An Ohio Supreme Court Justice has removed a judge from the case of alleged serial killer Anthony Sowell, because anonymous comments made on a newspaper site disparaging one of Sowell's attorneys were linked to the judge's e-mail.

Sowell is accused of killing 11 women and hiding the bodies in and around his Cleveland home. Despite the smell of death that hung in Sowell's neighborhood, the bodies of the women were not discovered until police came to his house to investigate charges from a woman who said she'd been attacked there. Sowell has entered a not guilty plea by reason of insanity.

One of Sowell's attorneys said the comments linked to the judge's e-mail disparaged him and made her unfit to rule on the case.

Citing the "appearance of impropriety," the judge removed Judge Shirley Strickland Saffold from the case. Strickland Saffold has denied writing the comments; the judge's 23-year-old daughter says she wrote them.

Acting Ohio Chief Justice Paul E. Pfeifer said there was no evidence that Saffold made the posts, but the comments "created a situation that poses an impediment to the judge's ability to resolve any remaining legal and factual issues in a way that will appear to the parties and the public to be objective and fair," the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reported.

"When the case becomes about the judge rather than the facts of the case and the law, it is time for the judge to step aside. ... I conclude that Judge Saffold should be removed from the underlying case to avoid any appearance of impropriety," Pfeifer wrote in his decision.




Strickland Saffold has filed a $50 million lawsuit against the Cleveland Plain Dealer for allegedly attributing the comments to her and for violating the paper's online privacy policy in relation to the comments her daughter claims to have written.

This is the right decision. Deciding the fate of Sowell, who is accused of horrible crimes, in a fair manner is more important than which judge sits on the case. This case should also serve as a cautionary tale for people who think they can say horribly racist, sexist and derogatory things online under anonymous monikers without fear of it affecting their lives.

I read the comments made by some commentators on Black Voices and other sites and wonder if they would say those things if their real names were posted along with their comments. Maybe if people knew they would be held accountable for their comments by their co-workers and their families, they would think twice about what they write.

Maybe then there could be some real dialogue around the important issues of the day without it devolving into a derogatory free for all.