The double homicide of 17-year-old Melisa Lynn Gregory and 20-year-old Steven Joseph Fisher at the Copper Dollar Ranch near Newton, Iowa, remains one of Jasper County’s most haunting cases. The pair were found brutally bludgeoned to death on the morning of March 3, 1983, at the rural horse ranch where Fisher worked. Ranch foreman Jeff Illingworth made the shocking discovery when he arrived that morning, finding Fisher lying outside near a barn and camper, and Gregory deceased inside the camper. Early reports suggested gunshots due to the extreme blood loss, but autopsies later confirmed both victims died from massive blunt force injuries.
At the time of the murders, Fisher had recently separated from his wife, Theresa “Terri” Supino, with whom he shared two young children. The couple’s separation had been ongoing for several months, during which Fisher had begun a relationship with Melisa Gregory. Investigators quickly determined that the attack was not random but a targeted and violent assault. While some speculated about possible drug-related issues in the area, authorities believed the killings were personal in nature. Despite extensive interviews and leads, the case went cold and remained unsolved for decades, leaving the families of the victims with ongoing grief and unanswered questions.
The case saw renewed attention years later when advancements in investigative methods and a fresh review of evidence reignited interest. By March 3, 2014, exactly 31 years after the murders, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office arrested Terri Supino in connection with the double homicide. Supino, then 53, was taken into custody at her Altoona apartment and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Her arrest marked a major turning point in the long-standing investigation, though authorities did not publicly disclose what specific new evidence prompted the charges. Supino entered a written plea of not guilty shortly after her arrest and was held on a $300,000 bond.
Due to decades of community discussion and high-profile attention surrounding the case, Supino’s legal team requested a change of venue. A judge later agreed, concluding that holding the trial in Jasper County or the Des Moines area risked substantial prejudice. The trial was relocated to Black Hawk County, with proceedings scheduled to begin in February 2015. Pretrial hearings addressed issues including bond adjustments, evidentiary requests, and concerns about the volume of materials requiring review before trial.
Supino’s trial began on February 2, 2015, and lasted three weeks. Jurors heard testimony from investigators, forensic experts, individuals connected to the victims, and others familiar with the case’s long history. On February 20, 2015, after deliberating just over six hours, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty on all charges. With the acquittal, Supino was cleared of involvement in the murders, and the prosecution’s case effectively came to an end.
Following the verdict, Jasper County officials announced that the case would be considered closed, though they remained open to reviewing any new credible leads in the future. For the Gregory and Fisher families, the trial was another difficult chapter in their decades-long search for answers. Loved ones of the victims have spoken about the lasting impact of the murders—the unfulfilled future Melisa never had the chance to live, and the lifelong grief Steven’s family carried. Even today, the Copper Dollar Ranch murders stand as a painful reminder of the unresolved questions surrounding the events of that early March morning in 1983.
