Clyde Harris, 82, had little to say Monday morning when he appeared before a judge in East Liverpool to face charges in connection with a stabbing that killed his 51-year-old girlfriend Cynthia Cline.
Harris is facing a felonious assault charge, but officials said since Cline has died, additional charges will most likely be filed soon.
Harris told the judge he did not have enough money to hire his own attorney, so the judge appointed a public defender to represent him. Harris is being held in the county jail on a $500,000 bond and is expected to be back in court later this week.
Police said the stabbing happened at an apartment complex on Baum Street in East Liverpool Saturday night. Cline called 911 at 7:21 p.m. and told the dispatcher someone had stabbed her.
Reports state Harris was highly intoxicated and had a bloody knife next to him when police arrived. Another knife was found near Cline, who had been stabbed in the stomach.
Cline's family members said they are upset they didn't find out about the stabbing until after she had died.
"A lot of answers, too, that I would like to know," said the victim's mother, Walda Cline. "I would have went to the hospital. Seven hours later, and they come to the door."
Police officials said they acted as quickly as possible.
"At the time...it was kind of unexpected," said police Chief Michael McVay. "They didn't expect her to expire, and that was pretty much where we were at the time. Once we got notification that she had died, we did make immediate notification."
Cline's mother also said Cynthia and Harris had been in an on again/off again relationship for years.
