Only days after Ohio mother Morgan Fox was fatally shot in her driveway, her coworker Jason McDermitt posted a tribute to her on Facebook.
“You were such a bright light in my life and so many others, and was always there for me when I needed it,” McDermitt wrote in the Nov. 1, 2020, message, according to The Repository. “It’s so strange not having you around to talk to and this has left a giant hole in my heart, but I know you will always be watching over us, your family, your friends, and your daughter. You have left a lasting impact on all of our lives, and you will never be forgotten.”
Three days later, McDermitt was arrested and charged in Fox’s killing. Authorities said he had developed a dangerous fixation on her.
“Jason McDermitt’s the type of person that if he couldn’t have Morgan,” Stark County Sheriff’s Det. Bryan Johnson said on Oxygen’s Killer Relationship with Faith Jenkins, “then nobody could.”
Who Was Morgan Fox?
Fox, one of 13 children, was a devoted single mother to her daughter, Emilia.
“Morgan had a generous soul and was very giving,” her obituary stated. “She had a love for animals, her family, and her daughter Emilia was her life, she will be deeply missed by all.”
The 29-year-old had also advanced quickly at FedEx, rising to a management role at an Ohio distribution center.
Her professional success, however, was not welcomed by everyone.
“It appeared that there were a lot of things that people were doing to Morgan to harass and upset her, like she was overhearing employees talk about her in a sexual manner,” Johnson said on Killer Relationship with Faith Jenkins. “We learned that Morgan made a complaint, which initially didn’t go anywhere and Morgan was not letting that go.”
The evening before she died, Fox emailed her company’s human resources department to report concerns about the workplace.
“I feel like I’m being targeted at work,” she wrote. “I feel uncomfortable at work. I just want to come to work…and contribute in any way that I can.”
What Happened to Morgan Fox?
Sometime after 1:30 a.m. the following morning, Fox left for an early shift and was shot in the driveway of her North Canton home, according to the Stark County Sheriff’s Office.
Her boyfriend found her partially outside the vehicle, with her cellphone lying nearby on the ground.
He immediately called 911. According to the series, he told the dispatcher, “I’m pretty sure my girlfriend’s [expletive] dead.”
As word of Fox’s death reached her colleagues, McDermitt posted on Facebook and referred to her as “Foxy.”
Jason McDermitt Stole Morgan Fox’s Cell Phone Before Her Death
Investigators had already learned about an incident at FedEx that had deeply upset Fox. McDermitt and several other male coworkers had taken her phone and searched through its contents.
Surveillance footage later obtained by NBC’s Dateline showed McDermitt examining the phone, which contained a photograph of Fox in her underwear.
McDermitt acknowledged the incident to investigators, saying Fox had “obviously wasn’t happy about it” and had ended contact with him.
Detectives also learned that McDermitt had become fixated on Fox. According to Killer Relationship with Faith Jenkins., he secretly recorded her and saved videos from her social media accounts.
“It became clear to me that he was completely obsessed with Morgan Fox,” Stark County Sheriff Sgt. Craig Kennedy said.
Investigators believed that he snapped and killed Fox after she cut off contact with him.
To add to the evidence against him, investigators learned that after the murder, McDermitt had taken his car through the car wash twice, despite it having rained that day. He also had access to the same caliber of weapon used to kill her, although authorities were never able to definitively confirm it as the murder weapon.
Investigators also found traffic camera video that placed a blue Ford Focus, consistent with his vehicle, driving near her home shortly before and after the shooting, The Repository reported.
McDermitt was arrested on Nov. 4 and charged with aggravated murder, the sheriff’s office said.
Morgan Fox’s Family Delivers Powerful Victim Impact Statements
A jury found him guilty of aggravated murder and menacing by stalking in April 2021. McDermitt was sentenced to life in prison.
“I thought monsters weren’t real, but you proved me wrong,” her 8-year-old daughter Emilia said in her victim impact statement, according to Killer Relationship With Faith Jenkins. “You hurt so many people. You hurt me and the people I love. You ruined your own life because of how much of a bad person you are.”
Her father Robert Fox added, according to The Repository, “You’ve taken so much from so many people, and for that I want to see you struggle the rest of your life in prison. You can rot in hell the rest of your life.”
Jason McDermitt Proclaims His Innocence
Though McDermitt never testified in his own defense, he spoke to Dateline from behind bars proclaiming his innocence.
“Did you kill Morgan Fox?” correspondent Josh Mankiewicz asked, to which McDermitt replied, “I did not.”
He also insisted that he wasn’t obsessed with Fox and had been at his home at the time of the killing.
Though he admitted he had Fox had gone “a couple of weeks without talking,” he claimed to Dateline that they were talking again and “working on repairing” their friendship at the time of her death, according to The Repository.
Where is Jason McDermitt Now?
Today, McDermitt continues to serve out his life sentence at the Noble Correctional Institution in Caldwell, Ohio, according to jail records reviewed by Oxygen.
FedEx Settled Lawsuit With Morgan Fox’s Family
In the aftermath of Fox’s death, her family sued FedEx, criticizing the company for how they’d handled the harassment from her coworkers, The Repository reported. The company agreed to pay the family $4 million, including $2 million in a designated trust for her daughter, according to public records cited by the outlet.
“Through detailed financial planning, the settlement will allow (Fox’s daughter) to enjoy many things in life that her mother would have wanted for her,” the estate attorneys wrote. “Such include continuing to participate in golf lessons, to go to an exceptional college and to have a beautiful wedding.”
External Senior Communications Specialist for FedEx Ground Allie Addoms noted in a statement to the outlet that they “continue to mourn the loss of our team member, Morgan Fox, and our thoughts remain with her family at this time.”
She confirmed that the company had reached a settlement with the family.