Lawyer Arrested In Stabbing Death of Own Client Before Her Divorce Case Went to Trial: Police

Even as it technically became a cold case, authorities in Ohio never stopped working on it. Now, they believe they finally have their man. And it's a man they've been eying pretty much since the beginning.

On Friday, Sherman's attorney, Gregory Moore, 51, was indicted on multiple felony charges, including aggravated murder, conspiracy, two counts of kidnapping, and six counts of murder. That afternoon, he was picked up by U.S. Marshals in Austin, Texas, with the plan to extradite him back to Ohio.

Sherman's death came just two days before her divorce case was set to begin in court. But it never happened. Police now believe that a previous investigation into bomb threats called in to various courthouses where Moore was scheduled to appear -- thus delaying those appearances -- created an opportunity for the lawyer.

As detailed in their 10-count indictment, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office began looking into Moore's cell phone usage as it related to the various bomb threats that were being called into Cleveland court houses in 2012.

When Moore allegedly got wind of the investigation, according to the indictment, he got a new cell phone and set up a hotspot in his downtown office so that his activities wouldn't ping off of local towers. It was with this setup that police believe Moore began to develop his murderous plan.

Prosecutors argue that they believe Moore began to outline his plot as early as January 2013 all the way through April, and all of it was an attempt to "obstruct" Sherman's divorce case. Investigators do not know why he was allegedly determined to do this.

After she had been stabbed 11 times, according to authorities, outside of Moore's office on March 24, 2013, Sherman still managed to call police. An employee in the building also called 911 after hearing her screams, while grainy surveillance footage captured a masked figure dressed in black fleeing the scene.

Sherman was transported to a hospital, but ultimately succumbed to her wounds.

Her death came after she'd been called to Moore's office, where she believed she would be meeting with him in the final days before her divorce proceedings. Only police determined he was never actually there, despite at one point telling Sherman he was via text.

The indictment then details the final exchanges between Sherman and Moore on March 24, 2013, up until just moments before her death:

• 2:30 p.m.: "Moore texted Sherman to meet him" at his office at 4:30 p.m. and "let him know when she was leaving for the meeting."
• 3:54 p.m.: Sherman texted she was leaving and would be there by 4:30. Moore responded, "take time, closer to 5." Sherman replied that she would "wait call me when you get there." She then drove to his office, per police, and began to wait outside.
• 4:15 p.m.: "Moore called Sherman but did not speak to her and did not call back again."
• 4:19 p.m.: Sherman apologized for missing his call, telling him she was already at his office, "let me know when u are here I will wait in my car.. No problem."
• 5:11 p.m.: Investigators detail that Moore's communication from this point occurred while his phone was disconnected from Verizon's cellular network, suggesting he. was using his firm hotspot.
• 5:13 p.m. - 5:16 p.m.: Sherman texted Moore twice asking if he was there, saying she's been "standing outside building" and it's "kind of cold." His response came back, "Been here," at which point she replied, "Doors locked I thought u would text me when u got here.. Been in car 45 min .. It's ok how do I get in?"
• 5:22 p.m.: "If u are here why don't you let me in? I guess I will go back to my car .. Too cold .. Text me when door is open thx," Sherman texted Moore. He did not respond and this would prove to be her final text.

It was just moments later that "an individual who was either Moore or an unknown co-conspirator" allegedly chased Sherman down the street before stabbing her 11 times and ultimately killing her.

Investigators did ping Moore's keycard used at his office at 3:51 p.m. on the day of her death, but claim "he either did not enter the building or entered the building and then left prior to 4:07 p.m." It is the prosecution's assertion that he was not there at all during those hours, even as he was texting Sherman that he was.

Between 5:41 p.m. and 6:43 p.m. on March 24, 2013, Moore sent multiple text messages to Sherman asking where she was, which prosecutors believe was a calculated attempt to create the false pretense that he was unaware what had happened to her. The indictment asserts that he did not buzz into his office until 7:30 p.m. that night, after which he again called Sherman's phone multiple times.

Further, police determined that after Sherman's death, an employee at the law firm attempted to cancel the hotspot they claim he was using to communicate with her before her death, while a voice message from Sherman to Moore was deleted.

Police have not been able to determine definitively if Moore was the masked man seen in surveillance footage. Sherman's estranged husband Dr. Sanford Sherman was also a person of interest in the case, but he was never arrested.

The estranged husband died in 2024 after consistently refusing to cooperate in the investigation, according to NBC affiliate WKYC. While he was never charged, he did settle a 2016 civil lawsuit brought by his daughter Jennifer alleging theft and identity fraud. During this case, she cited evidence her mother was afraid for her safety during her divorce case.

Jennifer also spoke up in court in 2017 when Moore was sentenced to 180 days in jail, 36 months of community control, and 150 hours of community service after he admitted lying to police about the bomb threats, per WKYC, as well as for stating he was in his office when Sherman was outside of it waiting to meet with him.

"Filing from divorce in 2011 was supposed to signify my mother's escape from a hostile and corrupt marriage," Jennifer said in court. "Greg Moore knew my mother was vulnerable and frightened."

"The Sherman family has waited over a decade for answers regarding their mother’s homicide," said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley in a statement. "Through the tenacious work of multiple law enforcement agencies, evidence was accumulated that paints the unmistakable picture that Gregory Moore orchestrated and participated in the brutal murder of Aliza Sherman."