After Jason Fisher spent most of Wednesday on the witness stand in Kosciusko Circuit Court, the murder victim's widower tearfully testified that Jason Fisher is a liar. Also, Jason Fisher claims that another man involved in the case was paid by Ralph Fisher to say Jason Fisher was the murderer.

At the start of the trial today, the state rested its case and the defense moved for, but was denied, a directed verdict.

A directed verdict means the defense counsel believes the prosecution did not prove its case and asks that the judge rule on the matter without the intervention of the jury.

Both Jason Fisher and William Vroman were prosecution witnesses Wednesday in the murder trial against Ralph Fredderick "Fred" Fisher, 47, of Goshen. Ralph Fisher is accused of killing 48-year-old Kathy Vroman Jan. 15, 2001, inside the Country Car Co., a Milford business owned by his son, Jason Fisher. Originally, Jason Fisher, 24, of Millersburg, was charged with Vroman's murder. However, in December, Jason Fisher turned the focus of the investigation on his father when he implicated Ralph Fisher as the shooter. Jason Fisher spent 10 months in the Kosciusko County Jail before accusing his father of the murder. He has since been released from incarceration, pending trial, but said Wednesday that the murder charge is to be dismissed in exchange for his testimony.

The murder investigation resulted in the arrests of the Fishers; William Vroman; Lawrence Grant of Shipshewana; and George Aldrich of Etna Green. The latter three were convicted of burglary and theft charges in connection with a December 2000 theft of more than $100,000 worth of vehicles from Rice Ford in Warsaw. Authorities have said that Kathy Vroman's death was connected to an auto theft ring. Grant also was convicted of unlawful movement of a body.

Jason Fisher still faces charges of burglary and theft from the Rice Ford incident and he testified that the choice of cars taken was according to what Ralph Fisher wanted him to get. Jason Fisher said he was paid $5,000, plus a vehicle valued at $12,000, in exchange for providing a 2001 Ford Expedition to Ralph Fisher. The identification number on the vehicle was replaced with that of a salvaged 1998 Expedition. Jason Fisher said Ralph Fisher taught him how to falsify the paperwork for salvaged vehicles.

Ralph Fisher was originally charged with assisting a criminal and unlawful movement of a body and later with conspiracy to obstruct justice. All of those charges were subsequently dismissed and pretrial motions granted by Judge Rex Reed will exclude any reference in court to all but the conspiracy charge.

Although Jason Fisher seemed to have memory lapses concerning events about which defense attorney Thomas Leatherman questioned him, he denied plotting to kill both William and Kathy Vroman and discussing it with Grant a week prior to Kathy Vroman's death. That plan was reportedly hatched because William Vroman was going to go to authorities about the Rice Ford burglary. William Vroman said he didn't like the thought of driving around in a stolen vehicle.

Jason Fisher was unable to provide a time frame for the death of Kathy Vroman and the various happenings that took place up until the disposal of her body, events that occurred over a 10-day period. But, as Kosciusko County Prosecutor Charles Waggoner demonstrated when asking Jason Fisher what time he took the stand, how long he had been testifying and how long the breaks had been, he couldn't estimate those time periods either.

"Throughout the day of Jan. 15, 2001, were you focused on time?" Waggoner asked Jason Fisher. "Were you making any notes on times?" Jason replied, "No," to both questions.

Leatherman continually challenged the credibility of Jason Fisher's testimony. "Do you think the story you just told the jury is the same as what you told in your deposition in January?" Leatherman asked. To this and many other questions during cross-examination, Jason Fisher replied, "I don't remember." The deposition was taken during an eight- to nine-hour period Jan. 29 in the office of Jason Fisher's attorney, Michael Miner of Warsaw. The transcript of the interview is more than 280 pages.

Leatherman referenced telephone records from Jan. 15, 2001, in his opening statement and during some questioning of witnesses already this week. This morning, Leatherman brought Alrich's sister, Miranda Aldrich, and wife, Heather Aldrich, to the witness stand to tell jurors about George Aldrich's cellular telephone. The telephone was purchased for George Aldrich by his sister and used by George Aldrich to call his wife twice on the day of Kathy Vroman's murder. Records of those calls were presented as evidence by the defense.

Additional testimony today came from George Aldrich, who said Grant was removing the seats from a van the morning of Jan. 15, 2001, prior to Kathy Vroman's disappearance and death. That vehicle was later used to transport Kathy Vroman's body from the car lot. George Aldrich said Jason Fisher called him about 12:15 p.m. that day and asked him to return to the car lot as soon as possible to answer telephones.

Several telephone calls also were exchanged between the two Fisher men on that day, according to testimony Wednesday.

Grant, who was on the witness stand late this morning, previously admitted helping move Kathy Vroman's body. Jason Fisher said he and Grant kept in contact with Ralph Fisher during the goings on after Kathy Vroman was killed and more or less carried out Ralph Fisher's instructions.

Because of the discrepancy as to who murdered Kathy Vroman, Leatherman said in cross-examination of Jason Fisher, "Isn't it true that you told Larry (Grant), 'I did it. I shot Kathy.'" Jason Fisher denied making such a statement. "If Larry said that, would he be lying?" Leatherman asked. "Yes," Jason Fisher said. "Why would Larry lie?" Leatherman asked. "Cause my dad paid him," Jason Fisher said. Additional testimony noted that Grant was wired money in Tennessee while en route to Florida, where he fled after Kathy Vroman's body was left in Michigan. Jason Fisher said Grant received $500 from Ralph Fisher.

Testifying today, Judy Holmes, Grant's former common law wife, said she and Grant left town at Jason Fisher's direction and that they picked up money from Ralph Fisher's business before they left. She also said Ralph Fisher was the one who wired them the money in Tennesee. Holmes is currently living in an apartment provided to her by an agent of Leatherman, testimony revealed.

Leatherman pointed out that Jason Fisher has received thousands of dollars in assistance from his father, including about $45,000 in start-up inventory for his car lot, $20,000 for a down payment on his Millersburg home and use of a credit card that Jason Fisher "maxed out." Jason Fisher denied telling a stepsister that Ralph Fisher owed such things to him and that he was jealous of Ralph Fisher's relationships with other family members.

William Vroman and Jason Fisher both acknowledged that the gun box presented as evidence in this case was like that from the gun believed used in the murder. The .25-caliber pistol was never located, although Jason Fisher claims to have discarded it in the same Dumpster in Elkhart County from which the box was retrieved.

William Vroman also testified he gave Jason Fisher the gun, which was owned by William Vroman, in exchange for propane gas for his house. Jason Fisher claimed he was simply storing that gun and another for William Vroman when he was out of town. Contradictory testimony also was given by the men in regard to where the gun was kept at Country Car Co., where William Vroman worked as a salesman and mechanic. William Vroman also worked for Ralph Fisher's Goshen business as a truck driver and he admitted he owed Ralph Fisher money for advances on work not completed at the time Kathy Vroman was killed. He said he did not think his life was in danger because of the outstanding debt.

After the murder, Jason Fisher said, he and Grant told their wives about what happened to Kathy Vroman and that Ralph Fisher was responsible. He denied telling Judy Grant that he killed Kathy Vroman and that he only told his wife that his dad did it so that she wouldn't be afraid of him.

However, Jason Fisher did not tell authorities that Ralph Fisher was the triggerman for almost a year after the murder.

"Did you keep your mouth shut for several months about your father and the murder?" Waggoner asked. "Yes," Jason Fisher replied.

Leatherman viewed the finger-pointing differently: "You killed Kathy Vroman to keep her quiet (about the auto thefts) ... (and) you blamed it (Kathy Vroman's death) on your father because you think your father will do anything for you and you deserve it," he said.

Holmes said Jason Fisher asked her a couple days after Kathy Vroman's disappearance if Holmes knew what happened to Kathy Vroman, and she said she told him that she did. Holmes said Jason Fisher told her Kathy Vroman "was one less person he would have to worry about ... I told him he wasn't gonna get away with it." [[In-content Ad]]