An alleged victim testified Wednesday that he barely knew co-worker Aric Fulton for a month before he went to his place in Hammond for his 50th birthday party.
Things there took a dark turn, he said.
Fulton, 52, of Hammond, is on trial this week. Authorities have accused him of shooting, hogtying and beating the man after the gettogether died down. Court documents state he told the victim he was the “black Jeffery Dahmer.”
Fulton is charged with attempted murder, robbery, criminal confinement, aggravated battery, strangulation and two counts of battery. He has pleaded not guilty and claimed self-defense.
Fulton appeared drunk when the victim showed up at the Nov. 22, 2022 party, court records state. After playing some pool with Fulton, two others arrived — a man and a woman who also worked with Fulton then at the Ford plant.
Defense lawyer Jose Vega called the Ford coworker to testify Wednesday who said he didn’t see any aggression before he left early to go back to work. He also denied Fulton ordered him and the female coworker to leave.
At the time, the victim told jurors he just started working at the Atrium, a party venue, on a three-person crew that included Fulton.
He was finally at a place where he had a “decent job,” a car and thought he would hang out and have some laughs with a coworker.
“It didn’t go like that,” he said in a reserved tone.
Within an hour, Fulton ordered everyone out, except the victim. Fulton then grew angry, accusing the man of taking the key to the front deadbolt lock. He pulled a gun and fired a shot at the victim, who tried to jump, but was hit in the leg.
“I’m just trying to figure out how did a key go all the way to this,” he said.
Fulton forced him by gunpoint to strip to his boxers. The victim thought he could be sexually assaulted. Fulton tied him up, then took money from his pockets.
He thought about throwing himself through a window.
When Fulton dropped the revolver, the victim tried to grab it, but his hands were still tied. Fulton choked him until he lost consciousness, records state. When he woke up, he was beaten with a golf club. Fulton used an extension cord to tie his feet, then threw him down a flight of stairs to the basement.
Is he “about to chop me up? Kill me,” he told jurors.
The attack was “for nothing,” the man told Deputy Prosecutor Shannon Phillips. There wasn’t any “disagreement” between them. Fulton was “living with something in (his) head.”
After Fulton choked him again, he woke up with a black bag over his head and smelled like bleach, he said. He overheard Fulton saying he had to “get rid of him.”
Later, Fulton told him he was at the “point of no return.”
At some point, Fulton appeared to record him, then took a picture of his identification card and said he would kill the victim’s family if he went to the police, the man testified. When he let him go, the man drove to his relative’s Lansing apartment, who called 911.
The bullet was removed a year later, he said. Doctors told him he could only be on his leg two hours per day and was left with permanent nerve damage.
On cross-examination, the man told Vega that he drank some Hennessey that night, but wasn’t aggressive toward Fulton.
Jurors asked him a dozen questions. Did Fulton offer to help you, one asked.
“Never,” the victim responded.
Fulton testified the victim grew aggressive and attacked him. He was forced to shoot the victim to stop him, saying he purposely shot him in the leg to avoid killing him. Afterward, he told him to take off his pants, to get him towels to press on the wound.
Earlier in the day, when the jury was out of the room, Vega argued the victim told Fulton not to call the police because he was on probation.
Judge Gina Jones denied his bid to bring it up, because jurors would want to know why — violating a motion in limine that barred them from discussing any of the victim’s past criminal history.
Fulton followed orders to simply answer, “yes,” when Vega asked during his testimony if the victim asked to not call the cops. Fulton said he was forced to restrain the victim to protect himself. When the man left, he assumed he was driving to a nearby hospital.
“I could have shot him in the head,” Fulton said, whose voice broke occasionally during his testimony.
Prosecutors dismissed one charge of battery by means of a deadly weapon — after the victim clarified on cross-examination that he was beaten with a golf club, not a baseball bat.
Closing arguments are expected Thursday.
