PHILLIP JOVANOVICH

Matthew Catlett's Story

UPDATE: Parole has been reversed and denied for child killer Phillip Jovanovich. Jovanovich received the maximum continuance and will not have another hearing until June 2033. Thank you to everyone who submitted a petition to oppose this horrific murderer’s parole. Rest In Peace Matthew Catlett. You will never be forgotten.

A House Of Horrors

Marjorie Catlett’s boyfriend, Phillip Jovanovich, hated her five-year-old son Matthew. Jovanovich’s anger stemmed from the fact Matthew looked like one of his mother’s ex-boyfriends. Despite Jovanovich’s anger toward her son, Marjorie Catlett decided to share an apartment with Jovanovich. In addition to Ms. Catlett’s son Matthew and his eight-year-old sister April, Jovanovich’s friend Gregory Solly, Solly’s ex-wife Paula, Paula’s 16-year-old son Mark Mitruk, and the Solly’s two children also resided in the apartment.

Almost immediately after the group moved in together, Jovanovich, Mitruk and Gregory Solly began beating Matthew unmercifully. Matthew’s mother and Paula Solly did absolutely nothing while they watched Matthew being beaten and tortured. Every day for approximately two weeks Matthew would endure unrelenting abuse.

Matthew’s pain ended on Sunday February 24, 1980 when his mother decided it was time to take him to the hospital. A security guard at the hospital took Matthew to the emergency room. She later said he was near death. His eyes were blank and staring, his body was limp, and his hands were cold. He fought to live for 35 minutes before he was pronounced dead at 6:35 A.M. Police arrested Matthew’s mother and charged her with child endangerment. Police then headed to the apartment where Matthew was murdered.

Patrolman Richard Kennedy was one of the first officers to arrive on the scene. He said the apartment was filthy. There was a layer of an unknown substance on the floor, dirty clothing was everywhere, and there were dishes and and utensils in the kitchen that were covered with mold. When Officer Kennedy removed Matthew’s sister April from the home she was dirty and her hair was matted. The Solly’s two children appeared clean and healthy.

Arrests and Convictions

Jovanovich, Gregory Solly, his ex-wife Paula, and Mitruk were all arrested. Paula Solly was charged with child endangerment. Mitruk was certified to stand trial as an adult, and he, Jovanovich, and Gregory Solly were all charged with murder.

Marjorie Catlett was the first to be tried for the death of her son. She opted for a nonjury trial and on June 18, 1980, six months after Matthew’s death, she was found guilty of child endangering by Judge George Kiroff. She received a sentence of one to five years.

Mitruk, facing a life sentence in adult court, took a plea deal and agreed to testify against Gregory Solly and Phillip Jovanovich. He pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter. During his plea hearing Mitruk admitted to striking Matthew approximately ten times on at least three different occasions. He told the judge, “I don’t know why I did it.” Mitruk eventually received a sentence of 7-25 years in prison.

Paula Solly pled guilty to the reduced crime of failure to report a crime.

Gregory Solly and Phillip Jovanovich would face murder trials for the death of little Matthew Catlett.

“A Virtual Living Hell”

Gregory Solly’s trial began in November 1980 before Judge Peter Handwork. Solly opted out of a jury trial likely knowing he would surely be found guilty by a jury of his peers.

At the trial, the prosecution admitted into evidence a taped interview with Solly where he confessed to beating Matthew. Solly told detective Arthur Marx he injured Matthew’s foot when he kicked him. He stated that he participated in several other instances where Matthew was beaten. He claimed others in the home beat Matthew more often. On the tape Solly stated, “Maybe 40, 50, 60, percent of the time I would just sit and back and laugh and my wife (Paula his ex-wife) would be on me about that.” Solly advised Detective Marx that Matthew was beaten because his mother’s boyfriend Phillip Jovanovich thought he looked like one of her ex-boyfriends. According to Solly “everything was fine” until the group moved in together. Then things became “a little too serious…it was out of hand.” Solly divulged that he told the others in the apartment that Matthew needed to go to the hospital because burns on his body were not healing a few days after he was scalded with hot water. He said that his roommates in the apartment did not want to seek medical assistance. Solly informed Detective Marx he was frequently drunk and when intoxicated he was less likely to stop the others from beating Matthew. He also admitted that he tended to be out of control when he was drinking.

Detective Marx told the court that he did not believe Solly was telling the truth when he blamed the beatings on everyone else. He said interviews with those involved in the abuse revealed Solly was an active participant in the beatings.

Solly’s ex-wife Paula also testified at his trial. She said both she and Solly were intimidated by Phillip Jovanovich. She told Judge Handwork that Jovanovich started the beatings and urged everyone to join in. Ms. Solly explained that she and her ex-husband had reconciled and were living with their two young children, The Catlett family, and her brother Mark Mitruk. She said Gregory Solly introduced Jovanovich, a friend of his since seventh grade, to Marjorie Catlett and when Jovanovich moved in things changed, especially in regards to Matthew. She claimed she feared Jovanovich and didn’t stop the beatings because she was an afraid of retaliation. She asserted Jovanovich controlled Gregory Solly and Mitruk and the only time Matthew was beaten was when Phillip Jovanovich was there. Ms. Solly disclosed Gregory Solly and Mitruk did not beat Matthew as often or as bad a Jovanovich. According to Ms. Solly, “Phillip (Jovanovich) hit him (Matthew) like you would hit an adult.” She added that Jovanovich confessed to her that he had intentionally scalded Matthew with hot water causing serious burns over 20 per cent of his body.

Deputy Lucas County Coroner Dr. Renate Fazekas testified in detail regarding the multiple burns and bruises that covered Matthew’s body. She described Matthew’s internal injuries that were a result of the non-stop beatings. She said Matthew died from both the untreated burns and blunt-force injuries. She stated the burns alone would not have killed Matthew if he had been taken to the hospital for medical treatment. Dr. Fazeka’s estimated that Matthew was unconscious the last 12 hours of his life, however she could not be certain because she had never seen such severe injuries left untreated. She determined that by the time Matthew was brought to the hospital he was so sick nothing could have saved him.

The final prosecution witness at Solly’s trial was Mark Mitruk. He described living at the apartment “more like a concentration camp or something.” Mitruk said Jovanovich was responsible for the majority of the beatings. He stated “For every one time Greg (Solly) would hit Matt, Phillip (Jovanovich) would hit him ten times. For every one time I hit Matt, Phillip would hit him 20 times, maybe 15 times.” He advised the court that Jovanovich admitted to him that he scalded Matthew by pouring hot water on him. He described Matthew being “in a daze” after the scalding and told the judge that Gregory Solly attempted to treat Matthew’s burns several times. According to Mitruk, four or five times when Matthew was in the room Jovanovich told Mitruk, “Get him out of here or I’ll kill him.” He also described an incident where Jovanovich was “making like a drill sergeant, and Matt and Greg (Solly) were privates.” Mitruk said when Matthew wouldn’t take an order Jovanovich would kick his legs out from under him and Solly would laugh.

The defense presented witnesses who blamed Solly’s actions on his troubled family life and drug usage. Experts said Solly sought approval from Jovanovich and felt compelled to listen to him. They said Solly’s low IQ affected his ability to find adequate solutions to problems. Solly testified on his own behalf and continued to blame the beatings on others and minimized his role in Matthew’s murder.

Based on overwhelming evidence Judge Handwork found Greg Solly guilty of murder. He stated, “The evidence speaks all to tragically for itself.” He also said the apartment was “a virtual living hell”. Solly was sentenced to the mandatory sentence of 15 years to life with parole eligibility.

Guilty Beyond Any Doubt

Phillip Jovanovich’s trial began in January 1981 in front of Judge Dominick Olivito. In his opening statement Assistant Lucas County Prosecutor Henry Harris told Judge Olivito to prepare for “some of the most hideous evidence brought before a court in this county.” Harris then went on to describe what Matthew Catlett went through as a “living hell.”

At trial prosecutors played Jovanovich’s confession to Detective Arthur Marx. Jovanovich told Detective Marx that he began beating Matthew because his father was a man he did not like. He said he resented others in the apartment reminding him that Matthew was fathered by another man. Jovanovich stated, “I’m a jealous person. I’m too jealous.” Jovanovich admitted to Detective Marx he kicked Matthew “soccer style” into a mattress that was against the wall. He also kicked Matthew in his backside, slapped him, and wrote on him. Jovanovich told Detective Marx, “We all wrote on him.” Jovanovich admitted pouring scalding water on Matthew. According to Jovanovich he said he thought it would help the bruises and cuts that Matthew had received from countless beatings. Jovanovich blamed Matthew’s serious injuries on Gregory Solly. During his statement he said, “I never hit Matt like a wild man. You put my hits next to his (Solly’s) and mine weren’t nothin.”

Dr. Renate Fazekas once again testified for the prosecution providing additional evidence. She told of the bruises all over Matthew’s 40-pound body. She said roaches or ants had been feeding on Matthew’s open sores. Dr. Fazekas told the court Matthew had not eaten any solid food for two or three days before his death. She stated Matthew’s adrenal glands were exhausted, meaning he was in a state of extreme stress or shock for a long period of time. According to Dr. Fazekas before Matthew’s death he became lethargic then unconscious. For the last 24 hours of Mathew’s life he was so battered and abused that no medical help could have saved him.

Two psychiatrists were the only witnesses to testify on behalf of Jovanovich. One claimed Jovanovich was mentally challenged and did not understand the severity of the situation. He also blamed Solly’s influence over Jovanovich. During his interview with the psychiatrist Jovanovich admitted hitting Matthew and knowing the little boy was being hurt. The second psychiatrist blamed Jovanovich’s actions on the fact that Jovanovich was tormented and ridiculed for having low intelligence.

Jovanovich did not testify on his own behalf.

In closing arguments Assistant Prosecutor Henry Harris told the judge that in addition to proving Jovanovich was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt the state proved Jovanovich was guilty “beyond any doubt.” Judge Olivito agreed and found Jovanovich guilty of murder for killing Matthew Catlett. He then sentenced Jovanovich to the mandatory sentence of 15 years to life with parole eligibility.

A Questionable Parole Decision

Based on their horrific crimes both Jovanovich and Solly were regularly denied release at their parole hearings. Solly and Jovanovich both came up for parole in 2013.

Solly’s 2013 records state:

“The inmate is incarcerated for his role in the death of a male child. The inmate has completed several risk-relevant programs. The inmate recognizes the wrongfulness of his actions and is remorseful. However, this serious offense is aggravated by several of its characteristics, including its extreme callousness, its duration, and the vulnerability of the young victim. For that reason and after weighing all relevant factors, the Parole Board determines that the inmate is not suitable for release at this time.” The Ohio Parole Board determined “There is substantial reason to believe that due to the serious nature of the crime, the release of the inmate into society would create undue risk to public safety, or that due to the serious nature of the crime, the release of the inmate would not further the interest of justice or be consistent with the welfare and security of society.”

Jovanovich’s 2013 records state:

“Offender and co-defendant brutally abused a young child over the course of at least 7 days. The abuse included beating and burning, eventually causing the child to die. Offender takes no responsibility for his behavior for any of his actions and does not seem to grasp the seriousness of the offense. Given the nature of the offense and the lack of insight into his behavior, he is not suitable for release.” The records continue, “There is substantial reason to believe that due to the serious nature of the crime, the release of the inmate into society would create undue risk to public safety, or that due to the serious nature of the crime, the release of the inmate would not further the interest of justice or be consistent with the welfare and security of society.”

At their 2013 parole hearings Jovanovich and Solly both received the maximum continuance of ten years until their next hearings. The maximum continuance is not common, especially in cases over 30 years old, and is reserved for only the absolute worst of the worst inmates.

Solly and Jovanovich came up again for parole in 2023. Solly was denied parole and given another maximum 10-year-continuance. Unbelievably Jovanovich was granted parole. The 2023 records for Jovanovich state, “The Board finds that Incarcerated Adult has served a sufficient portion of his sentence, has completed programming to abate his risk to re-offend, and has a supportive release plan, thereby rendering him suitable for release onto parole supervision at this time.”

We were shocked and appalled by the Ohio Parole Board’s decision the release Jovanovich. In over 20 years we cannot recall ever seeing an inmate go from a 10-year maximum continuance to being granted parole. We never would have imagined it would happen in the case of a horrific child killer who 33 years later, “takes no responsibility for his behavior for any of his actions and does not seem to grasp the seriousness of the offense.”

Jovanovich was days away from getting an official release date when we contacted the Lucas County Ohio Prosecutor’s Office. After presenting our facts, the Prosecutor’s Office agreed to request a Full Board Hearing to urge the Ohio Parole Board to reconsider their decision. Now it is up to all of us to help them and be a voice for Matthew Catlett.

No Parole

Phillip Jovanovich and Gregory Solly should never be allowed to walk out of prison. They beat, scalded, and tortured defenseless five-year-old Matthew Catlett non-stop for approximately two weeks. Despite Matthew’s deteriorating condition they continued to abuse him and at no point sought medical attention that could have saved Matthew’s life. Jovanovich, the ringleader and main assailant, initiated Matthew’s beatings because Matthew looked like one of the ex-boyfriends of Matthew’s mother, who was dating Jovanovich. According to Ohio Parole Board documents 33 years after Matthew’s death, Jovanovich still took “no responsibility for his behavior for any of his actions and does not seem to grasp the seriousness of the offense.”

Releasing Phillip Jovanovich and Gregory Solly at any point would be a complete injustice to Matthew Catlett and would demean their extreme cruelty to him. In addition, paroling Jovanovich and Solly would not further the interests of justice and would pose an immeasurable risk to the community, especially young children. Based in the horrific nature of the crime, the extended duration of abuse, and the fact Matthew Catlett was a vulnerable five-year-old child, we urge The Ohio Parole Board to give Jovanovich and Solly the ten-year maximum parole continuance at all parole hearings until they serve their full, well deserved, life sentences.