The murder of Kimberly Fulton
Washington County, Ohio · 1995
Overview
Kimberly Fulton, 28, and her 17-month-old son Daniel were found dead in a burned-out mobile home in Palmer Township, Washington County, Ohio, on March 5, 1995. Investigators determined the pair had died before the fire was set; neither had carbon monoxide in their lungs, and gasoline was later identified on Kimberly's clothing, indicating the blaze was staged to conceal the killings. The case went cold for nearly a quarter century. Scott Hickman, a friend of Kimberly's estranged boyfriend, had been arrested in 1998 but released after roughly three weeks for lack of evidence. When the Washington County Sheriff's Office cold case unit and Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation reopened the file in 2019, the breakthrough came not from forensics alone but from people Hickman had talked to over the years -- jailhouse inmates he had confided in and a former girlfriend who said he detailed the murders to her. Hickman was indicted in October 2021, and after a two-week trial he was convicted in August 2025 on four counts of aggravated murder and two counts of murder. He was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 20 years.
How it was solved
For nearly 30 years the killings of Kimberly Fulton and her toddler son Daniel sat unsolved in Washington County, Ohio. Scott Hickman had been a suspect early; he was arrested in 1998 but released within weeks because prosecutors lacked the evidence to charge him. The case turned cold. When detectives Jeff Seevers and Bruce Schuck of the Washington County Sheriff's Office and agents from the Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation reopened the investigation in 2019, the decisive evidence proved to be the statements Hickman had made to people in his life. The bodies were exhumed and a second autopsy by the Montgomery County coroner found a bruise on Daniel's upper lip consistent with smothering and gasoline traces on Kimberly's shirt, confirming the fire was arson set after death. But the case against Hickman was built largely on what he had told others. A former girlfriend, Mary Frances, who dated Hickman around the time of the murders, gave a prerecorded deposition saying he had shared details of the killings with her and claimed a co-conspirator smothered both victims. Jailhouse witnesses testified that Hickman had as much as admitted involvement: Andrew Strock said that during an inmate gripe session Hickman sat up and exclaimed something to the effect of setting a cheating woman on fire, and Larry DeFrietas testified Hickman boasted he had murdered before and would murder again. A 1998 jail visitor, Jennifer Osborne, recounted that when she asked Hickman whether he did it, he answered that that was what they told him he did. Detective Bruce Schuck also presented recordings of Hickman's jail phone calls, which contained shifting, contradictory accounts of whether he was present at the fire. Prosecutor Dan Kasaris argued the obvious meaning of a 2:30 a.m. trip to a mobile home with a gas can. A second man, Johnny Ball, was indicted in 2024 on perjury and obstruction charges for lying to the grand jury about being with Hickman that morning. Hickman, who maintained his innocence, was convicted in August 2025 and sentenced in October to life with parole eligibility after 20 years. Investigators said they still believe two or more people carried out the murders and that not everyone responsible has been charged.
Sources
- Hickman found guilty on six counts for 1995 double murder
“Strock testified that during an inmate gripe session Hickman sat up and exclaimed, 'You mean like setting a cheating whore on fire?' Larry DeFrietas said Hickman claimed to have murdered before and will murder again. Mary Frances, who dated Hickman around the time of the murders, said in a prerecorded deposition that he detailed the killings to her.”
- Hickman sentenced to life for 1995 murders of Kimberly Fulton and son
“When asked if he had anything to say, Hickman said simply, 'I'm innocent.' He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years. Family members asked him to reveal who helped him.”
- Ohio man convicted in 1995 murders of mother, child
“Kimberly Fulton, 28, and her 17-month-old son Daniel were found dead in a burnt-out mobile home in Palmer Township on March 5, 1995. Both died before the fire was set. Cold case detectives reopened the case in 2019, exhumed the bodies, and Hickman was indicted in October 2021.”
- Ohio cold case solved 30 years later: Scott Hickman convicted in 1995 double murder of Kimberly and Daniel Fulton
“Kimberly Fulton was going through a divorce because Daniel's father was another man, a friend of Scott Hickman's; prosecutors argued the killings were done to avoid child support, with Hickman's assistance.”
- 29 Years Later: Arrest made in connection to Fulton double-murder
“Johnny R. Ball, 62, was indicted May 15, 2024, on five counts of perjury and one count of obstructing justice for false grand jury statements, including denying he was in a vehicle with Hickman on March 5, 1995. Hickman was arrested in 1998 but released after three weeks; he was indicted in October 2021. In 2023 he was found incompetent and committed to Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare. Detective Jeff Seevers said investigators believe two people entered the home.”
- New evidence re-opens 30-year-old murder case
“A second autopsy by the Montgomery County coroner found a bruise on Daniel's upper lip that aligned with his front teeth, suggesting smothering, and gasoline traces on Kimberly's shirt indicating arson. Neither victim had elevated carbon monoxide, proving they died before the fire.”
- Hickman found guilty on all counts in 1995 double homicide
“After a two-week trial before Judge Mark Kerenyi and about two hours of deliberation, Hickman was found guilty August 20, 2025. Prosecutor Dan Kasaris said, 'You don't drive somebody over to a mobile home with a gas can to have a party at 2:30 in the morning.'”
- Ohio man convicted in 1995 murders of mother and child
“Attorney General Dave Yost said the case was led by Senior Assistant Attorney General Dan Kasaris and that these brutal murders went unsolved for three decades, leaving a family searching for answers and justice.”