Lyndi Fisher, a mother of three, was found dead in a Lancaster home after arriving to repair a refrigerator. (Photo from GoFundMe)
A Lancaster man pleaded not guilty Friday to murdering a woman sent to his home to repair a refrigerator.
Williams Franklin Hughes III, 30, is charged in the July 14 strangulation of Lyndi Fisher, according to Deputy District Attorney Ryan Williams.
A specific motive for the alleged slaying was not specified by prosecutors.
The criminal complaint alleges that Hughes was convicted in 2013 of making criminal threats.
Hughes allegedly killed the 36-year-old Lancaster woman after she arrived at his home to repair his refrigerator, the prosecutor said.
A month earlier, Fisher had repaired an appliance at Hughes’ home, Williams said.
Hughes told Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies that Fisher had been injured while fixing an appliance at his home in the 43200 block of Doverwood Court, according to the sheriff’s department.
He allegedly told deputies that he had briefly left his home and that he saw her unresponsive on the floor when he returned.
Hughes was arrested the following day.
He remains jailed in lieu of $2.5 million bail while awaiting a hearing Sept. 7 to determine if there is enough evidence to require him to stand trial.
If convicted as charged, he could face up to 55 years to life in state prison, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
–City News Service
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