Suspect in stabbing deaths had previous domestic violence charges

CINCINNATI — Man allegedly He stabbed three people to death in College Hill on Thursday. There were previous charges against one of the victims.

Anthony Mathis, 66, died of self-inflicted stab wounds at UC Medical Center after Cincinnati police arrested him after an hours-long standoff with SWAT.

Last April, Mathis was charged with strangulation and domestic violence against Patricia McCollum, one of three police officers who were found dead in the home after taking Mathis into custody.

According to the criminal complaint, McCollum said her son-in-law, Mathis, “choked her, causing her neck to hurt, and also picked her up off the ground.”

The judge granted McCollum’s request for a temporary restraining order.

The grand jury declined to indict Mathis on the strangulation charge. Months later, the domestic violence charge was “dismissed for lack of prosecution.”

In 2022, Mathis was convicted of relinquishing weapons, including a machete, to other people.

Police have not determined a motive for Thursday’s stabbing deaths.

Friends remember McCollum as community advocate for foster children, people with disabilities and young mothers.

Strangulation charges are considered criminal

in 2023Senate Bill 288 made Ohio the last state in the nation to treat strangulation as a felony rather than a misdemeanor.

That distinction is “very important,” said Maria York, policy director for the Ohio Domestic Violence Network.

“If it wasn’t fatal the first time, it will happen again and it could be fatal,” York said.

He said ODVN works with medical and law enforcement to educate on the signs and dangers of drowning because “often there are no physical traces left” after an incident.

“For those who are drowning, it’s very important to connect them with an attorney because they can consider a safety plan, talk about the lethality of drowning, and connect them to resources so they can make better, informed choices about their next steps,” York said.

Here are some specific resources security planning (odvn.org) and a guide for family and friends (odvn.org) Helping someone they know who is in an abusive relationship.

Women Helping Women

Kristin Shrimplin, President and CEO of Women Helping Women, said there is never an incident or point during the abuse that is too small or large for the victim to reach out to an advocate.

The agency serves nearly 9,000 survivors and partners with law enforcement so its attorneys can respond to domestic violence calls.

“It’s a unique situation in this state and much of the country,” he said. “We ask (victims) a very important question: What would you like to happen now? So what does help look like?”

Support options the agency can provide include physical, mental, legal and financial support.

“Instead of thinking that we know what is best as a system or entity, our responsibility is to collaborate, work together, and then show up and ask survivors that fundamental question: ‘What would you like to see happen now?’” Shrimplin said. .

Lawyers answer the phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“I want to be really open with survivors. “You can call us whenever you want, as often as you want,” he said.

Verbal abuse, emotional abuse, financial exploitation, physical violence, sexual violence or other threats are all lived experiences of survivors, she said: “Gender-based violence is about power, control and isolation…we will respond.”

Call or text if you need help Women Helping Women Helpline: 513-381-5610.