On the morning of March 5, 2022, a resident walking near Asnebumskit Road in the quiet woods of Paxton, Massachusetts, made a somber discovery. About 25 feet into the wooded area lay the body of a man, and the resident immediately called the authorities. The man was identified as Ernest Appiah, a 29-year-old Black man from the nearby city of Worcester. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later ruled his death a homicide, determining that he had been fatally shot in the torso.
While his body was found in early March, investigators believe he was killed on February 28, 2022.
The investigation was a collaborative effort involving the Paxton Police Department and multiple units of the Massachusetts State Police, including detectives assigned to the Worcester County District Attorney's Office, Crime Scene Services, the K-9 Unit, and the Special Emergency Response Team. For months, investigators worked to piece together the events leading to Appiah's death. They determined that on February 28, Appiah had been shot after leaving Centerfolds, an adult entertainment establishment in Worcester, with another man.
Their persistent efforts led to a breakthrough on July 11, 2022, with the arrest of 30-year-old Christopher Fuller of Worcester. He was taken into custody and charged with one count of murder. The following day, Fuller was arraigned in East Brookfield District Court and ordered to be held without bail. In December 2022, a Worcester County Grand Jury indicted Fuller on the murder charge, moving the case to Worcester Superior Court, where he was arraigned in January 2023. Fuller remained in custody throughout the legal proceedings.
On October 22, 2026, a Worcester County Superior Court jury found Christopher Fuller, then 34, guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Ernest Appiah. The conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Fuller’s sentencing was scheduled for October 27, 2026.
