Third Person Arrested in Cincinnati Mob Beatings; Woman Victim Is Russian Who Flew Home the Day After Attack

Gateway Pundit ^ | July 30, 2025 | Kristinn Taylor

[Red Badger]

A third person has been arrested in the vicious mob beating of a white man and white woman early Saturday morning in downtown Cincinnati that garnered national attention after video of the attack went viral. A total of five suspects have been charged so far, with three now in custody.

The woman victim who was sucker punched and seen knocked out and bleeding from her mouth was revealed in court Wednesday to be Russian and that she flew home on Sunday, the day after the attack.

The third person arrested, Jermaine Matthews, 39, turned himself Tuesday evening and was arraigned Wednesday with two other suspects previously arrested in the case. Mattheews is being held on $75,000 bond on a charge of aggravated rioting and $25,000 bond for felony assault.

Jermaine Matthews, charged in Cincinnati mob beating, booking photo via Hamilton County Sheriffs Office, July 30, 2025. Full size photo:

Jermaine Matthews, charged in Cincinnati mob beating, booking photo via Hamilton County Sheriffs Office, July 30, 2025. Montianez Merriweather, 34, is being held bond of $300,000 for felonious assault, $100,000 on misdemeanor assault and $100,000 for aggravated rioting.

DeKyra Vernon, 24, is being held in a total of $200,000 bond on charges of felonious assault, misdemeanor assault and aggravated rioting.

Charged in Cincinnati mob beating: Montianez Merriweather and Dekyra Vernon – Booking photo via Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office – July 29, 2025 The next court date in the case is scheduled for August 8.

Prosecutors alleged in court the two men conspired in the assault while the woman charged acted on her own in the mob attack, reported WXIX-TV (excerpt):

During their arraignments, Merriweather and Matthews were named by prosecutors as two suspects accused of coordinating the brawl that took place on Elm and Fourth streets July 27.

“Ultimately, we do have on video Mr. Merriweather walking up to co-defendant. He whispers something to him then walks back behind the victim,” a Cincinnati police detective testified.

The detective described their movements as “an ambush” or a “set up in a certain way.”

“They chase him and get him on the ground where they begin to punch and kick him on the ground. There’s a disengage. Merriweather goes after another gentleman behind another car and then he walks to the side and goes to the sidewalk while there’s a third assault occurring in the middle of the roadway,” explained the detective.

“As to Merriweather’s involvement in this, we believe he coordinated this with Mr. Matthews. He walked up to him on the video, whispered something to him and then strategically placed himself behind the victim as the assault began.”

Defense attorneys disputed the accounts by prosecutors.

Excerpt from WKRC-TV on the prosecutor’s case against Vernon, “The woman that was injured and knocked out, she was trying to turn her aid to another victim at the time,” said the detective. “She was rendering aid to another victim that was on the ground trying to get him back to his feet. He’s actually trying to get his pants back on because they beat his pants off of him. And while she’s rendering aid to that gentleman there, that’s when Ms. Vernon comes up and strikes her in the face. This, for no reason at all.”

More from the Cincinnati Enquirer (excerpt):

(Cincinnati police Detective Barney) Blank said that Vernon was a bystander watching the brawl when she approached and punched a Russian woman trying to protect someone on the ground. He said the woman returned to Russia over the weekend.

The detective said Vernon was not involved in any of the arguments that preceded the fight. “She just interjected herself into a brawl on the street,” Blank said.

Desiray Merriweather, Montianez Merriweather’s cousin, talked with reporters outside the courtroom after the July 30 hearing. She said that while she feels for the victims, including the woman who was knocked unconscious, she questions whether there would’ve been such a strong nationwide response if the victims had been Black.

…Montianez Merriweather’s family said he was spat on and called racial slurs in the lead-up to the brawl.

His cousin said people were out early in the morning partying during the weekend of the Cincinnati Music Festival, which in the past has been the largest annual weekend driver of tourism in the area.

“Both parties could have walked away,” she said. “It’s terrible how the world is nowadays.”

Video and screen image of the attack:

Video report on Wednesday’s court hearing by WLWT:

UDATE NOTE: It has not been made clear by prosecutors whether Holly, who has released photos of her injuries, is the Russian woman victim who they said went home. Holly has not been identified further than just her name by politicians who have been in contact with her.

[Starboard]

We don’t know the details of her visit or flight schedules; maybe she was leaving the next day? Don’t know, but can understand her wanting to be with loved ones after a brutal beating like that.

[Organic Panic]

DA will drop the charges against the attackers and press charges against whites. Family said he was spat on and called a racial slur. Case closed. Prepare for a go fund me for the poor black victims of white supremacy. And if Whitney doesn’t get a long prison sentence prepare for riots.

[Organic Panic]

Hopefully they can spread the word back home NOT to allow immigration from those people.

[dragnet2]

Lying government sponsored big media is so rotten they initially called this a, “Fight”.

[KittyKares]

I hope she didn’t get a bad impression of America......................
____________________________________________________

I suspect so, considering that she couldn’t get out of here fast enough.

There are certain areas that give me a bad impression, but I know to avoid them.

[JimRed]

So, how do you register to see the photos?

[JimRed]

If your flight home is scheduled for tomorrow, it can be very costly to change.

[packrat35]

Why? If I got attacked in a foreign country and nothing was being done about it, I would leave also.

[HIDEK6]

Lying government sponsored big media is so rotten they initially called this a, “Fight”.

Did they identify the gangsters to be “possibly white?”

[bobbo666]

Many arrests will be made, but little to no jail sentence. Why? Just look at the videos. Oppressed folk do not get justice.

So, nothing will change Cincinati will go the way of Detroit.

[rdcbn1]

Some really bad dynamics in the Ghetto Black community bordering on de evolution.

Across the board decline of basic functional skills and cognitive ability due to drug abuse, fetal alcohol / fetal drug syndrome and other organic drivers combined with a complete destruction of family unit and parenting that has been replaced with dysfunctional and self destructive ghetto gangster lifestyle and values.

And no more grandmas to fall back on because they are as worthless as and dysfunctional the moms. These days the women are worse than the men.

[cherry]

Russia,please learn from this.....don’t do this to your country.

[linMcHlp]

Repeating:

"Desiray Merriweather, Montianez Merriweather’s cousin, talked with reporters outside the courtroom after the July 30 hearing. She said that while she feels for the victims, including the woman who was knocked unconscious, she questions whether there would’ve been such a strong nationwide response if the victims had been Black."

 - - - - - - - - - 

10 Years Later: The Brutal Murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom [LegalInsurrection.com, January 8, 2017]

A chilling act of brutality largely ignored by national media because of racial implications

You probably have not heard the names Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom.

 

 
Torture-Murder Victims Brutally Killed In ‘Worst Crime’
Saw Case Derailed By Shocking Court Secret [Oxygen.com, Nov. 5, 2020]

 

But I remember those names, and the tears that were brought to my eyes when I heard about what happened to them.

On January 7, 2007, the young white couple - Channon was 21, her boyfriend Chris was 23 - was abducted, beaten, raped, tortured, and murdered. Chris eventually shot to death before being set on fire, and Channon left to die with a plastic bag over her head in a trash can. The perpetrators were all black.

If you have not heard their story, it’s because the racial nature of that black-on-white crime was uncomfortable for the national media a decade ago. Even now, it’s uncomfortable, as the delayed and reluctant coverage of the Chicago tortures showed.

[popdonnelly]

I think these people are lying.

[KittyKares]

“If your flight home is scheduled for tomorrow, it can be very costly to change.”

I see. It probably wasn’t comfortable flying for so long and at that altitude in that condition. On top of that, everybody probably was staring.

[popdonnelly]

No one needs to visit Cincinnati until it goes back to enforcing the law.

[AlaskaErik]

All I see are three blue boxes saying that you need to register in order to view.

[AlaskaErik]

No one needs to visit Cincinnati until it goes back to enforcing the law.

I'm not aware of anything being worthwhile to see in Cincinatti. I plan on visiting the Air Force Museum over by Wright-Patt later this year and the idea of visiting Cincinatti never even crossed my mind.

[Campion]

Only the government is allowed to beat people up in Russia.

[Bon of Babble]

Have no idea why. They appear as photos on my end.