CINCINNATI — Surveillance footage obtained by WCPO 9 shows who's believed to be the suspect in the Over-the-Rhine stabbing death of Patrick Heringer walking along nearby streets with a large knife.
The footage — which is from around the time Heringer was killed on Wednesday, June 4 — is from several OTR surveillance cameras and shows who appears to be Mordecia Black walking in the area of East McMicken Avenue.
Black is charged with murder and aggravated burglary for Heringer's death. The suspect is seen walking along the sidewalk on McMicken Avenue before he sits down. After getting up, he continues south along the street, which is in the direction of the Heringers' home. In another close-up shot, the man can be seen with a large knife in his hand.
He then continues further south down the sidewalk before he crosses the street to the area of the Heringers' house.
You can watch the full surveillance video below:
Black is currently being held at the Hamilton County Justice Center on a $2 million bond for Heringer's death. Cincinnati police said officers were dispatched to the 100 block of McMicken Avenue around 4 a.m. after the 38-year-old fatally stabbed Heringer in the neck.
Court documents say Black "entered the residence of Patrick Heringer by stealth and without consent."
Residents in the area have told WCPO that Heringer's death has created concern and unease in the neighborhood. The 46-year-old co-owned Findlay Movement, a popular gym near Findlay Market, alongside his wife, Sarah Heringer.
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Since her husband's death, Sarah Heringer has been incredibly vocal, demanding answers from city leaders — even threatening legal action.
Sarah Heringer posted to Facebook on Sunday, saying her husband was killed due to "negligence."
According to Black's attorney, he was released from prison in January on parole, but prosecutors said just a month after his release, he cut off his ankle monitor. Court records show Black was convicted by a jury on one count of felonious assault and one count of aggravated rioting in 2015. He "struck, choked and kicked" a man multiple times, per court documents. The victim suffered a broken nose, a concussion, multiple contusions and several stitches, according to court records.
"Let's be clear: this was not a tragedy. This was negligence," Sarah Heringer wrote on Facebook. "Negligence from the Ohio Adult Parole Authority, from the Cincinnati Police Department, and from the elected leaders who now speak of safety as if it's something they've earned the right to claim."
Prosecutors also said that Black was already involved in a burglary in May, weeks before Patrick Heringer's death. 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 Patrick Heringer.
In her post, Sarah Heringer calls out both Mayor Aftab Pureval and CPD Chief Teresa Theetge.
"Mr. Mayor, if public safety were your top priority, Patrick would still be alive," Sarah Heringer wrote. "You acknowledged the pain, but you have failed to acknowledge your own role in this system's failure. You speak to the problem but refuse to name a solution. You've offered no public action plan. No reforms. No measurable change."
Sarah Heringer also made several demands of city leaders, including:
- A full public timeline of what each agency did when Black's monitor went dark
- A statement from the mayor naming specific solutions to be enacted
- A public response from Theetge explaining why CPD took no action between February and June
- An audit of current police staffing in high-crime zones with a plan to fix it
- Public release of communication between CPD and parole enforcement
In a follow-up Facebook post, Sarah Heringer said if she doesn't get answers by June 14, she plans to take legal action.
We reached out to the mayor's office, councilmembers and Cincinnati police Monday for a response to Heringer's post. Councilmember Seth Walsh agreed to an interview, but moments before we were set to sit down with him, his office called to cancel.
A member of Walsh's team said they got a call from city administration asking that they refrain from addressing Heringer's claims and concerns until Cincinnati police do.
Hours later, we got on the phone with a Cincinnati police spokesperson who said Theetge has no immediate plans to hold a press conference, however, she may release a statement. We weren't given a timeline on that.
You can read Sarah Heringer's full post from her public Facebook page below:
Hear from a friend of Patrick Heringer in the video below:
