AKRON, Ohio — Summit County prosecutors have finally achieved justice for the victim of a rape that occurred more than a decade ago, with the culprit being an Akron man who committed a similar crime 18 years prior.
Derrick Fischer, 53, was convicted in April in connection with a 2010 sexual assault case. On Friday, Judge Alison McCarty sentenced him to life in prison, with eligibility for parole after 20 years behind bars.
A search of court records shows a lengthy criminal history for Fischer, one that sadly foreshadowed the incident that will now have him branded a Tier III sex offender for the remainder of his days.
According to the Summit County Common Pleas Court docket, Fischer previously pleaded guilty to a 1992 rape, earning a sentence of between six and 25 years in prison. He was eventually paroled before serving the maximum penalty, and though he was arrested at least three more times between 2007 and 2009 for drug offenses as well as domestic violence, he was out on bond at the time the second rape occurred in 2010.
Fischer wound up serving more prison time for domestic violence and violating a protection order before being arrested at least four more times between 2015 and 2016, again for various drug and physical abuse charges. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction indicates he was sentenced in 2016 to six years in prison for drug trafficking and other offenses.
While he was imprisoned for those crimes, Akron police began taking another look at the 2010 rape, which at the time of its occurrence did not lead to the identification of a suspect. As part of the department's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, evidence was tested in 2017, with DNA matching Fischer's profile. He was subsequently indicted when the prison term for his drug trafficking was set to expire.
"Derrick Fischer is a dangerous man with a violent history. My office will fight to keep him in prison for the rest of his life," Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich said in a statement Friday. "Thank you to local law enforcement, the assistant prosecutors, and the survivor for their unwavering determination and relentless pursuit of justice in this case."
Officials say Fischer's status as a violent predator allowed McCarty to increase sentencing guidelines. Should Fischer ever be released from prison, he will be required to register as a Tier III sex offender for the rest of his life.
