The investigation into the death of 59-year-old male Paul Fischer unfolded in Saint Charles, Missouri, after he vanished from his family's property in early February 2017. A devoted fifth-generation farmer and retiree who had spent over three decades working for the St. Charles Street Department, Fischer was well-known in the community for his dedication to the land, particularly his large garden where he grew sweet corn and tomatoes.
His sudden disappearance alarmed friends and family, leading to a search that culminated in a gruesome discovery on a Monday afternoon near the intersection of Highway 94 and Blase Station Road.
Authorities discovered human remains in a burn pile across the highway from Fischer's farm. The identification of the victim confirmed fears that the local farmer had met a violent end. The investigation quickly focused on 25-year-old Nicholas Preli, who had been on the property around the time Fischer went missing. According to police reports, the fatal encounter stemmed from a dispute over an all-terrain vehicle. Preli had been driving the ATV on the property and was reportedly berated by Fischer for leaving ruts in the gravel driveway, which sparked a heated physical altercation between the two men.
During questioning, Preli provided a chilling confession to detectives. He claimed that during the argument, Fischer had attempted to strike him with a hammer, prompting Preli to draw a Glock pistol. He admitted to shooting Fischer two or three times until he fell to the ground. In a disturbing detail provided to investigators, Preli stated that he then fired the remaining rounds into the victim to stop his suffering, likening the act to 'putting down an animal.' Following the shooting, Preli hid the body before returning the next morning to douse the remains with gasoline and set them on fire in a debris pile in an attempt to destroy the evidence.
Law enforcement charged Nicholas Preli with second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence in connection with the homicide. During the investigation, Preli was taken back to the scene where he re-enacted the killing for authorities. The brutal nature of the crime and the subsequent attempt to cover it up shocked the rural community where Fischer had lived and farmed his entire life, leaving his siblings and girlfriend to mourn the loss of a man described as a hard worker who would do anything for his friends.
