Nicholas Ray Swisher, a 29-year-old resident of Trotwood, Ohio, has been indicted on several counts, including murder, kidnapping, and gross abuse of a corpse.
The indictment, which was returned by a Montgomery County grand jury, accuses Swisher of the heinous killing of 61-year-old John L. Mullins.
According to court records and a probable cause affidavit, Swisher is alleged to have lured Mullins to his home on Lensdale Avenue in Trotwood, some 55 miles north of Cincinnati.
The indictment indicates that the killing occurred between September 22 and September 29, 2022.
Swisher is accused of kicking, stomping and hitting Mullins, after which he reportedly bound the victim with rope and duct tape, and beat him to death.
After the murder, he allegedly wrapped up the victim’s body, placed it in a toolbox, and disposed of it in the woods. The body was discovered on September 29, 2022, in a wooded area on the 6500 block of Midway Avenue, about a mile from Swisher’s home.
Detectives investigating the crime reported “suspicious circumstances” around Mullins’ death.
The investigation led them to obtain physical evidence linking Swisher to the murder. A grand jury formally charged Swisher with Mullins’ murder on December 12, 2023.
Coincidently, in a separate incident on the day of Swisher’s indictment, the suspect was arrested following a police chase and a head-on collision involving a U-Haul pickup truck that he had stolen.
The Trotwood Police Department responded to reports of the stolen vehicle from an area in the 6900 block of West Third Street.
The chase ended with the U-Haul colliding head-on with an SUV near Hoover Avenue and Scotswood Road. Swisher, identified as the driver, attempted to flee the scene on foot but was apprehended. The driver of the SUV suffered serious injuries and was taken to a local hospital.
Trotwood Police Chief Erik Wilson noted that it was a fortunate coincidence that Swisher was found and apprehended while being sought for an unrelated incident. This arrest led to Swisher facing additional charges.
Court records show that Swisher has pleaded not guilty to all charges related to Mullins’ death. He is currently being held on a $1 million bond and is scheduled to appear in court again for a status hearing on January 10. The Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office is representing Swisher in this case.