An Ohio jury has found African-American Anthony Sowell guilty in connection with the kidnapping, abuse of corpses and aggravated murder of 11 women between 2007 and 2009

Sowell had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to all 85 counts against him, which also included rape and tampering with evidence. The verdict - which makes the defendant eligible for the death penalty, a decision that will come during the sentencing phase of the proceedings - came after more than three weeks of testimony. The defense did not call witnesses or present any evidence during the trial. The jurors found him guilty on 84 counts, with the sole not guilty verdict coming on an aggravated robbery charge. In addition to murder, kidnapping and other charges, the defendant was also convicted of felonious assault, attempted rape and attempted murder in several cases. The jury determined that he committed numerous crimes with a sexual motivation, a variation of the offenses that is distinct from the rape charges. The verdicts ended a saga that began, for investigators, in October 2009 with the discovery of the first two sets of victims' remains inside Sowell's home. Eventually, prosecutors shaped a case claiming that the ex-Marine killed at least 11 women, ages 25 to 52, even as law enforcement reopened cold cases to determine if Sowell might be complicit in other murders. More women, meanwhile, have since come forward saying that they'd survived attacks by the now-convicted serial killer. One such story led prosecutors, for instance, to seek a 10-count indictment against Sowell in connection with the rape of a 34-year-old woman inside his home. Most of the women whose remains were found in and around Sowell's home were strangled by ligature - which can include a string, cord or wire - and at least one was strangled by hand, officials said. Seven still had ligatures wrapped around their necks. A skull is all that remains of one victim. It was found wrapped in a paper bag and stuffed in a bucket in the home's basement.