The man who brutalized and killed a three-year-old girl in Rensselaer County, New York, has died in prison.
Officials said 34-year-old Robert Fisher died on Tuesday in Elmira County Correctional Facility, the Times Union reported Thursday.
His death comes just under two months after he was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison regarding the case involving the child named Josefina Cunningham.
Images show the little girl whose life was taken on July 7, 2023:
I've covered a lot of cases– but this one was especially difficult. It was hard to sit in court this morning and hear…
Posted by Kumi Tucker WNYT on Tuesday, September 10, 2024
The man’s cause of death will be determined by the Chemung County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Union report said.
A WNYT report from September said Fisher was a friend of the victim’s mother.
The Union article detailed the case:
Fisher drugged the child with her mother’s medication, attacked her and tried to cover up what he had done, prosecutors said at his Sept. 10 sentencing. Fisher had befriended the child’s mother and, prosecutors said, the child was left in his care on the day she died.
During the sentencing, Rensselaer County Assistant District Attorney Antonia Edwards said Fisher used Clorox wipes to try to conceal his crimes, scrubbing the child’s face so hard he rubbed off the pigment.
The report noted the man had pleaded guilty in the case to second-degree murder and first-degree rape.
According to the WNYT report, Fisher also stuffed Clorox wipes inside the girl’s body:
In a social media post on Thursday, the Rensselaer City Police Department’s Chief Warren Famiglietti announced Fisher’s death, calling him an “admitted Child Murderer, Rapist and Predator.”
“I already see comments online expressing joy and relief from the news of his death. Being careful not to express my personal beliefs on a professional platform, I will say that I would find it impossible to compose a rational, articulate argument in oppsosition of those expressing relief,” he wrote:
On behalf of the Rensselaer Police Department, I would like to announce the death of admitted Child Murderer, Rapist and…
Posted by Rensselaer City Police Dept on Thursday, October 24, 2024
“With all the hard work and dedication exhibited by public safety professionals, medical professionals, prosecutors, public health officials, etc., it appears that justice was ultimately served by a power much greater. I hope that all people affected by this horrific crime can now begin the next step of the healing process,” Famiglietti stated.
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