That sorry statement was not good enough for me but that is all we are going to get," said Lynnette Taylor, sister of victim Amelda Hunter.

The defense closed its case Monday. The prosecution's rebuttal witnesses will take the stand this week, The Plain Dealer said.

Jury convicts 5 New Orleans policemen

Five New Orleans police officers were convicted by a jury of various charges related to deadly shootings on a bridge in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The jury stopped short of finding four officers guilty of two counts of murder in the case, although it convicted the officers of gun and civil rights charges, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported.

A fifth police officer who wasn't at the shooting was also convicted of corrupting the investigation and planting evidence.

Two people were shot and killed on the Danziger Bridge on Interstate 10 by police Sept. 4, 2005, days after Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans and sent the city into mayhem. Four other civilians were wounded by police.

The four officers involved in the shootings have been in jail since their indictments and face prison sentences ranging from 35 to 60 years, the newspaper said. They all pleaded guilty to the various charges.

One more police officer, a retired sergeant, still faces trial in late September on cover-up charges