CINCINNATI — A judge has ordered the man charged with the murder of Patrick Heringer be held in the Hamilton County Justice Center on a $2 million bond.
Heringer was the co-owner of the Over-the-Rhine gym Findlay Movement.
Cincinnati police said Mordecia Black, 38, is charged with murder and aggravated burglary after he allegedly stabbed Heringer in the neck.
CPD officers were dispatched to the 100 block of McMicken Avenue at around 4 a.m. Wednesday for a reported stabbing.
When they got there, they found 46-year-old Heringer suffering from a stab wound. He was taken to the UC Medical Center, but he died from his injuries at the hospital, according to Cincinnati police.
Court documents say Black "entered the residence of Patrick Heringer by stealth and without consent."
Hear what friends of Heringer had to say about him below:
In court Friday morning, prosecutors said Black was identified as the person who stabbed Heringer based on multiple surveillance videos. According to the prosecution, Black was seen on video nearby, then heading toward Heringer's home; later, he was captured on surveillance after the alleged attack, covered in blood.
Prosecutors also said some of Black's clothes and the knife he allegedly used to stab Heringer were found inside Heringer's home.
During his first court appearance, Black was dressed in yellow jail clothing, instead of street clothes.
According to his attorney, Black was released from prison in January on parole and is unable to pay any kind of bond.
During his appearance, prosecutors said Black is an "exceptionally dangerous individual."
Court records show Black was convicted by a jury of one count of felonious assault and one count of aggravated rioting in 2015; court documents in that case say Black "struck, choked and kicked" a man multiple times. The victim suffered a broken nose, a concussion, multiple contusions and several stitches, documents say.
Black was sentenced to eight years in prison on the felonious assault charge and 18 months in prison for the rioting charge. The prosecutor said just a month after Black's release, he cut off his ankle monitor.
Prosecutors also said that Black was already involved in a burglary in May, weeks before Heringer's alleged murder. A warrant was issued for Black on May 15 for the burglary, but he was not arrested for that case until June 5, when police charged him with the murder of Heringer.
In that case, Black "by stealth" entered an apartment on Straight Street while the occupants of the home were there.
"Black entered the apartment and walked into the bedroom of the residence," reads court documents.
From there, the home's occupants demanded he leave and Black fled the scene before police arrived — but the occupants of the home identified the intruder as Black, a CPD officer wrote in an affidavit.
Learn more about the deadly stabbing in the video below:
Heringer and his wife co-founded Findlay Movement, a gym and health facility on Findlay Street. Heringer's bio on the gym's website says he was the director of coaching for the facility and was certified in several different CrossFit programs. Findlay Movement was closed on Wednesday.
Police have not provided any additional details on the stabbing. CPD's Homicide Unit is still investigating. Anyone with information is asked to contact 513-352-3542.
