A Toledo man accused of fatally shooting his daughter’s grandmother in December pleaded not guilty to the crime before a Lucas County judge.
Malcolm D. Fisher, 31, of the 700 block of Lagrange Street, faces charges of aggravated murder and kidnapping for the death of Johanna Crawford, 66, of the 3100 block of Hazelton Drive.
According to police, Ms. Crawford was found shot to death in her living room at about 10:45 p.m. on Dec. 16.
After shooting Ms. Crawford, Fisher allegedly took his 9-year-old daughter, Adeline, from her bedroom and fled to a Toledo location. Ms. Crawford had custody of the child at the time.
Toledo Police arrested Fisher at 11:27 p.m. in a home in the 1100 block of Joel Avenue, where he had taken his daughter.
Police recovered Adeline safely and Fisher was booked into Lucas County jail in the early morning hours of Dec. 17.
Ms. Crawford was a registered pediatric nurse, a foster parent, and a public advocate for the health and safety of children.
Mrs. Crawford’s husband, Knute Huber, previously told The Blade that issues with Fisher had been simmering for a while before the night of Dec. 16. Fisher wanted custody of Adeline and had twice gotten into verbal altercations with Mrs. Crawford in the days before she was killed. According to Mr. Huber, on the second occasion, the defendant had allegedly threatened to kill the woman.
On Wednesday, Judge Linda Jennings set bond at $1,100,000. Fisher will next appear in court for a trial date on March 1.
Fisher is separately charged with theft and assault from an incident on Dec. 11. According to court records, he became involved in an altercation between two women and punched one of them in the head. He then allegedly kicked her while the other woman held her down. Fisher is also accused of stealing a phone and $400 from the victim before fleeing.
He has pleaded not guilty to the crimes and will next appear in Toledo Municipal Court on Jan. 11 before Judge Timothy Kuhlman.
First Published January 13, 2022, 3:35 p.m.
