CLEVELAND — Former Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Lance Mason was sentenced Thursday afternoon for murdering his ex-wife last November.
Mason was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 30 years for aggravated murder and five consecutive years for felonious assault.
Breaking: Former judge Lance Mason has been sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility in connection with the death of his wife, Aisha Fraser, in 2018. @WEWS pic.twitter.com/5lEVYjkKuO
— Jordan Vandenberge (@NEWSjordanv) September 12, 2019
Last month, Mason pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, violating a protection order and grand theft.
On Nov. 17, 2018, Mason fatally stabbed his ex-wife Aisha Fraser while she was dropping her 8 and 11-year-old children off at a family member's home in Shaker Heights.
Following the attack, Mason fled but crashed into a police cruiser that was responding to the scene after Fraser’s family called 911. After the crash, Mason ran off and was arrested shortly thereafter at a home on Chagrin Boulevard.
Mason has a prior history of domestic violence and Fraser’s murder wasn’t the first time he attacked her.
According to court documents, Mason was suspended from practicing law after he attacked his wife in front of their children as they were driving back from a family member’s funeral on Aug. 2, 2014.
During the drive back, Mason became upset and struck Fraser repeatedly in the head and bit her on the face. When Fraser tried to get out of the car, Mason grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back in, court documents said.
Fraser filed for divorce two days after the attack. Their divorce was finalized on Nov. 12, 2015.
On Sept. 1, 2015, the Board of Professional Conduct gave notice to the Ohio Supreme Court, which in turn, issued an interim felony suspension of Mason’s law license, court records show.
Later that month, Mason was sentenced to two years in prison. He served nine months and was let out early on judicial release, according to court records.
Fraser filed a civil lawsuit against him and was awarded $150,000, court records stated.
In June 2017, the Board of Professional Conducted recommended that Mason’s law license be revoked. Five months later, Mayor Frank Jackson hired Mason as Cleveland’s Minority Business Development Administrator.
Mason served as an Ohio state Senator from 2007 to 2008 and has also served as an assistant county prosecutor.
On Dec. 28, 2017, Mason’s law license was suspended indefinitely.
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