Prosecutor: Man may have used garden tools to beat his 91-year-old mother to death in South Euclid

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio (WOIO) - The man alleged in the murder of his 91-year-old mother appeared for arraignment at the South Euclid Municipal Court on Tuesday afternoon.

Marcus Henry, 50, pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated murder in connection to the November 2021 death of his mother, Essie Mae Henry.

Investigators with the South Euclid Police Department said the victim was found dead in the bushes in front of the Warrensville-Colony Apartments near Warrensville Center Road in November 2021.

The victim’s son was taken into custody on Jan. 27, according to South Euclid police, months after the incident.

The medical examiner’s office said her death was ruled a homicide from blunt force injuries.

During Tuesday’s hearing, the prosecutor suggested that gardening tools found near the scene of the homicide may have been used in Henry’s death.

The judge set bond at $1 million. The prosecutor’s office initially requested for it to be set at $2 million, but Henry’s attorney argued that it was unreasonable.

The case will now be bound over to a Cuyahoga County grand jury for review.

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