Fisher takes stand in his defense at trial

Published 4:10 pm Wednesday, February 11, 2026

PORT ANGELES — Aaron C. Fisher took the stand Wednesday on the third day of his trial in Clallam County Superior Court, giving jurors his account of the encounter that prosecutors say led to the death of Richard Madeo, 70, of Sequim.

Fisher, 37, is charged with second-degree murder or, alternatively, first-degree manslaughter and has pleaded not guilty.

After the state rested, defense attorney Lane Wolfley called Fisher to testify. Under Wolfley’s questioning, Fisher said he has worked as a commercial fisherman in Alaska since 2009 but was recovering from a knee injury on May 6, 2025, and doing freelance mechanic work while awaiting surgery.

He said he was in Sequim that day for a windshield replacement and was walking to Safeway with a woman to buy lunch while they waited for the windshield on his vehicle to be replaced. Fisher described bringing her along as a friendly gesture after she had helped him with a job the day before.

As they entered the parking lot, Fisher testified, he heard an engine revving and saw a pickup truck close by. He said the driver, Madeo, was yelling and making obscene gestures. After they crossed in front of the truck, it accelerated and continued revving, he said.

Fisher testified he reached out and tapped the side mirror to signal his discomfort. The truck then stopped abruptly, he said, and Madeo got out and struck him.

“I reacted,” Fisher said when Wolfley asked what happened next, testifying that he threw a punch and that Madeo fell to the ground.

Fisher told jurors he did not intend to cause serious harm and said he hoped Madeo would be OK.

On cross-examination, Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Michele Devlin pressed Fisher on what she described as discrepancies between his statements to law enforcement captured on body camera footage and his testimony in court.

Devlin questioned Fisher about how close the truck came to him and whether he could hear what Madeo was saying from inside the vehicle. She also focused on the side mirror, asking whether it had already broken before the physical confrontation and challenging Fisher’s description of trying to fold it in versus striking it.

Devlin further questioned Fisher about how Madeo made contact with him, contrasting his trial testimony with earlier statements in which he described being shoved with open hands. She asked him to demonstrate how he was struck and how he responded.

Devlin also noted that Fisher had previously told officers the woman with him was his girlfriend. On the stand, Fisher said that was not accurate, testifying they had known each other only about a week and were not in a romantic relationship.

Judge Brent Basden instructed the jury to return at 9:30 a.m. Thursday and directed attorneys for the state and defense to be present for an 8:30 a.m. start.

Outside the presence of the jury before testimony resumed Wednesday, the court addressed concerns that a witness may have influenced the testimony of his wife, who was on the stand at the time. After reviewing closed-circuit television footage of the courtroom gallery and hearing arguments from both sides, Basden found no improper influence and declined to strike the testimony.

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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.