Lance Mason, a former Cleveland prosecutor, state lawmaker, and Common Pleas judge—who had a history of domestic violence—has been accused of murdering his estranged wife.
According to reports, Mason fatally stabbed Aisha Fraser at a home located on 7600-block of Chagrin Boulevard at about 9:30 AM Saturday (Nov. 17). Mason attempted to flee the scene in a black Audi SUV but collided with a police officer responding to the domestic abuse call.
Both Mason and the cop were taken to a local hospital for treatment. Mason’s run-in with law enforcement was the final straw in a documented downward spiral for the judge.
In August 2014, Shaker Heights officials announced Mason had been arrested on a second-degree felony assault charge for beating Fraser who was a Shaker Heights elementary school teacher.
His then-wife was hospitalized following the attack, which according to court documents detail Mason punching her 20 times and slamming her head into the dashboard five times. Fraser’s orbital bone was broken and she needed facial reconstruction surgery. Their two daughters ages 4 and 6-years-old were in the back seat of the vehicle at the time.
An unidentified woman called local police at 12:10 PM after she witnessed the physical altercation. Fraser then called the cops at 12:15 PM saying she was afraid he’d hurt their children and that he threw her from the car. She filed for divorce, but at the time of her death, it had not been finalized.
Police arrested Mason and found a plethora of weapons including smoke grenades, semi-automatic rifles, a sword, a bulletproof vest and more than 2,500 rounds of ammunition from the couple’s home. It’s reported Fraser told authorities she was afraid Mason would commit suicide at home.
An order of protection was granted and he was ordered to stay 500 feet away from her and the children.
Mayor Frank Jackson immediately fired Mason and offered his condolences to the couple’s kids. “I extend my deepest condolences to the family of Ms. Aisha Fraser, especially to her children,” Jackson said in a statement.
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