Posted on 07/31/2025 7:27:03 AM PDT by 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.
Sorry about that - all the photos appear correctly on my end - but a lot of people are contacting me that they are getting blue boxes and “must register” - have no idea why.
My wife talked me into seeing a show down at the music hall over the winter. Tickets were free.
Never going south of Ronald Reagan Highway again unless its absolutely necessary.
Air force Museum is worth two days.
In Cambridge they had a girl in the 4th grade giving hummers to her male classmates at lunchtime in the back stairway. It was covered up so fast! Of course it never made the newspapers but even the parents weren't sharing much information about it, especially the parents of the boys who experienced it.
Really?
overstayed visa or maybe her vacation was over or....she ended her vacation early
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Terrorism in Russia
On 22 March 2024, a coordinated terrorist attack against civilians occurred at the Crocus City Hall music venue in Crocus City, Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast, Russia. The attack began at around 20:00 MSK (UTC+3), shortly before the Russian band Picnic was scheduled to play a sold-out show at the venue. Four terrorists associated with Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS–KP or ISIS-K) carried out a mass shooting, as well as slashing attacks[3] on the people gathered at the venue, and used incendiary devices to set the venue on fire.[12][13][14] Investigators said 145 people had been killed (including those who died later in hospital), and more than 551 concertgoers injured by gunfire or suffering from burns.[15][16][14] On 28 March, Russian authorities also claimed that a further 95 people were missing.
ANOTHER THREAD SAYS MERRIWEATHER GOT BOND OF $4000-—which required $400 to walk out of jail.
NOT BUYING THIS EXCUSE
There is no law in Cincinnati.............
My point is if she were beat that severely, she ain’t flying overseas the next day.
You're registered. Many of us, myself included, are not. So all we see are blue boxes telling us to register.
Listening to the excuses and the rationalizations for this behavior by the rest of the feral crowd is just simply nauseating. One is given to wonder if these people will ever understand anything about civilized behavior without a good solid beatdown.
Here’s the strange thing: I am not registered at ImgBB, and do not have an account there.
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