Upstate N.Y. man pleads guilty to raping and killing 3-year-old girl

TROY, N.Y. (TCN) -- A 34-year-old man entered a plea for the sexual assault and murder of a young girl one year after he was arrested for the crime.

The Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office announced July 9 that Robert Fisher pleaded guilty to first-degree rape and second-degree murder in the death of 3-year-old Josefina Cunningham.

On July 7, 2023, at 7:20 a.m., Rensselaer City Police Department officers received a call about an unresponsive juvenile at 1552 Broadway. Paramedics transported the girl to Albany Medical Center, where she was pronounced deceased.

Fisher was initially arrested on charges of obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest, and criminal mischief. Following the investigation, he was additionally charged with aggravated sexual abuse, assault, and endangering the welfare of a child.

A grand jury returned an indictment charging him with second-degree murder and first-degree rape on July 28, 2023. WRGB-TV reports Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly said in a press conference after Fisher’s arraignment in August 2023 that the case "has been absolutely heinous and horrific."

Fisher reportedly knew Cunningham's family and has a prior criminal history.

His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 6