A Jefferson County man has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the death of Sequim artist Richard Madeo, 70, who died two days after the pair had an altercation near the Safeway fuel station on May 6.
Aaron Charles Fisher, 36, was arrested in the SeaTac area on Wednesday, July 23 after the Clallam County Superior Court issued a warrant for his arrest, the city stated in a press release issued Thursday afternoon, July 24.
Fisher was booked into Clallam County Jail at 1:25 p.m. July 24, and shortly thereafter had his first court appearance where he faces murder in the second degree, and/or manslaughter in the first degree. He could face up to life in prison and/or a $50,000 fine for both charges.
Judge Elizabeth Stanley set Fisher’s bail at $500,000, with GPS monitoring if released. His arraignment hearing is set for 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1.
Sequim Police said they received a report from the King County Medical Examiner’s office confirming that the manner of Madeo’s death was homicide from blunt force injuries of the head, leading to a warrant for Fisher’s arrest.
According to the city, Fisher was taken into custody by Sequim police officers and members of the Special Investigations Unit, a multi-agency collaboration within the Kent Valley area of King County. He was booked into the King County Jail before being transported to Clallam County for booking in the Clallam County Correctional Facility.
On the day of the May 6 altercation, Fisher was apprehended at the scene and taken into custody, charged with second-degree assault.
However, he was released from jail on May 9 as more evidence was gathered in the case, police report.
In an email to the Sequim Gazette at that time, Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Michele Devlin explained that Fisher was released “so the investigation could be completed.”
Incident
According to court documents, Sequim police and Clallam County Fire District 3 responded at about 12:25 p.m. that Tuesday to the 500 block of West Washington St. where they found Madeo unconscious in a parking lot, bleeding from his mouth, with a laceration to the back of his head.
He was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where he was placed on life support, showing minimal brain activity, according to court documents. He died on Thursday, two days after the altercation.
According to court documents, Fisher was walking across the shopping plaza’s driveway, knocked off Madeo’s truck’s side view mirror as Madeo drove by, and Madeo got out of the truck and they exchanged gestures and words before Fisher punched Madeo.
One witness at the fuel station said that during the altercation, Fisher kept inching closer to Madeo during their interaction, Madeo pushed Fisher, and Fisher hit him.
Another witness said Fisher was crossing the parking lot and Madeo had to slow down for him, Madeo accelerated to go around him, and Fisher reached out and hit the mirror.
Surveillance footage from nearby businesses could not clearly show Fisher punching Madeo, or the incident with the mirror because they were on the other side of the truck, court documents state.
City of Sequim officials said they would not release video surveillance and body cam footage from the incident as the investigation remains open.
Fisher has a previous assault in the second degree charge for domestic violence in Jefferson County, according to court documents.
This is Sequim’s first murder investigation since the death of Valerie Claplanhoo, who was found dead on Jan. 2, 2019 in her unit at the Sunbelt Apartments after being attacked by a knife or a sharp object. Prior to her death, Sequim’s previous murder was in 2004. Claplanhoo’s murder remains open and under investigation, police report.
Anyone with information on Madeo’s and/or Claplanhoo’s murders are encouraged to contact the Sequim Police Department at 360-683-7227 or by email to ContactSPD@sequimwa.gov.
