‘I Was Sitting There Defending A Guilty Person’: Woman Receives Devastating Package From Incarcerated Partner

Ammie Turos was devastated when her boyfriend was arrested in connection with a string of grisly murders in Late November of 2001. Over the course of a few weeks, three separate bodies, beaten and strangled, were discovered on the south side of Columbus, Ohio. Evidence led police to Christian Fuhr, a 33-year-old tree trimmer who had previously pled guilty to allegations of domestic violence. He was ultimately arrested and charged with murder. For decades, Turos remained steadfast in her conviction that he had been wrongfully accused. A box of court documents, sent to her for safe-keeping, ultimately persuaded her otherwise. “I carry a lot of guilt. And the guilt is because I believed somebody that was so cruel.”

For a closer look at Turos' complicated relationship with a convicted killer, stream the “He Got Into My Soul” episode on Season 10 of Evil Lives Here now on discovery+.

'It’s different when you’re someone that loves a murderer.'

Turos met Fuhr through a mutual friend at a local tavern. She was immediately drawn to his easy smile and “rugged look”. Fresh from a divorce, Fuhr was charming and gentlemanly, and Turos felt an immediate attraction. The two quickly began spending large parts of their free time together.

'It wasn’t like he was the perfect boyfriend that became a monster, or was a monster and then became a perfect boyfriend. He was both at the same time.'

Despite his affectionate demeanor and enthusiasm, Turos began to notice that some of Fuhr’s behaviors seemed off. She would often stop by his house early in the morning, entering to find his alarm clock blaring as if he hadn’t been home the night before. On occasion, when picking him up from his southside job, he seemed frantic to head off any interaction she might have with his co-workers and acquaintances in the area. Most concerningly, he repeatedly demonstrated an acute bitterness toward women he deemed “less than” and sex workers. However, when Turos confronted him about these mannerisms, he was always ready with a charming and convincing explanation.

'It was the first part of November when I saw the first news clipping of bodies being found on the southside of Columbus.'

On November 7, Kimberly Rogers, 29, was found in a cornfield on the southside of Columbus. She had been strangled to death. Two weeks later, the body of 30-year-old Shawna Sowers was found with a broken neck at a construction site not far from the same field. Turos was horrified by the news coverage, but at that point had no reason to suspect Fuhr had any connection to the murders. During her interview for Evil Lies Here she noted that Fuhr never seemed nervous or paid much attention when news stories were airing about the women.

The couple made plans to spend the night before and Thanksgiving day together with Ammie’s father. Fuhr left to borrow his boss’s pickup and never came back. Ammie assumed that he had spent the time with another woman, and furiously refused when he called her asking for a ride. She found out later he needed a lift from the scene of a third murder.

In the weeks after the holiday, Turos learned that her boyfriend was the subject of a murder investigation. Detectives came to her house and questioned her, but by that point, the couple had reconciled, and she was resolute in her belief that Christian had nothing to do with the deaths. Ammie was floored when he was arrested a short time later. The break in the case came from the scene into a third homicide. 36-year-old Lisa Crow, a mother of four, was left within half a mile of the other two bodies. Detectives discovered a trail leading from her body to the truck Christian had borrowed a day earlier from his boss. It had a flat tire.

'I wish I had been educated in the way it worked because I would’ve known that was a lie.'

Throughout his indictment and trial, Fuhr kept feeding Turos lie after lie. He claimed that he had agreed to a plea deal because he wanted to avoid putting her through the trial. He told her that by taking a lesser charge, he was giving them time to start the appeal process. Meanwhile, outside reports of additional murders reinforced her belief in his innocence.

Throughout Fuhr’s incarceration, Ammie remained loyal. She refused to see anyone else, staying at home and ultimately losing her job. Reflecting on the time, Turos remarked, “For many years, my life revolved around him.”

Fuhr kept in constant contact, sending Ammie over one thousand pieces of correspondence. Years after his arrest, she received a box of his belongings that had been sent to her for “safekeeping”. As she began to rifle through its contents, a horrifying realization settled upon her. Amidst the police reports and photos of the crime scenes, she finally accepted that the man whose innocence she had fought so hard for was a monster. “Looking through the case file it hit me hard ‘he is guilty’ there is just a flood of emotions. I had it in my hands. When I accepted he was guilty every little thing became clear.”

Ammie Turos is picking up the pieces of her shattered world. Reflecting on Fuhr’s victims, she stated, “If I could say something to each one of them, I would tell them that I was truly sorry that I defended a guilty man and didn’t fight for them to get justice.” Turos continues to question whether her partner stopped at just three victims.