Ronald Fischer (70), a former doctor who was among Rhode Island’s most wanted fugitives, In the United States, he was arrested after spending 21 years on the run from justice for rape, according to the US Marshals Service.
Fischer disappeared in 2005 while on trial for a charge of first-degree rape related to the sexual assault of a woman that occurred aboard a yacht he owned in 2003.
Before the verdict, and anticipating an almost certain conviction, Fischer fled. «Although I think my trial went very well and I hope to be acquitted and have the case dismissed, «The slightest possibility of losing could lead to extremely harsh and unacceptable sanctions.»said an email from Fischer sent to his lawyer, cited by WPRI.
«Therefore, I have decided not to take the risk and leave the United States to enjoy life in another countrywhere I have been carefully planning a good, safe and comfortable life for a long time,» he added, before fleeing.
Fischer was later found guilty in absentia. He was also sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 25 years, before ending up on Rhode Island’s most wanted fugitives list. Her case had been mentioned repeatedly over the years on the true crime television show America’s Most Wanted.
The fugitive list database described Fischer as a «master of navigation» with extensive contacts and a «tireless traveler» originally from the town of East Greenwich, Rhode Island. This database also revealed that He had at least 17 aliases.
The secrets that kept him outside the law
The investigation took a turn this last week, when authorities received information considered reliable about his whereabouts. Members of the Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force traveled to New York, where they established that Fischer was sailing on a 56-foot (17-meter) sailboat called The Silver Lining, registered under the name «Richard Graydon».
The ship was intercepted approximately an hour from the coast in a joint operation between the Marshals Service and the US Coast Guard. Fischer was detained without resistance.
The Manhattan Prosecutor’s Office reported that the FBI confirmed his identity by analyzing his fingerprints, verifying that he was the man who had escaped during the trial held in Rhode Island.
During a raid, investigators They found books on how to evade security forces and determined that the fugitive used the Tor anonymization network to hide their IP addresses and make it difficult to locate them.
Emails were also found that would demonstrate that several family members collaborated with him to stay hidden all these years.
The victim, Cheryl Gingerich, stated that the news of the capture brought her enormous relief and assured that the trauma she suffered completely changed her life, even forcing her to abandon her career as a university professor.
