CLEVELAND — A trial that was set to begin for Gregory Moore, who is accused of killing Aliza Sherman more than a decade ago, will be rescheduled for a later date.
NEWS 5's Scott Noll has the latest developments — WATCH:
Jury selection was set to begin Monday morning but was delayed by a flurry of defense motions filed by Moore's legal team.
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RELATED: Jury selection is on hold in the trial of Gregory Moore, accused of killing Aliza Sherman
But in a bombshell development, the lead defense attorney filed a motion Thursday morning to withdraw from the case.
Attorney Jon Paul Rion had represented Moore since Moore's indictment on murder and kidnapping charges last year.
Rion filed the motion under seal, meaning his reasons for wanting to withdraw have not been made public, but following a meeting with Administrative Judge Michael Shaughnessy Thursday, Rion was allowed to quit the case.
Following the decision, Rion told News 5 Investigators that his withdrawal "was done for justice and fairness" and strongly denied it was a delay tactic.
"Ridiculous," said Rion. "We never do anything for delay. This case needs to be tried. It needs to be tried correctly, after all the evidence is out, after all the motions have been filed and all the issues have been vetted. So there's no one trying to delay anything in the case."
After Rion's withdrawal, the defense asked for a continuance, claiming it would be ineffective assistance of counsel to try and move forward with trial.
Judge Kira Krivosh issued a continuance and dismissed the jury.
"This court has been prepared to proceed with trial and has been every day this week," said Krivosh. "This court has also had to address several last-minute motions and has made prompt rulings while considering all the parties' interests. Based off the decision and the filings, this court has no choice but to grant co-counsel's motion to continue."
A new trial date has not been set.
Moore remains out of jail after posting a $2 million bond last year. He's charged with multiple counts of murder and kidnapping, as well as conspiracy and aggravated murder.
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RELATED: Suspect in Aliza Sherman homicide posts $2 million bond
Sherman's 2013 death
Sherman, 53, a mother of four and a Cleveland Clinic nurse, was brutally stabbed in downtown Cleveland in broad daylight.
At the time of Sherman's death, Moore was representing her in a divorce case.
According to a secret indictment, which was made public after Moore's arrest, he allegedly lured Sherman to where he worked, saying that he needed to meet with her, but didn't intend to meet with her at all.
The indictment states that this was part of a plan hatched months earlier to kidnap her to avoid having her try her divorce case in court.
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RELATED: Attorney for Aliza Sherman indicted on murder charges for her death
As Sherman waited for someone to unlock the doors at Moore's office building, "an individual who was either Moore or an unknown co-conspirator" approached Sherman on East 12th Street, circled behind her, chased her, and then stabbed her more than 10 times, according to his indictment.
Moore's defense team denied the narrative.
Prior arrest and sentencing
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office previously said a police investigation revealed that on the day Sherman was killed, Moore sent text messages to her cell phone just before and after her death. Those messages indicated that Moore was in his office, but phone records, analysis, additional records and witness statements show he was not in the building.
Moore then made false statements to Cleveland police homicide detectives when questioned about his whereabouts, according to authorities.
In 2017, Moore was sentenced for inducing panic and lying to police who were investigating Sherman's death.
Moore pleaded guilty to inducing panic and falsification in connection with bomb threats called in to the Geauga County Courthouse in January 2012, the Lake County Courthouse in May 2012, and the Cuyahoga County Courthouse in July 2012.
He was sentenced to 180 days in jail, 36 months of community control, and 150 hours of court-work service.
RELATED: Aliza Sherman's divorce lawyer, Greg Moore, sentenced for inducing panic and falsification
