Ax-Wielding Man Charged with Attempted Murder

A Hollo Oval man has been charged with attempted murder and felonious assault in an Aug. 21 that sent his wife to a trauma unit and daughter to the hospital.

Aco Simonoski, 51, 13257 Hollo Oval, is in jail in Cleveland on $500,000 bond, Detective Lt. John Janowski said.

The bond was originally set at $100,000, but was raised today.

Simonoski was arrested about 8:45 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21, after a neighbor called 911 and reported a man at the address was beating his daughter.

Ryan Miday, spokesman for Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason, gave these details:

Aco Simonski and his wife, Milka, 51, got into an argument Sunday morning about whether Aco should continue to live in the home.

He left the residence. Milka and her daughter, Bilyana, 22, went to services at Grace Church and then to dinner at

When they returned home about 8:30 p.m., Aco was there. They got into a heated argument and Aco, who appeared to be intoxicated, went to the garage, got an ax and started swinging it at his wife.

Bilyana tried to intervene and was struck in the arm with the axe. 

Aco then went after his wife again, hitting her in the head with the ax.

As he continued to swing it at Bilyana, the fight spilled into the yard, where a neighbor out walking his dog heard screams and ran over, calling 911 on the way.

A police report said officers found Milka n the house, lying face down on the floor with a "large amount of blood" around her and an ax nearby. 

The dispatch report says  arrived at the house about three minutes after the call, took the suspect into custody and called for paramedics, saying the situation was "severe."

The wife and daughter were taken to Southwest General Health Center, where a Life Flight helicopter arrived about 9:10 p.m. to take Milka to MetroHealth Medical Center.

She remains there today. Bilyana was also taken to MetroHealth from Southwest.

Miday said bond was originally set at $100,000, but prosecutors sought -- and received -- a higher bond today due to "the heinous nature of this crime and the concern of the community."

If he is able to post bond, Aco Simonoski, a native of Macedonia, would have to forfeit his passport, Miday said.

He has been charged with one count of attempted murder and four counts of felonious assault.