Thursday, February 25, 1999
Husband remains jailed in attack on wife
BY SHEILA McLAUGHLIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEBANON — Fearing Philip Cothran might be released from jail, prosecutors hurried last week to indict him in the attempted murder of his wife.
On Wednesday, authorities were back in court fighting to keep him in the Warren County Justice Center.
Despite a prosecutor's request for $500,000 bond, Judge P. Daniel Fedders of Warren County Common Pleas Court set bail at half that.
The judge also ordered Mr. Cothran to stay away from his wife, Terri, and her family. Judge Fedders banned Mr. Cothran from Warren and Butler counties except to meet with his lawyer or attend court hearings.
In a stepped-up arraignment hearing requested by the defense, Mr. Cothran, 48, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, kidnapping, felonious assault and child endangering.
Mr. Cothran was scheduled for arraignment March 5, but defense lawyer Charles Rittgers asked for the earlier hearing in an attempt to get Mr. Cothran out of jail.
Detectives said Mr. Cothran, a Procter & Gamble Co. lab technician in Blue Ash, stabbed his wife in the face, chest and back Feb. 6 after locking their twin 3-year-old daughters in a bedroom at their home on Shadow Ridge Drive.
Mr. Cothran waited until he thought Mrs. Cothran was dead be fore trying to asphyxiate himself in the garage, authorities said. Mrs. Cothran, 41, escaped to a neighbor's house when Mr. Cothran went into the garage.
Mrs. Cothran was released from University Hospital two weeks ago. Mr. Cothran, who has a history of depression, was jailed after his release from the Lewis Center psychiatric hospital last week.
Mr. Rittgers said he did not know whether Mr. Cothran could afford the $250,000 bond, but he thinks the bond and its conditions are reasonable. Mr. Cothran is to live with his son in Harrison if released.
Prosecutor Tim Oliver wants Mr. Cothran to be jailed.
“It's the seriousness of the offense, and the fact that he clearly had mental problems. He apparently had been seen by a psychiatrist before and tried to commit suicide. I feel he is a danger to (Mrs. Cothran) and should not be released,” Mr. Oliver said after the hearing.
A Warren County grand jury indicted Mr. Cothran on Friday as Judge David Batsche of Mason Municipal Court was preparing to release him on the condition that he surrender his passport and be placed on home incarceration.
To circumvent release, prosecutors sought the indictment that day, instead of waiting until Monday, as is usually done. The indictment bumped the case immediately to a higher court's jurisdiction.
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