A man sentenced for the murder of his wife | News, Sports, Jobs

Staff Photo / Ed Runyan Jerry Rydarowicz, left, speaks with Judge Anthony Donofrio of the Mahoning County Common Plea Court on Monday before the judge sentences Rydarowicz to 15 years in life for the murder of his ex -wife, Katherine. To the right is his lawyer, John Juhasz.

YOUNGSTOWN – Janine Jones, mother of Katherine Rydarowicz, told Judge Anthony Donofrio that she urged her daughter to leave Jerry Rydarowicz “before he seriously injures or kills her”.

“All she could say was, ‘Jerry loves me, and you’ll be fine.’ The night the police came to our door, the first thing that came out of my mouth was, ‘He killed her, didn’t he?’ “

Francis “Jerry” Rydarowicz, 50, killed her, a jury found earlier this month during a trial in the Mahoning County Common Plea Court.

Jurors convicted him of the murder of Katherine, 41, on June 22, 2019, at the Kings Motel on US Route 422 in Coitsville. The judge on Monday sentenced Rydarowicz, who was facing two counts of murder, two counts of domestic violence and one count of assault, to 15 years in life imprisonment.

Defense lawyer John Juhasz said it was the only sentence allowed by law. Jurors found Rydarowicz not guilty of aggravated murder, which would have resulted in a more serious sentence.

Katherine Rydarowicz was found stabbed to death in the driveway outside the motel. Jerry Rydarowicz also suffered stab wounds to the neck and left wrist.

Jerry Rydarowicz had testified that Katherine attacked him at the motel with a hunting knife after allowing her to come to his motel room to retrieve her things. He said he helped transport three loads of items to the van she was using.

After the third trip, Rydarowicz returned to the room and Katherine asked to look around once more.

“I went to lift the box spring and mattress off the bed, then I felt a sharp pain in my neck,” he said, claiming that she had stabbed him.

“I took the knife away from her and she turned around,” Jerry Rydarowicz said of stabbing her in the back. “It was like a blur for a second, everything that happened to me.” He said he stabbed her because he feared for her life.

Prosecutors claimed Jerry Rydarowicz’s DNA was the only DNA on the handle of the knife and pointed out that he did not call 911 after stabbing Katherine.

Janine Jones wanted the judge to know her daughter had two children – a son who graduated from high school and a daughter who graduated from college and began medical school on Monday.

When it was the accused’s turn to speak, he said, “I would like to say that there are no meaningful words to say how sorry I am for the family and Katherine. It should never have happened, and I know what she meant ”to his family, he said. “I just want to say how sorry I am for what happened.”

Donofrio noted that Rydarowicz had previously had three domestic violence charges involving his wife.

“All I can say is that no one deserves to be abused or a victim of domestic violence. No one deserves to be subjected to behaviors which intimidate, terrorize, frighten, manipulate and injure, whether this injury is psychological or physical ”, declared the judge.

“Seeing your history of domestic violence with Katherine says a lot about you. Your continued need for power or control over her seen through your eyes is the epitome of a love-hate relationship – hate wins in the end, ”Donofrio said.

Rydarowicz, who previously lived in Hubbard County, gets credit for more than two years in Mahoning County Jail pending trial.