CINCINNATI — After an Ohio Senate ruling Thursday, Ohio became the last state in the U.S. to recognize strangulation as a felony instead of a misdemeanor.
The Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 288 on Thursday, which included SB 90, the increased strangulation offense.
SB 90 was joint-sponsored between Sens. Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood) and Stephanie Kunze (R-Hilliard).
Antonio said she's always believed it was unacceptable that Ohio didn't recognize such a heinous crime. She said that strangulation can cause permanent brain damage and that even without externally visible injuries, a victim can die weeks later due to internal injuries from strangulation.
"This legislation will bring Ohio up to speed with the rest of the country, save lives and send a clear message that domestic violence of any kind in our state will not be tolerated,” Antonio said.
The new legislation rules strangulation anywhere between a fifth-degree felony and a second-degree felony depending on the level of harm done.
Similar to Bill 288, House Bill 3 was passed by the Ohio House in October 2021 and is currently awaiting a ruling from the Senate. HB 3, better known as Aisha's Law, is named after a Shaker Heights teacher who was murdered by her ex-husband.
Aisha Fraser was killed in November 2018 by the father of her children, Lance Mason, a former northeast Ohio judge and state legislator. Mason was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 35 years.
Aisha’s Law would also expand the definition of aggravated murder to include previous domestic violence convictions. Police would be required to conduct lethality assessments to determine how much danger victims are in and connect them to services providing safety planning.
Aisha's Law also updates the definition of "domestic violence" to include strangulation.
Now that Senate Bill 288 has passed, the bill will go to Gov. Mike DeWine to be signed.
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