By Jim Haley
Herald Writer
Scott Allen Fischer turned away from the man who was about to sentence him to prison for life Tuesday and looked squarely at the family and friends of Tina Wallace.
Fischer said he felt bad that Wallace had been raped and beaten to death in November 2000.
"But I did not kill your sister, your daughter," Fischer proclaimed.
It’s a statement that a jury, in the face of overwhelming evidence, didn’t believe. The jury deliberated just 2 1/2hours April 18 to find Fischer guilty of first-degree aggravated murder.
On Tuesday, Snohomish County Superior Court Judge James Allendoerfer sentenced Fischer to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The sentencing was a mere formality because state law requires no release from prison for an aggravated murder conviction.
Jurors said the evidence was damning. Fischer lied to police about having sex with Wallace about the time she disappeared from a Monroe tavern, and he couldn’t explain splatters of her blood found on the headliner of his car.
The victim’s sister, Lori Wallace, told the judge she wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her sister, a 39-year-old Monroe resident. After the hearing, Lori Wallace added, "It feels good to know he won’t be out there and won’t be able to hurt anyone again."
Outside of court, Don Wallace, the victim’s father, said the sentencing lifts a little weight from his shoulders.
But the Fischer family remained adamant that the defendant didn’t commit the crime. In court, Pat Fischer, an aunt, told the judge, "We honestly know Scott did not commit this murder. … We only hope and pray that God will let us know who really did this."
Scott Fischer said he’s sorry he lied to police, and wished he had gone to a birthday party with his wife instead of to the tavern. "When I saw Tina last, she was untouched and alive," he said.
Bill Jaquette, one of Scott Fischer’s lawyers, said the conviction will be appealed.
Witnesses said they last saw Tina Wallace as she walked out the door of the Chopping Block Tavern with Scott Fischer. Her body was found south of Monroe about two weeks later.
You can call Herald Writer Jim Haley at 425-339-3447 or send e-mail to haley@heraldnet.com.
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