PORT ANGELES — Clallam County Superior Court Judge Brent Basden denied a defense motion to suppress statements made by Aaron Charles Fisher to law enforcement before he was arrested after he allegedly punched a Sequim man and knocked him unconscious last May.
The man, Richard G. Madeo, 70, died two days later at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Fisher, 37, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. He faces up to life in prison and/or a $50,000 fine. His bail previously had been set at $150,000.
Tuesday’s decision clears the way for prosecutors to use portions of Fisher’s on-scene remarks at trial, which is scheduled to begin Monday.
It followed a separate hearing, which focused on whether Fisher’s statements were obtained through an interrogation requiring Miranda warnings, rather than whether they might later be excluded for other reasons, such as relevance or unfair prejudice.
Testimony centered on police body-worn camera footage and officers’ interactions with Fisher at the scene on May 6, 2025, at the Sequim Safeway Fuel Station, 680 Washington St.
Sgt. Andrew Wagner of the Sequim Police Department testified that he spoke with Fisher without drawing a firearm or placing him in handcuffs, and that Fisher had his phone and was able to move around.
Sequim police officer Stephanie Benes testified that she arrived shortly after Wagner and that Fisher was not detained until about 12:42 p.m. that day, when she told him he should not leave while she checked with a supervisor.
Clallam County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Michele Devlin said the state was not seeking to admit statements that were made after that point in time.
Sequim police Detective Sgt. Darrell Nelson testified about a separate interaction on May 12, 2025, when Fisher came to the Sequim Police Department lobby to retrieve his property following a 72-hour hold for the alleged assault. Nelson said Fisher asked what he could do to help the case, and Nelson told him he was not comfortable discussing it because Fisher previously had invoked his constitutional rights.
In arguments, prosecutors contended Fisher’s initial statements in the Safeway parking lot were made during on-scene questioning as officers tried to determine what had happened, and that body-camera footage showed officers walking away to handle other tasks, leaving Fisher alone at times and not physically restraining him.
Fisher’s attorney, Lane Wolfely, argued his client was an obvious suspect based on witness statements and the condition of the injured man. He stressed that Fisher’s cooperation and willingness to speak with law enforcement should not be used to undermine his right to be advised of his constitutional protections.
In an oral ruling, Basden said the totality of the circumstances did not show a coercive interrogation before the 12:42 p.m. detention point, noting the open parking lot setting, the lack of handcuffs or drawn weapons, and that Fisher was not moved to a patrol car or isolated from other people.
Basden also said the court considered Fisher’s reference to race during the encounter, but he did not find it turned the questioning into a situation that demanded a Miranda warning.
Before the hearing, Basden agreed to let prosecutors use video from the Safeway parking lot in the trial after Wolfley asked that it be shown in full screen at normal speed so jurors could see the event more clearly, rather than in a small inset window that he said made it more difficult to judge timing, movement and speed.
Fisher is scheduled to return to court at 8:45 a.m. Friday for a stipulations hearing and to address a separate witness-tampering case.
In a separate case in September, Fisher pleaded not guilty to communication with a minor for immoral purposes as well as two additional counts filed in October alleging possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, offenses that together carry potential penalties ranging from five to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $20,000 per count.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
