The second degree murder trial for a Port Townsend man has been pushed out two weeks at the request of the state prosecution to prepare for the trial.
Judge Brent Basden agreed last Friday to set the five-day trial for Aaron C. Fisher, 37, to begin on Monday, Feb. 9 in Clallam County Superior Court. It was originally set to begin on Jan. 26 but Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Michele Devlin asked last week for the continuance as she needed more time to prepare following the conclusion of another trial that went longer than expected.
Fisher’s attorney Lane Wolfley said the request was reasonable, and that Fisher was adamant for a sooner start date of his trial.
Fisher faces a second degree murder charge in the death of Richard G. Madeo, 70, after allegedly punching him in the face on May 6 in 2025, knocking him unconscious in the driveway near the Safeway fuel station, which led to his death two days later, court documents state.
Devlin said she had another case going to trial on Feb. 9, but she has asked for a continuance of the trial of Daniel Edgar, 33, of Port Angeles, who is accused of rape in the third degree.
Basden said that with Fisher having been in custody longer, his trial takes priority.
A hearing to determine motions for the trial was set for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3.
Wolfley filed on Jan. 8 to suppress comments Fisher made to police about the incident as he allegedly didn’t have his Miranda rights read to him.
Devlin said on Jan. 23 she plans to file an additional charge of witness tampering against Fisher along with an updated probable cause statement.
Wolfley said earlier this month that one of their main witnesses, a transient, had not been able to be contacted, but on Jan. 23 noted that the person was in custody for another matter.
Another case against Fisher where he allegedly communicated with a minor for immoral purposes continues to trail the second degree murder case.
Sexual assault case
A plea offer is pending for a Port Angeles man accused of raping and assaulting two teens in the summer of 2024 in Sequim.
Devlin said on Jan. 23 in court she is leaving an unspecified offer open to 26-year-old Daniel L. Sigmon until a hearing at 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6.
He was charged with four counts of rape of a child in the second degree, a count of child molestation in the second degree, and a count of assault in the second degree related to alleged incidents in June 2024 near Railroad Bridge Park in Sequim.
Sigmon’s defense attorney Seth Doherty asked for more time to consider the plea deal, and that they could set a trial date, if needed, on Feb. 6.
Judge Elizabeth Stanley struck Sigmon’s five-day trial that was set to begin Feb. 23. Sigmon also waived his speedy trial date.
Sigmon is accused of molesting and sexually assaulting two 13-year-old girls near the park who were swimming.
He offered to build them a fire before allegedly assaulting, molesting and/or choking them with one girl saying in a forensic interview that they feared for their lives, court documents state.
Results in conjunction with the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) for one girl and a strangulation exam for the other girl state that there is “very strong support” that Sigmon is the male contributor to the DNA found in the samples, according to court documents.
Sigmon voluntarily gave his DNA to law enforcement last summer, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office stated.
He has no criminal record, and could face up to life in prison and/or a $50,000 for each count of rape, and up to 10 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine for each of the other charges.
