Naman Shrestha
The entire community of Blue Earth, Minnesota, was shaken to its core when a house shared by Christopher Fulmer and his girlfriend, Candice Freeman, turned into a gruesome crime scene. In February 2012, the police received a mysterious yet chilling 911 call that led them to the discovery of Christopher Fulmer dead on the bed of his house. The episode titled ‘The Line Goes Dead’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Homicide Hunter: American Detective’ chronicles the horrific murder case and the investigation that ensued, leading to the shocking discovery of the perpetrator.
Christopher Fulmer Was Killed in the Apartment He Shared With His Girlfriend
Christopher Michael Fulmer was born on February 5, 1975, in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, to John L. Fulmer Jr. and Carol J. Larson. In his formative years, he also received love and care from his siblings, including four sisters — Terri, Karen, Amy, and Carol — and two brothers — Jeffrey and John Fulmer III. At some point, he and his family moved to Minnesota, where he attended Warroad High School. A few years later, he got into a relationship with Mary, with whom he shared a son named Kegan John Frandle-Fulmer. Although his marriage ended, he was devoted to caring for his son and spending quality time with him.
In the months prior to his demise, Christopher started dating Candice Freeman, who was a single mother of three daughters. While working as a welder at Tafco in Blue Earth, Minnesota, he lived with Candice and his three daughters in a duplex on Fourth Street in the same city. The couple began seeing a bright future together, but little did they know that fate had other plans for them. In the early hours of February 20, 2012, 37-year-old Christopher was ambushed in his sleep as he was reportedly bludgeoned to death with a hammer by a masked intruder, who also severely injured his girlfriend sleeping beside him. When Candice’s two teenage daughters tried to intervene, the attacker injured them as well before fleeing the scene.
As soon as the authorities received a suspicious call about an incident at the property, they rushed to the address and found the gruesome crime scene. They found Christopher lying on his back with 11 fatal strikes to his head that caused cerebral damage. After sustaining life-threatening injuries due to the attack, Candice and his two injured daughters were taken to the hospital for recovery. Fortunately, her youngest daughter, who was 6 years old at the time, was left unharmed. Launching a homicide investigation, the detectives conducted a thorough search of the property for evidence and clues that might lead them to the perpetrator/s.
The Past of Christopher’s Girlfriend Turned Out to be Deadly For Him
The investigation into the murder of Christopher Fulmer also involved interviews with his loved ones and potential suspects, including his ex-wife, Mary. Upon questioning her, she claimed that she was out of town at the time of the murder. After verifying her alibi, they eliminated her as a possible suspect. Their search for the killer also took them to Candice’s ex-husband, Richard Messina, who was the father of her two elder daughters. They eventually found no evidence connecting him to the crime. The investigators finally got a break in the case when they talked to the landlord of the property where the murder took place; he told them that Candice was a married woman whose husband was jealous of Christopher.
Brian Daniel Freeman was the estranged husband of Candice Freeman. While the latter was dating Christopher, she was going through a divorce with Brian, who was a volunteer fireman at the Ceylon Fire Department and the father of Candice’s 6-year-old daughter. The detectives found more reasons to suspect her husband, as the young girl was the only one left unharmed at the scene. When brought in for questioning, Brian admitted that he and Candice were going through marital issues. Upon searching his vehicle, the authorities found a black ski mask, similar to what the killer was wearing on the fateful night, as per the survivors’ accounts. In order to get more evidence against him, the police surveilled him for a while and caught him hiding a garbage bag in the trunk of his car. It turned out to be a jacket containing human blood.
In light of all the evidence against him, Brian Daniel Freeman was charged with one count of murder and multiple counts of attempted murder in connection with the home invasion that led to the death of Christopher Fulmer. According to reports, the accused told the detectives that he sneaked inside the Blue Earth residence with a hammer and blacked out. He claimed that his wife got caught in the crossfire as she was near Christopher. When asked about the injured teens, he claimed that they came up behind him while he was attacking his wife’s boyfriend and somehow got hurt. Later, he reportedly called 911 himself. As for the murder weapon, he threw the hammer out of his car window while driving home. When Candice recovered, she was shocked to learn that the attack was carried out by her estranged husband.
Brian is Currently Incarcerated at a Minnesota Prison Facility
In February 2013, Brian Daniel Freeman entered a guilty plea and admitted his guilt to one count of second-degree intentional murder without premeditation and three counts of first-degree assault. The following month, in March, during his sentencing, the convict was given the opportunity to take the stand and speak. He stated, “I’m not the only person at fault here. Candice had a lot of decisions she did and has to live with.” Besides him, others were also given a chance to express themselves.
The survivor, Candice Freeman, also spoke during the sentencing: “On Feb. 20, 2012, my life and the lives of my daughters changed forever. It is hard to express in words how the impact of this horrific crime has affected our lives. I will continue to heal and become a stronger person. I will continue to be strong for my girls, but life will never be the same.” Finally, Brian Freeman was sentenced to a minimum of 33 years in prison, with an additional 16.5 years of supervised release. Moreover, he was ordered to pay nearly $17,000 in restitution. As of today, the killer is serving his sentence at Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater in Bayport, Minnesota, with his anticipated release scheduled for February 2045.
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