Interview with Prosecutors on Cleveland Serial Killer Case

Serial Killer Anthony Sowell has been sentenced to die. The case created local and national attention for the nightmarish details. The corpses of as many as 11 women were found on the little property in Cleveland, Ohio. The place literally reeked of death.

Sowell, a former Marine, showed little emotion throughout the trial, even when the sentence of death was pronounced against him.

In an interview with the lawyer who handled the case for the State of Ohio, Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecuting Attorney Rick Bombik, revealed that Sowell wanted to plead guilty all along. He did not intend on going to trial.

"He wanted to avoid the death penalty," Bombik said. "But our office decided that if ever there was a reason for the death penalty, this was the case."

In Ohio, the prosecution will often refuse a plea deal when it determines that the nature of the case does not warrant it.

"I can't think of a guy who qualified for death more than Sowell," Bombik said.

Still, the prosecution was not taking anything for granted."You never know how a case is going to work out," Bombik admitted.  "I'm exhausted and glad it's finally over. "

Bombik was accompanied by another standout Assistant Prosecutor on the case, Pinkey Carr. But she noted that these kinds of cases require a team effort, and in this case it was a team she was proud of.

"Definitely this was a team effot. I was glad to be a part of it. We all worked together and got a result that the people of Cleveland stand behind, " Carr said.

In addition to the attorneys, the prosecution team included a student, Chris Schroeder. "I definitely think his involvement was pretty special," Carr said. "At every step, he seemed very honored to be a part of the process. At one point he asked if he should be sitting at the trial table with us, and I told him, yes. Definitely."

The team of prosecutors and other staff who worked on the Sowell case belong to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office. Headed by William D. Mason, that office prosecutes over ten thousand cases a year.

"This was definitely a big undertaking," Carr noted. "And we were all glad that our efforts finally paid off."

To hear an exclusive 1/2 hour interview with the lawyers who prosecuted the most heinous criminal in Cleveland's history, listen to Real Law Radio, Saturday August 13, 2011 at 1 pm.

You can also check Real Law Radio out at CNN's iReport page. Just type "reallawradio" in the iReports search bar.