5 Chilling details about Brenda Powell's murder

Brenda Powell's murder at the hands of her daughter, who was only 19 years old at the time, sent a shockwave across the quaint town of Akron, Ohio. Due to the brutality of the case and how it happened, this remained one of the most astonishing cases the world had ever witnessed. The teenage daughter was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Dating back to 2020, this remains a case that acts as a warning sign to the world that no one is safe at any given point, even with the people they love and trust the most. This topic will also be the subject of the upcoming episode of Snapped on Oxygen. It premieres at 6 pm EST on Sunday, July 28, 2024. The synopsis for the same reads:

"A healthcare worker is attacked in her home; police must follow clues to discover the truth."

Ahead of the episode, here are some of the many subtle and chilling details that make this case stand out.

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5 Key details about Brenda Powell's murder at the hands of Sydney Powell

1) Brenda Powell was murdered so she wouldn't find out about her daughter's suspension

Sydney Powell was suspended from her college, and the motive for the murder of Brenda Powell was that she did not want her mother to find out. So, when the representatives of the University of Mount Union were on a call with Brenda, she was attacked by her daughter.

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2) Brenda Powell was murdered when the Associate Dean of Students, Michelle Gaffney, was on call

Brenda Powell was found with nearly 30 stab sounds to her neck (Image via Pexels)

Sydney Powell attacked her mother when she was on a call with the Associate Dean of Students of her college, Michelle Gaffney. She described the event in a story shared by NBC News.

"The phone cut off at some point after, I would say, somewhere in the neighborhood of six or seven of those thudding. Those sort of thud sounds and the screaming had continued."

Brenda was allegedly hit by an iron skillet before being stabbed nearly 30 times, adding to the brutality of the story.

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3) After murdering Brenda, her daughter tried to impersonate her

After the line was cut off, the college representatives kept calling the Powell residence, fearing the worst. After murdering her mother, Sydney picked up the call and pretended to be Brenda. This piece of evidence was revealed by Michelle Gaffney, who recalled:

"It was not Brenda. I was sure it was Sydney. Both Dean [of Students John] Frazier and I looked at each other and sort of shook our heads at each other and said that's not Brenda. He then said, 'Sydney, I think this is you, this is not Brenda.' The phone went dead."

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4) Sydney Powell was sentenced to prison for life for the murder

Sydney Powell was arrested soon after the murder (Image via Pexels)

Sydney Powell was immediately taken in and charged with the murder. In her trial, which took place in 2023, she was sentenced to life in prison despite her father trying to defend her. She will be eligible for parole at least 15 years after the beginning of the sentence.

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5) There have been claims of insanity by Sydney Powell's defense

Sydney Powell's defense claimed insanity for the young woman, who allegedly went into a state of dissociation when she killed her mother. During the trial, her attorney had said:

"She did it because she has a serious mental disease, schizophrenia, and that serious mental disease, as our doctor says, put her in a psychotic break."

Despite this, her judgment has not been overturned, and Sydney continues to serve her time in prison for the murder of Brenda Powell.

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Find out more about the Brenda Powell murder case in the upcoming episode of

Snapped on Oxygen.