A new trial date has been set for a Dubuque man accused of murder. 60 year old Mark Fishler of Dubuque is charged with first-degree murder in relation to the death of 80 year old Berniece Williamson of Dubuque. Fishler has pleaded not guilty to the charge. Fishler’s new trial date has been set for August 9th at the Dubuque County Courthouse. His trial was previously set to begin on March 8th. Fishler also has a hearing scheduled on July 22 at the Dubuque County Courthouse. On July 15th, Kathleen McCarthy, Williamson’s niece and Fishler’s girlfriend, asked a neighbor to check on Williamson after not hearing from her for a day. The neighbor found Williamson dead in her residence. An autopsy found Williamson’s cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma injuries to her head and that the manner of death was homicide. Fishler told officers that he visited Williamson’s residence July 14th to fix a leaky faucet. Surveillance footage showed no other activity at the residence after Fishler left.
