Man arrested in cold case now accused of murdering girlfriend
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The man charged with murder in a 2021 cold case is now facing charges in the murder of his girlfriend two decades ago, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office said Thursday.
Authorities have accused Richard Fox, the 61-year-old man accused of killing 50-year-old Marquita Mull in 2021 and dumping her body off a trail in Chautauqua County, of killing a second woman, Cassandra Watson, who was last seen alive in Buffalo in 2003 or 2004 when she was around 40 years old. Erie County District Attorney Mike Keane said in a press conference Thursday that Fox and Watson were in a relationship at the time and lived together in Buffalo.
Fox was arraigned Thursday morning on an indictment charging him with two counts of second-degree murder.
Watson’s remains were found on Sept. 26, 2021, less than 20 yards away from Mull’s in a shallow grave. Mull’s remains were found the next day. Both are believed to have been killed via strangling. It is believed that Fox transported the bodies to Chautauqua County after killing them in Buffalo.
Fox was arrested on charges related to Mull’s murder in January. Keane said there was no relationship between Fox and Mull, and that Mull got in Fox’s vehicle willingly after being picked up on the street.
Fox, of Buffalo, has previously been convicted of two sex crimes, according to state records. In 1993, he was convicted of third-degree rape of a 14-year-old girl and was sentenced to 18 months to 3 years in prison. The second conviction was in 2005, when he was convicted of first-degree attempted rape and first-degree aggravated sexual abuse of a 42-year-old Buffalo woman. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison for that offense.
It is unclear if there is evidence to support any other murders that may have been committed by Fox. Keane is urging the public to come forward if they have any information about him if it could be useful.
Keane said that Fox lived during his childhood about a half mile away from where the bodies were dumped in Portland.
Fox is a Level 3 registered sex offender, meaning he is considered “high risk of repeat offense and a threat to public safety.” Level 3 is the highest level of risk designated by New York State. He was located in Niagara Falls and brought to Buffalo.
Fox is now facing two counts of second-degree murder and four counts of failure to report as a sex offender. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 50 years to life in prison.
He will return to court in April and the trial is scheduled to begin on Oct. 30. He remains held without bail.
You can watch the full news conference from Thursday in the media player above.
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Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.
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