Triple murderer to be sentenced

Rose Marie Sowders now has four months to wait before she is sentenced.\nBefore her May 13 triple murder trial could begin, 34-year-old Sowders, advised by defense attorney Ron Chapman, changed her plea to guilty but mentally ill on three counts of murder. In exchange, Monroe County Deputy Prosecutor MaryEllen Diekhoff withdrew her request that Sowders be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the Aug. 16, 2002, murders of her ex-husband, Jeff Rainbolt, 36; her boyfriend, Eric Sipes, 34; and Sipes' 10-year-old son, Derick.\n"This plea got (Sowders) out of the possibility of spending her life behind bars," Chapman said.\nSowders, who now faces 45 to 65 years in prison, is scheduled for sentencing at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 5. Monroe Circuit Judge Elizabeth Mann said if the terms are imposed consecutively, Sowders could face 195 years in prison with a maximum sentence.\n"My position is they should run consecutive," Diekhoff said in a statement.\nChapman said Sowders was insane at the time of the killings and therefore is not accountable for them. He is arguing that a series of disorders in Sowders' medical records indicate the severity of her illness.\n"Chronic depression, anxiety, autism and many other illnesses contributed to Sowder's state of mind," Chapman said.\nThe plea of guilty but mentally ill means Sowders would get an immediate mental evaluation by doctors with the Indiana Department of Corrections after sentencing. If deemed to be recovered, she would serve the rest of her term at a women's prison. Sowders currently is being held without bail in the Monroe County Jail.\nSowders was mentally evaluated by two court-appointed doctors earlier this fall. Both psychiatrists from the Center for Behavioral Health reported they believed Sowders to have been sane at the time of the murders.\nLinda Brady, chief probation officer for the Monroe County Probation Department, said she is awaiting an order on Sowders' case before preparing a pre-sentence investigation, which gathers information on the defendant. Copies of the report will be given to Judge Mann, Chapman and Diekhoff at the Sept. 5 sentencing. The court will use this information to make a sentence decision.\n"The investigation collects information on the defendant," Brady said. "For example, the background check will include criminal history, financial information, work history and previous alcohol and drug use."\nSowders, a resident of Smithville, Ind., admitted to shooting Snipes and his son at their home last August. Sowders then drove to Rainbolt's home on South Garrison Chapel Road, where she shot him to death. According to police reports, Sowders confessed to her brother,Gerald Sowders, who later alerted a sheriff deputy "Monroe County has very few murder trials," Chapman said. "This case is extremely unique"