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CINCINNATI – Five of the seven individuals charged in the viral Cincinnati beatdown appeared in court Thursday morning to be arraigned on additional charges in a tense back-and-forth over the case.
The first suspect to appear was Montanez Merriweather, who was slapped with an additional federal charge for illegally having a gun as a convicted felon earlier this week.
Prosecutor Kip Guinan revealed there are two additional videos from nearby city cameras that show new angles of the fight but have not yet been made public. Guinan also said the alleged racial slurs made toward the perpetrators were said nearly two minutes after the attack began.
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The judge determined Merriweather’s bond would remain at $500,000.
Dekyra Vernon’s bond was then knocked down from $200,000 to $25,000 at 10%, eliciting cheers from the gallery. She was also ordered to stay away from the city’s downtown area.
Vernon’s attorney, Clyde Bennett, argued that the case against his client had been inflamed due to race and politics, but in reality it was just a fight fueled by alcohol.
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Guinan rebutted Bennett’s argument, asserting that for him to believe the case is driven by race is offensive.
Jermaine Matthews, who was initially released on bond shortly after the attack, was granted the same bond amount and is still permitted to go to work.
Guinan argued that Matthews was the “leader” of the beatdown and one of the primary instigators, adding “this is the man who started it.”
However, Matthews’ attorney, Brandon Fox, insisted his client was “slapped” by a White man when the fight began.
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Dominique Kittle was then ordered to remain in custody pending a mental health evaluation, but his bond was kept the same.
Kittle’s defense attorney revealed his client is a paranoid schizophrenic and was previously found not guilty on prior charges by reason of insanity.
However, Guinan referred to Kittle as “a grave danger to the public” during his arraignment.
Aisha Devaughn also received a lower bond, with the initial amount of $300,000 brought down to $25,000 after her attorney cited her lack of prior felonies.
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Guinan also said Devaughn allegedly inserted herself into the fight and was not initially provoked.
Upon being led out of the courtroom, Matthews exclaimed, “[I’m going to] go get her,” before leaving the courtroom after Devaughn’s bond was lowered.
Patrick Rosemond was expected to be present in court after being arrested in Georgia last week, but he has not yet been extradited to Ohio. He could potentially appear in court on Friday.
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Matthews, Merriweather, Vernon, Devaughn, Rosemond and Kittle are each charged with three counts of alleged felonious assault, three charges of assault and two charges of aggravated rioting, the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to Fox News Digital.
If convicted, they face the possibility of up to 30 years in prison.
A seventh individual, Gregory Wright, was arrested earlier this week and is charged with alleged aggravated rioting and aggravated robbery.
Each defendant has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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