Body In Refrigerator Leads to Arrest of Victim's Neighbor in Racine

Racine County court documents tell of a chilling case of murder among neighbors.

The victim is not named in court documents made public Thursday.

Harry Fumich, 49, is charged with first degree intentional homicide. Court documents say the accused told police the victim owed him money for crack cocaine, so he killed her.   

A man who identifies himself as the victims boyfriend, who calls the deceased woman "Kim," says they had only lived above Sunshine Supermarket for less than a month. He says days after the October 4th murder, he is still in shock. 

"I didn't believe. They found her in a dumpster," said Ray. 

Racine County Deputy District Attorney Tricia Hanson says 49-year-old Harry Fumich lured his victim to his apartment and then strangled her with a cord he'd cut off of a fan.

He then wrapped the victim in his bedspread, threw her in a refrigerator and tied it closed with a sheet; all this while his girlfriend stood by screaming at him. 

"This was an intentional act," said Deputy District Attorney Tricia Hanson.

According to the criminal complaint, Fumich told investigators he took the victim's body out to a back deck, dragged her across the roof and pushed the body  into a dumpster with the help of a friend. 

That friend eventually called in a tip to Racine Police, telling them where they'd find the body. But police were too late-a Waste Management Truck had just emptied the trash...taking the victim's body along with it. Police recovered the body at a landfill. 

"The circumstances are very television-like, like a television drama, but that's the kid of thinking that's brought on when you use street drugs,' said Hanson. 

This woman, LaTanya, who didn't want to share her last name, lives right next door to the supermarket. She says she knew Fumich well, and she can't believe what happened. 

"He's been on my porch, he's been in my yard, he's played with my puppy, he's been around my children he was my neighbor," she said. 

She's just now learning about his rap sheet, which goes all the way back to the 80's. 

"I can't sleep. My kids can't sleep. We have to look out the window and see the dumpster where the body was at," said LaTanya. 

Which is why Hanson says clearly, attempts to rehabilitate him have not worked, which is why she's pushing for the maximum sentence.

"I don't know how we can say if you're willing to take one life that you're not dangerous enough that we have to consider whether or not you'd take another," said Hanson. 

Fumich took about $90 and 10 methadone pills from the victim's body, which he later sold. Hanson says charges could be coming for the others involved in this situation.