TROTWOOD — A plea has been entered for a man facing murder charges in connection to a 2022 death investigation.
Nicholas Swisher, 29, stood mute during his arraignment resulting in the court entering a not guilty plea, according to court documents.
Swisher was previously indicted on charges including murder, felonious assault, kidnapping, tampering with evidence, and gross abuse of a corpse.
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The charges are in connection 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 allegedly lured Mullins to his home on Lensdale Avenue and beat him to death, a Trotwood detective wrote in court documents. He then reportedly put Mullins’ body in a toolbox and “disposed of him 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 told News Center 7 that detectives were able to “obtain some physical evidence” that linked Swisher to Mullins’ death the day his body was found.
Swisher was arrested when a U-Haul he allegedly stole was involved in a police chase and crash.
He is facing separate charges for that incident.
Swisher is being held in Montgomery County Jail on a $1 million bond.