Authorities say a former Cleveland-area judge convicted of beating his wife four years ago is the main suspect in her stabbing death over the weekend.
In audio from a 911 call released Monday, an apparent relative of ex-Cuyahoga County Judge Lance Mason, 51, told a police dispatcher that she heard him say he killed his estranged wife, Aisha Fraser.
“He said he stabbed her and she’s dead,” said the relative, who identified herself in the audio as Mason’s sister.
Sobs and screams of children can be heard throughout the roughly 10-minute call.
Mason was charged Monday with felonious assault after he slammed his SUV into a police cruiser while trying to flee the scene in suburban Cleveland, according to court documents.
But he has not yet been officially charged in Fraser's death.
The Shaker Heights Police Department said Mason was taken into custody on Saturday morning after Fraser was found dead.
Mason, who also served as a state representative and state senator, served nine months in prison after pleading guilty to a brutal assault against Fraser in 2014.
Fraser filed for divorce soon after, but that case hadn’t yet been settled on Saturday, according to Cleveland.com.
Mason was hired last year by the city of Cleveland as its minority business development administrator. A statement released Saturday said he had been fired effective immediately.
Messages seeking comment were left with an attorney who has represented Mason in the past.
In a statement Monday, Shaker Heights police said the injured officer, Adam Flynt, is doing well and should be released from a hospital soon.