Man convicted of killing man, stuffing toolbox and crashing stolen U-Haul – WHIO TV 7 and WHIO Radio

TROTWOOD – A man has received his sentence after being accused of beating a man to death, stuffing him into a toolbox and stealing a U-Haul.

Nicholas Swisher was sentenced to a total of 25 to 30.5 years after pleading guilty to five counts of charges, including murder, violent assault with a vehicle, receiving stolen goods, burglary and failure to comply with regulations.

As News Center 7 previously reported, Swishwer was arrested in December 2023 after a stolen U-Haul was involved in an accident that injured two people.

The next day he was charged with murder.

>> PREVIOUS REPORTING: Man trapped in toolbox and killed; arrested after chase with stolen UHaul

The charges are related to the death of John Mullins, a man whose remains were found near the 6500 block of Midway Avenue in September 2022.

Days before his body was found, Swisher lured Mullins to his Lensdale Avenue home and beat him to death, a Trotwood detective wrote in court documents.

He then placed Mullins' body in a toolbox and “disposed of it in the woods.”

After Mullins' body was found, police told News Center 7 that there were “suspicious circumstances” surrounding his death.

Trotwood Police Chief Erik Wilson previously told News Center 7's Mike Campbell that detectives were able to secure “some physical evidence” linking Swisher to Mullins' death the day his body was found.

As News Center 7 previously reported, Mullins was found guilty in 2005 of two counts of gross sexual assault against two different male juveniles.

After an appeal, he was sentenced to five years in prison on each count in 2007. In 2023, Wilson would not comment on whether Mullins and Swisher knew each other or whether Swisher had any connection to the victims in Mullins' case.

We will continue to follow this story.

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