The stabbing suspect was previously prosecuted for domestic violence

CINCINNATI — The man who allegedly stabbed three people to death in College Hill on Thursday had previously filed charges against one of the victims.

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

Last April, Mathis was charged with asphyxiation and domestic violence against Patricia McCollum, one of three officers found dead in the home after Mathis was taken into custody.

According to the complaint, McCollum said Mathis, her son-in-law, “strangled her, causing pain in her neck and at the same time lifting her off the ground.”

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

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

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

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

Friends remember McCollum as an advocate for foster children, people with disabilities and teen mothers.

Accusations of strangulation are considered criminal

In 2023Senate Bill 288 made Ohio the last state in the country to make strangulation a misdemeanor, not a misdemeanor.

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

“If it’s not fatal in that first incident, it will happen again, and it could be fatal,” York said.

She said the ODVN works with the medical and law enforcement community to educate on the signs and dangers of strangulation, as “often there are no physical marks” after an incident.

“For those who have been strangled, connecting them with an attorney is so important because they can come up with a safety plan, they can talk about the lethality surrounding strangulation and connect them with resources so they can make better, informed choices . about their next steps,” York said.

There are some specific resources available here safety planning (odvn.org) and a guide for family and friends (odvn.org) to help someone they know in an abusive relationship.

Women help women

There is never an incident or point during abuse that is too small or too big for a survivor to contact an attorney, says Kristin Shrimplin, president and CEO of Women Helping Women.

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

“It’s unique in this state and most of the country,” she said. “We ask (victims) a crucial question: what would you like to see happen now? And what does help look like?”

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

“Rather than thinking that we as a system or entity know what is best, it is our responsibility to collaborate, work together and then show up and ask the most important question to the survivors: ‘What would you like to do right now? see it happening?’” Shrimplin said. .

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

“I want to be very clear with the survivors. You can call us anytime, as many times as you need, as many times as you want,” she said.

Verbal abuse, emotional abuse, financial exploitation, physical violence, sexual violence or other threats are all experiences that survivors have, she said: “Gender-based violence is about power, control and isolation… we are going to provide an answer.”

If you need help, call or text Women help women hotline: 513-381-5610.