Ohio divorce lawyer pleads not guilty in 2013 fatal stabbing of client

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CLEVELAND (AP) — An Ohio divorce attorney accused of fatally stabbing a client more than a decade ago in a plot to delay her trial pleaded not guilty Wednesday to aggravated murder and kidnapping charges.

Bail was set at $2 million for Gregory J. Moore, 51, who is also charged with murder and conspiracy in the 2013 death of Aliza Sherman, who was stabbed more than 10 times. Her body was found on a downtown Cleveland sidewalk near where she was set to meet Moore to discuss her divorce the day before the trial was scheduled to begin.

Bail was set at the request of his defense lawyers, who argued Moore was not a flight risk.

Moore — who already has served jail time for lying to police during the investigation into Sherman's death — was indicted earlier this month and was arrested by U.S. marshals in Texas, where he had been visiting his terminally ill father. He then waived extradition during a May 8 hearing and was returned to Ohio.

According to the indictment, Moore allegedly planned to kidnap Sherman as a delay tactic for her upcoming divorce trial. Court documents included messages between Moore and Sherman showing how he called her to the office, which was locked. She arrived and waited more than an hour before deciding to return to her car, according to the indictment.

“During this timeframe, an individual who was either Moore or an unknown co-conspirator approached Sherman … circled behind her, chased her … and then stabbed her over 10 times,” the indictment reads.

Moore swiped into the office later that evening and messaged Sherman to mislead investigators, according to the indictment.

Moore was not a stranger to authorities before the stabbing occurred.

In 2017, he pleaded guilty to falsification for statements he made to police about his whereabouts during Sherman’s killing. He also admitted to calling in bomb threats in 2012 as a way to delay trials. His law license was suspended in 2017 and he resigned it the following year. He served six months in jail.

At the time, he said that he regretted his past actions.

Sherman, 53, was a mother of four and has been remembered as a beloved fertility nurse. Rallies and vigils to honor her memory have been held on the anniversary of her death.