Sequim murder trial postponed to November
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, September 24, 2025
A second-degree murder trial for a Jefferson County man accused of killing a Sequim man in May has been set two months out from its original start date.
The five-day trial for Aaron C. Fisher, 36, of Port Townsend, was scheduled to begin Sept. 22 and continued in early September by Judge Brent Basden to tentatively begin on Nov. 17.
Fisher is accused of killing Richard G. Madeo, 70, who died May 8 at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, two days after Fisher allegedly punched him in the face and knocked him unconscious by the Sequim Safeway fuel station, according to court documents.
On Sept. 2, Fisher’s defense attorney Alex Stalker reported there was a conflict of interest with him representing Fisher, so William Payne was assigned as his new legal representation, according to court documents.
Stalker also requested Fisher’s bail be reduced from $500,000 to $150,000 to match his available resources, which Basden agreed to do with conditions of release including electronic home monitoring except to attend work, medical appointments, church, and/or obtain groceries.
On Sept. 5, Fisher was also charged with a count of communication with a minor for immoral purposes.
Payne pleaded not guilty for Fisher, court documents state.
He was booked and released for the charge, but remains in custody for the murder charge, and has not posted bail as of the Gazette’s press deadline.
According to the communication with a minor case’s probable cause statement, Fisher was allegedly communicating in November 2024 with a 13-year-old girl. Port Angeles Police report that he had sent explicit photos and text messages to her, which they discovered via the girl’s mother and a search warrant that allowed them to search Fisher’s phone.
He faces up to five years and/or a $10,000 fine for the charge.
Judge Elizabeth Stanley also imposed a no contact order from Fisher to the girl, and ordered that he not to go within 1,000 feet of her for five years.
Fisher was first arrested on May 6 after the altercation with Madeo and charged with second-degree assault. He was released on May 9 with Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Michele Devlin writing in an email “so the investigation could be completed.”
On July 23, a warrant for Fisher’s arrest was issued and he was arrested by multiple agencies in SeaTac, according to the Sequim Police Department.
Fisher pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder on Aug. 1.
A hearing for both of Fisher’s charges is set for 9 a.m. Oct. 7.
