Nicholas Ray Swisher: Ohio man indicted for killing a 61-year-old man and stuffing body inside a toolbox
TROTWOOD, OHIO: An Ohio man has been indicted for reportedly luring a 61-year-old man to his home before he tied him up and beat him to death. Nicholas Ray Swisher, 29, then stuffed John L Mullins' body in a toolbox and discarded it in the woods in late 2022.
A grand jury in Montgomery County last month returned a true bill indicting Swisher on one count each of murder, felonious assault, kidnapping, tampering with evidence, and gross abuse of a corpse in the death of Mullins.
When did Nicholas Ray Swisher kill John L Mullins?
According to a copy of the indictment, Swisher is accused of killing Mullins sometime between September 22 and September 29, 2022, inside his home located on Lensdale Avenue in Trotwood, Ohio, which is about 55 miles north of Cincinnati. Swisher has pleaded not guilty to all of the aforementioned charges, as per court records.
When did authorities find John L Mullins' body?
Mullins’ body was recovered on September 29, 2022, in an area of woods located in the 6500 block of Midway Avenue, which is about a mile from Swisher’s home, the Dayton Daily News reported.
“Nicholas Swisher did lure John Mullins to the address. While there, Nicholas Swisher hit, kicked and stomped Mullins. He then bound him with rope and duct tape before causing his death by beating,” a probable cause affidavit obtained by the Dayton Daily News states, adding “Nicholas then wrapped Mullins’ body, put him in a toolbox and disposed of him in the woods.”
What did the investigators say?
Detectives investigating the crime reportedly told Dayton CBS affiliate WHIO that they immediately noticed “suspicious circumstances” regarding Mullins’ death. They were later able to obtain physical evidence that linked Swisher to the murder, per the report.
The grand jury formally charged Swisher with Mullins’ murder on December 12, 2023. That same day, Swisher was arrested in connection with an unrelated robbery.
According to WHIO, the Trotwood Police Department officers responded to reports of a U-Haul pickup truck being stolen from an area located in the 6900 block of West Third Street at about 4.30 am on Tuesday, December 12.
Later that day, the U-Haul was spotted driving in the area and a chase ensued that ended when the U-Haul got into a head-on collision with an SUV near Hoover Avenue and Scottswood Road. Police said the driver, later identified as Swisher, attempted to flee from the scene of the accident on foot but was quickly apprehended.
“Luckily, the incident we were looking for him on Tuesday for was unrelated to that incident last year,” Trotwood Police Chief Erik Wilson told WHIO, adding “And so this was the one time, you know, the gods were smiling on us and we were able to come in contact with him looking for something else. And then once we had him custody, we had the paperwork in hand.”
“The timing was impeccable,” Wilson further said.
What other charges does Nicholas Ray Swisher face?
Swisher is facing separate charges of vehicular assault, failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, and receiving stolen property over the December 12 incident. He is currently being held on $1 million bond and is scheduled to appear in court again for his status hearing on January 10. Swisher is being represented in the matter by the Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office.
