Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Jury selection is under way today in the Kosciusko Circuit Court trial of Ralph Fredderick "Fred" Fisher.
Fisher, 47, of Goshen, is accused of murder in the Jan. 15, 2001, shooting death of Kathy Vroman, 48, of Milford. Vroman's body was found in a wooded area near Three Rivers, Mich., several days after she was reported missing and after the investigation turned from missing person to murder.
At the beginning of the investigation, Fisher's son, Jason Fisher, 23, of Millersburg, was charged with Vroman's murder. That charge remains pending. In December, Jason Fisher turned the focus of the investigation to his father when he took a polygraph examination and implicated Ralph Fisher as the shooter.
Ralph Fisher was originally charged with assisting and unlawful movement of a body and later with conspiracy to obstruct justice. All of those charges were subsequently dismissed.
Motions were granted prior to jury selection this morning that will prevent testimony on all evidence but that related to the conspiracy charge. Reference to the polygraph taken by Jason Fisher also will not be allowed during trial.
Defense attorney Thomas Leatherman will be using an alibi defense in this case.
As of 11 a.m. today, seven jurors had been selected.
Once the jury is seated, which was expected to be by lunch today, the case is expected to take four days to complete.
