Deanna Marie Null [Body Found/[UPDATE]Suspect Facing DP [Archive]

wheezer

02-05-2008, 03:22 AM

Police ID woman whose dismembered body found along interstates

The Associated Press

SWIFTWATER, Pa. - Police have identified a woman whose severed head and dismembered remains were found in trash bags along two interstates in the Pocono Mountains.

Deanna Marie Null, 36, was killed and her remains dismembered, placed in trash bags and scattered along Interstates 380 and 80, state police said Monday. The first bag was found last Tuesday by a road worker salting I-380.

Null was last seen getting into an older-model sedan in Scranton two weeks ago, but police said they have no suspects and no arrest has been made.

Null's family called state police on Thursday to report her missing after authorities circulated a description of the victim. She was identified using dental records.

"They had seen media coverage on it and knew they had not talked to her in a few weeks. It wasn't uncommon for her to be missing," state police Lt. Robert Bartal said.

Null lived in the Scranton and Williamsport areas but was "relatively transient," he said. The last time she was seen alive was in mid-January.

"There's a two-week gap we're trying to close," Bartal said.

A man who answered the phone at a listing for Null in Williamsport identified himself as Null's brother-in-law, but said the family did not want to comment.

The car that Null was seen getting into was described as an older-model (late 1970s or early 1980s), dark Buick or Cadillac sedan with a cloth or leather roof, chrome luggage rack and white license plate. Police described the driver as a black man, 5-feet-9 to 6 feet, with a short military-style haircut and a stocky build.

Court records indicate that Null pleaded guilty in Lycoming County to drug and conspiracy charges in 2003. Null violated her parole in 2005 and a warrant was issued for her arrest last September for failure to pay court costs and fines, records show.

February 5, 2008 1:20 AM

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/103-02052008-1482419.html

Firehead

02-05-2008, 03:45 AM

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080205/NEWS/802050332

The body has been identified as Deanna Marie Null.

Nobody reported her missing. She was last seen alive in mid-January, said state police Lt. Robert Bartal at the Swiftwater barracks.

KittyMom

02-05-2008, 01:00 PM

No one should be treated in such a manner. Hopefully, her killer will be found soon.

:1222423:

wheezer

02-05-2008, 04:12 PM

CORONER IDENTIFIES MURDER VICTIM FOUND ON I-380

wfmz.com — The Monroe County Coroner's Office has identified the victim whose body parts were found scattered along Interstate 380 late last month as 36-year-old Deanna Marie Null. Null, originally from Williamsport, was staying with friends in the Scranton area. Police are still investigating the case.

http://digg.com/world_news/CORONER_IDENTIFIES_MURDER_VICTIM_FOUND_ON_I_380

wheezer

02-05-2008, 04:13 PM

Police continue to investigate dismembered woman's last whereabouts
Posted by Associated Press February 05, 2008 09:00AM
Categories: Breaking News, Pennsylvania, Police

Police are looking for the driver of the car in which Deanna Marie Null was last seen before her body parts were found inside trash bags scattered along Interstates 380 and 80. Here's the description of the man and vehicle:

The car that Null was seen getting into was described as an older-model (late 1970s or early 1980s), dark Buick or Cadillac sedan with a cloth or leather roof, chrome luggage rack and white license plate. Police described the driver as a black man, 5-feet-9 to 6 feet, with a short military-style haircut and a stocky build.

http://blog.pennlive.com/lvbreakingnews/2008/02/police_continue_to_investigate.html

wheezer

02-05-2008, 06:17 PM

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m196/wheezer5695/p.jpg
Deanna Marie Null

wheezer

02-19-2008, 01:54 PM

Police are looking for the driver of the car in which Deanna Marie Null was last seen before her body parts were found inside trash bags scattered along Interstates 380 and 80. Here's the description of the man and vehicle:

The car that Null was seen getting into was described as an older-model (late 1970s or early 1980s), dark Buick or Cadillac sedan with a cloth or leather roof, chrome luggage rack and white license plate. Police described the driver as a black man, 5-feet-9 to 6 feet, with a short military-style haircut and a stocky build.

http://comment-blog.advance.net/cgi-bin/mte/mt-search.cgi?tag=Deanna%20Marie%20Null&IncludeBlogs=794

Pauli

02-19-2008, 02:52 PM

Press conference on body parts found along I-80, 380

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eaje15enZWc

Pauli

02-19-2008, 02:53 PM

Did Deanna Null's Hard Life Catch Up With Her?
According to police and friends, Deanna Marie Null had a long history of drug abuse. She was known to go missing for long periods of time, often as a result of a drug binge.

In the days before she went missing friends reported seeing Null with a man none of her friends recognized. And days after her body parts were discovered along two Pennsylvania highways police have confirmed that Null was going to testify in a robbery trial.

But as police investigate her murder friends and family are still stunned that Deanna Null was gruesomely killed and her severed head and body parts were scattered along a 15-mile stretch of Interstates 80 and 380 in Monroe and Lackawanna counties.

Police are trying to identify the last person who may have seen Null alive. Witnesses say Null was last seen with an unidentified man in a dark-colored, late 70's or 80's sedan. The car may have had a soft top.
Null was also scheduled to appear at the trial of Robert Kendricks on January 24. Kendricks claimed he was with Null on October 31, 2006, when a robbery occurred at Variety Brews in Scranton.

When Kendricks took the stand at his trial last week and said did not commit the robbery because he was with Deanna Null at the time. But Null could not refute his claim because she was already missing.

However, a jury convicted Kendricks other other robberies. Kendricks has been in prison since he was arrested on November 3, 2006.

http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=52768

KittyMom

02-19-2008, 03:02 PM

http://wfmz.com/view/?id=220203

We're learning more tonight about the life of the woman whose body parts were discovered last week in the Poconos. Police are painting a picture of a person who sometimes found trouble. But at least on one occasion, trouble came looking for her. WFMZ's Mike Lowe has the latest. >>She was spotted on the streets. >>This intersection in Scranton was the last place Deanna Null was seen alive. Last week, parts of her dismembered body, including her severed head, were discovered in black trash bags scattered along Interstates 380 and 80 in the Poconos. >>Elliott: It's very sick individual that can do something like this. Discard body parts throughout the highway. >> The monster and his motive remain a mystery. But investigators are exploring a possible link between her killing and a drive-by shooting in Williamsport almost six years ago. >>Hi Tianna. >>It was back in 2002 that a group of men fired shots at the home where Deanna was living with her boyfriend and their two young children. Her boyfriend Robert Kendricks is black. The shooting was called a hate crime. This is how Deanna reacted at the time. >>Deanna Null: It was disturbing. How could people be so ignorant, you know, to other people? >>Aside from that incident, Deanna had a troubled past. She reportedly spent time in prison for selling cocaine in Williamsport. >> Elliott: She did have a drug history. >> According to police here last known address was here, in the 1200 block of Capouse Avenue in Scranton. It was not a permanent home, though. Police say she bounced around quite a bit between Scranton and Williamsport. >> Chief David Elliot: The investigation's leading back to where she frequented our area, set up residences here temporarily. She's pretty much homeless in the area, but she was staying at a few residences in the city's hill section. >> In another twist, Deanna was scheduled to testify in court as an alibi witness in a robbery case just a few days before her body was found. Police say it's not likely that case is related to her death.

KittyMom

02-19-2008, 03:06 PM

http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19266975&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=415898&rfi=6

SWIFTWATER — Deanna Marie Null spent Jan. 18 riding around Scranton in a soft-top sedan with a man none of her friends recognized.

Six days later, police went to her last known address in the city. She was slated to testify as an alibi witness in a robbery trial last week, but officials had been unable to locate her for months. This trip was no different.

Five days later, Ms. Null was found gruesomely murdered, her severed head and dismembered body bagged and strewn along Interstates 80 and 380 in Monroe and Lackawanna counties.

The investigation aimed at filling in the blanks between the time she was last seen with the man and when her remains were found reached into the city this week. Police interviewed acquaintances of the murdered 36-year-old who spent the past few years living between Scranton and Williamsport.

“She was seen throughout the day with this man,” state police Lt. Robert Bartal said of the man described as a black male, 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a short military-style haircut and stocky build. “We don’t know who he is. I can say we’ve hit a lot of dead ends.”

Ms. Null and the unidentified man were spotted driving in a dark-colored, late 1970s or 1980s Cadillac or Buick model sedan, with a soft top. Witnesses who saw the two together could only identify the license plate as white — not much help, as Pennsylvania and neighboring states New York and Maryland all have white license plates, Lt. Bartal said.

Another complication is that some witnesses have offered conflicting information, Lt. Bartal said. For example, some gave different dates when asked when they saw Ms. Null with the man.

In many cases, witnesses have refused to talk to authorities, Lt. Bartal said.
“We’re running into a lot of that, for whatever reason,” he said, speculating that some may have criminal records, while others are scared silent because of the brutality of the murder. “We tell people we just want to know about her, that’s all.”

Described as a transient with a history of convictions on drug-related charges, Ms. Null was known to go missing from time to time, investigators say.

Robert Kendricks, 47, claimed he was with Ms. Null on Oct. 31, 2006, at the time when Variety Brews, 514 Ash St., was robbed, Deputy District Attorney Margie Bisignani said Tuesday. Mr. Kendricks was suspected in the robbery and planned to use Ms. Null, with whom he had been romantically involved, as an alibi witness, Ms. Bisignani said.

Investigators for prosecutors and the defense could not locate Ms. Null at the Vine Street address Mr. Kendricks listed for her, and she did not appear to testify at his trial last week, Ms. Bisignani said.

Scranton police went looking for Ms. Null as late as Jan. 24, but were unable to find her, Ms. Bisignani said.

Mr. Kendricks took the stand at his trial last week and said he could not have committed the robbery because he was with Ms. Null.

A jury convicted him of robbery and related charges. He has also been charged in two other robberies — in the 1100 block of Vine Street on Oct. 30, 2006, and at Stafford Avenue and River Street on Nov. 1, 2006. He also listed Ms. Null as an alibi in those cases, which are still pending.

He has been in prison since his arrest Nov. 3, 2006, Ms. Bisignani said.

Attorney George Gretz, who represents Mr. Kendricks, said he did not know whether Mr. Kendricks has been questioned in Ms. Null’s death.

“There is no motive for him to want her dead,” he said. “She would have supported his alibi.”

ERIN L. NISSLEY, staff writer, contributed to this report.

Pauli

02-19-2008, 03:06 PM

BY CHARLES SCHILLINGER AND KIMM R. MONTONE
STAFF WRITERS

02/06/2008

http://images.zwire.com/local/z/zwire2185/zwire/images/82633623713764x1_20080206news_L882.jpghttp://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gifhttp://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gifhttp://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gifhttp://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gifhttp://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gifhttp://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif
A railroad overpass at Penn Avenue and Olive Street is the last place where Deanna Marie Null was seen. MICHAEL J. MULLEN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER http://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif

Texas53

02-19-2008, 07:14 PM

They need to catch this guy before he kills someone else. Remember the guy that killed all the prostitutes in Washington state? It took years to find that guy. Some people prey on women like this girl and I would be willing to bet he will kill again and may have killed a few people before this girl.

For the victim and her family :1222423:

wheezer

03-07-2008, 10:42 AM

Arsonist burned down apartment building shortly after woman’s dismembered body discovered.

SCRANTON – The murdered 36-year-old woman in the photo had a face that Nasser Mohammadzad immediately recognized.

Just a month before her dismembered body was found along interstate highways on Jan. 29, Deanna Marie Null was living in one of Mohammadzad’s apartments at 1844 N. Main Ave. in Scranton, above the former Buckingham Oriental Rugs.

The 5-foot, 7-inch, light-skinned woman moved into Providence Square Apartments in November and was living with a Stroudsburg man whom Mohammadzad identified to authorities as James Mack. Null and Mack claimed to be married.

The landlord last saw her on Dec. 6, when Null paid her $400 monthly rent on the one-bedroom apartment. Null likely moved out on or before Jan. 6.

In mid-February, less than two weeks after Null’s remains were found, the North Main Avenue apartment building where she had lived burned to the ground – a fire that investigators ruled arson. Someone apparently had set a propane tank in the hallway in an attempt to blow up the building on Feb. 16 while 18 residents were inside.

The fire was set within days after state police interviewed one of the tenants regarding the Null case.

This was not the first place Null frequented in Scranton that has burned since her body was discovered. A fire at the former Jukebox Pub and Eatery on Capouse Avenue was ruled arson after flames engulfed the one-story building on March 2.

It is not known if the two fires are linked to Null’s murder investigation.

Several attempts were made to reach Scranton Fire Marshal Marty Monahan, but he did not return calls.

State police at Hazleton, who are investigating the Null homicide, would not say if the death and the arsons are linked.

Null was last seen less than two weeks before the gruesome discovery. Friends told police they saw her climbing into the front seat of a late 1970s or early 1980s dark model sedan on the corner of Olive Street and Capouse Avenue in Scranton. They said she often frequented that area near the train tracks. A four- or five-strip chrome luggage rack was on the vehicle’s trunk lid.

Behind the wheel of the Cadillac or Buick was a man described as black, 5 feet, 9 inches to 6 feet tall, with a military-style haircut and a stocky build.

Mohammadzad said he does not recall seeing a vehicle or person matching the description.

On Jan. 28, the woman’s body parts were found along interstates 80 and 380 in Monroe and Lackawanna counties.

A positive identification was made on Feb. 4 through Null’s dental records after family members contacted police.

Authorities have been tight-lipped about the investigation.

“We’ve hit a lot of dead ends,” said Lt. Robert Bartal of the state police at Hazleton. “We do continue to get leads and follow them up.”

Null’s family in Williamsport has learned few details about the case, according to Craig Kimble, Null’s brother-in-law. He said the family is not ready to talk about their daughter’s death.

When Mohammadzad last saw Null on Dec. 6, she was accompanied by a different man. Null claimed he was Mack’s brother, the landlord said.

Null paid the rent in cash. Her messy brown hair had not been brushed. She told the landlord that Mack was in jail and she had money to pay for rent, Mohammadzad recalled.

“She looked like she was on drugs,” Mohammadzad said.

When the owner checked the apartment on Jan. 6, the only items he found were a mattress and radio in the bedroom.

Police asked him about Mack, who had told the landlord when he moved in on Nov. 6 that he relied on a friend to give him a ride to and from his factory job in Stroudsburg.

“He (Mack) told me he was working there but wanted to get an apartment over here,” said Mohammadzad, who owns several other businesses in the 1800 block of Providence Square.

And, the man with Null who claimed his work was in Stroudsburg never had a vehicle even though his job was an hour drive away. Mohammadzad went through tenant records he had on file at 1844 N. Main Ave., which verified Mack never registered a vehicle.

A month later, Mack would tell his landlord he had a change of plans. He wanted to move back to Stroudsburg because he wanted to be “close by the highways.”

Those words now give Mohammadzad chills.

Bartal refused to comment about Mack.

Null, who is from Williamsport, had no permanent address in Scranton during her two years there. She often was homeless and lived on the streets or in various apartments with strangers.

But, relatives have fond memories of the former Deanna Marie Bryan who graduated from Williamsport High School in 1990.

“She is really a nice girl,” said Kimble, who is married to Null’s sister Angela Bryan. “She liked to go out. She had a lot of friends that cared about her.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact state police at Swiftwater at 570-839-7701.

http://www.timesleader.com/news/20080307_07_Null_1A_ART.html

wheezer

03-08-2008, 05:43 PM

Charles Hicks, 33, of Tobyhanna, has been charged with murder and dismemberment in the Deanna Marie Null body parts case. Null's dismembered remains were found along interstates in Monroe and Lackawanna Counties in January.

Hicks was arrested Saturday morning and arraigned by District Judge Thomas Shiffer in Stroud Township around 1:30 p.m.. He denied involvement in the murder. "These guys are telling me I did something I didn't do," he told reporters Saturday.

But police say they have plenty of evidence against Hicks including the discovery of her severed head near his house. They also found two severed human hands, wrapped in newspaper, and hidden in Hicks' bathroom.

Hicks told cops he smoked crack and had sex with Null a couple of times but denies killing her. Hicks began working at Tobyhanna Army Depot in January. He told police he moved to Tobyhanna around the beginning of February. Hicks can't remember the last time he saw Null. Police say he was the last person seen with Null.

On Tuesday, Kimberly Lombardo , who lives near Hicks, told police a car matching the description of the suspect's car had been parked at Hicks' house for about six weeks.

On Thursday, police searched Hick's car, a Mercury Grand Marquis, and found work boots in the trunk. One boot had red stains that later was tested and proven to be blood. Hicks confirmed the boots were his and when asked about the blood said, "I can't explain that."

Friday night Pennsylvania State Troopers swarmed Hicks' house in Tobyhanna. a day after a judge signed a search warrant for the residence. They are still on the scene at this time scouring the house for more body parts and evidence.

In addition to the head and hands they discovered, cops also found new black trash bags and a hack saw in Hick's attic. Police describe the trash bags as identical to those found filled with Null's body parts along the interstate back in January.

Null, 36, was supposed to be an alibi witness at a robbery trial. She spent time living in both Williamsport and Scranton. On Saturday, police described her as being homeless.

Police looked for Null at her last known address in Scranton on Jan. 24 but were unable to locate her. Five days later, her remains were found in trash bags strewn along Interstates 80 and 380.

Hicks had several run ins with police when he lived in Texas. He was charged with assault in 2002, sexual assault in 2003, and robbery in 2007, In 2006, police in Virginia charged him with assault and drug possession.

Hicks was taken to the Monroe County Correctional Facility where is is being held without bail.

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080308/NEWS/80308008

wheezer

03-08-2008, 05:45 PM

Police have made an arrest in the murder of Deanna Marie Null, whose dismembered remains were discovered along two Interstate highways late in January.

Charles Ray Hicks, 33, was charged earlier today and arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Thomas Schiffer before being committed to the Monroe County Correctional Facility, police said. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday before Magisterial District Judge Anthony Fluegel.

According to The Associated Press, Mr. Hicks, a former Texas resident now living in Coolbaugh Township, was charged with homicide, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence and abuse of corpse. He told reporters at his arraignment Saturday afternoon that authorities had the wrong man, the AP reported.

http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19373526&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=614635&rfi=6

Roamer

03-08-2008, 06:35 PM

Thank you for the update, wheezer. Sounds like they got the right man.

wheezer

03-10-2008, 04:04 AM

STROUDSBURG – State police are investigating whether the man charged with killing Deanna Marie Null was solely responsible for dismembering her body, which was strewn along Pocono interstate highways in January, Monroe County District Attorney David Christine said Sunday.

Christine said state police have not determined yet if Ray Hicks, 33, of 131 Prospect St., Tobyhanna, acted alone or had accomplices. The evidence collected to date points only to Hicks, he said.

The cutting tools – a hacksaw and circular saw – found inside Hicks’ home Saturday link him to Null’s dismemberment, but there is no forensic proof yet whether the blade matches marks on the victim, Christine said.

The hacksaw was found inside a bag in the closet at Hicks’ home, and the circular saw was in the basement, Christine said. They will be tested at the state police crime lab in Wyoming.

“They’ll investigate the tooth marks to see if it was consistent to the hacksaw and straight blade,” Christine said.

Hicks, according to police, was the last person seen with Null, 36, who was killed within several days of Jan. 19. She was last spotted getting into an older model sedan in Scranton.

According to the arrest papers, Hicks told police he gave Null money and drugs for sex, but he denied killing her. Null, a Williamsport native, had been living in Scranton for the past two years and at times had been homeless.

Null’s body parts were found in eight black garbage bags with blue tie strings that were found Jan. 29 on interstates 380 and 80 in Monroe and Lackawanna counties, and her severed head was found 200 yards from Hicks’ home.

State police said Null’s hands were the only body parts found inside Hicks’ house as they searched the residence on Saturday.

Hicks, who was previously living in Texas, was charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse, according to the state police at Swiftwater. He is being held at the county correctional facility without bail.

While it is not known where the circular blade found in Hicks’ basement came from, investigators will look into if there is a connection between the cutting tool and his work, Christine said. Hicks was working as a sub-contractor to help with repairs on electronics for the Tobyhanna Army Depot since Jan. 2.

There were no further developments in the Null case as of Sunday night, state police said.

A wound analysis of Null’s remains conducted by forensic anthropologist Conrad B. Quintyn, an assistant professor of anthropology at Bloomsburg University, suggested two sharp-edged tools were used in the dismemberment, according to the affidavit.

The Feb. 6 report revealed the deep incisions on Null’s corpse were made with a sharp knife, but a mechanically powered straight blade, without saw teeth on the tip, was used for making accurate cuts through bone.

Hicks faces abuse of a corpse, a misdemeanor of a second degree, even though the cutting tools have not proved they were used in dismembering the remains, Christine said. The human hands found in Hicks’ bathroom were enough to charge him under Pennsylvania law, Christine said.

The severed hands would indicate to state police that Hicks did cut Null up, Christine added.

The police investigation is still ongoing.

http://www.timesleader.com/news/20080309_10_Hicks_ART.html

wheezer

03-10-2008, 04:09 AM

Sister says Charles Hicks did not kill, dismember woman

The sister of the man accused of murdering a homeless woman and dismembering her body in January says he would never do what he stands accused of.

"It's not my brother," said Charlotte Hicks, from Fort Worth, Texas. "He's one of the nicest people in the world. I'm reading all these things about him and it's just awful what they say."

State police arrested Charles Ray Hicks on Saturday and charged him with murdering and dismembering Deanna Marie Null and scattering her body parts in trash bags along interstates 80 and 380.

Charles Hicks, formerly of Texas, moved to Tobyhanna in January to work as an electronics technician at the Tobyhanna Army Depot.

In a call to the Pocono Record on Sunday, Charlotte Hicks said she learned of the charges against her younger brother through Internet reports on Saturday afternoon.

"It's just a big shock to see this on the Internet," Charlotte Hicks said. "From what I'm seeing there's a lot of different stuff and conflicting stories."

Hicks says that the original search for the suspect in the case focused on a black man between 5 feet 9 inches and 6 feet tall. She says her brother is shorter at 5 feet 5 inches tall.

But police say they have plenty of evidence against her brother, including a bloody boot found in the trunk of his car, a saw in a bag in a closet of his house and two human hands found in a plumbing compartment in his house.

Null's hands were the only part of her body not recovered by police.

"That's just not my brother," Hicks said. "He's done a lot of stuff in the past but if you look at his charges, those things were all dismissed."

In court papers filed on Saturday, police say Charles Hicks had previously been arrested for assaults in Texas in 2002 and 2003 and aggravated robbery in 2007.

"How could he get a job at an Army base with a record?" Charlotte Hicks asked. "All those charges were dismissed."

The Pocono Record was not able to verify Hicks' conviction history on Sunday.

Charlotte Hicks said she last talked to her brother over the weekend of March 1-2, a week before his arrest. She said nothing seemed out of the ordinary and he didn't sound unusual or nervous.

"We were having a conversation about my son visiting him up there," Hicks said. "He was talking about how cold it was and how different it was from Texas."

Hicks was charged with homicide, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse on Saturday. He now sits without bail in the Monroe County Correctional Facility.

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080310/NEWS/803100312

wheezer

03-11-2008, 10:58 AM

In a small city 12 miles south of Fort Worth, Tex. and 45 miles west of Dallas, Emma Hicks waited to hear from her son, Charles Ray Hicks Jr., who was charged with the gruesome murder of Deanna Marie Null.

She was expecting him to return home to Burleson soon. He started a job as an electronics technician at Tobyhanna Army Depot on Jan. 2, but it was supposed to be temporary, she said.

“I need to talk to him,” she said in a phone interview Monday. “This is my son and it is very disturbing to hear something like this — and him being so far away from home.”

Hicks, 33, rented a single-level, beige ranch-style home in Monroe County and it was inside that single dwelling, within walking distance of Interstate 380, that state police recovered the hands of Null, which, among other things, led to Hicks’ arrest Saturday.

He is accused of murdering Null, dismembering her body and discarding it in garbage bags along two highways.

Hicks enlisted in the United States Navy in January 2005 for an 8-year stint — 4 years of active duty and 4 years of reserve. But after almost 15 months of active duty and schooling, he was discharged, said Navy spokesman Mike McLellan. He could not comment on the reason for the discharge.

During his time there, however, Hicks attended Recruit Training Command and the Center for Naval Engineering in Great Lakes, Ill. He spent some time as a student at the Center for Surface Combat Systems in Dam Neck, Va. before being discharged April 14, 2006.

Then, much like many former military people, the skills he gained from his training, allowed him to find a job at the Tobyhanna Army Depot through a contractor, Defense Support Services.

He has been fired since the arrest, said Rob Gross, a spokesman for the company.

“He was hired with us after a background check that revealed no prior convictions and after he passed a drug screening,” Gross said.

The background check included felonies and misdemeanors.

However, police said Hicks had been arrested for assault in 2002, sexual assault in 2003 and aggravated robbery in 2007. Hicks had also been arrested in Virginia in 2006 for assault and possession of controlled substances.

Court records in Texas and Virginia were not immediately available Monday.

Friends of Null in Scranton’s community of homeless and transient people did not recognize Hicks.

Dennis “Irish” Ingle, who was one of the last people to see Null get into a dark sedan that eventually led to the arrest, said he had never seen Hicks.

He only saw a man, who he described as having a military style haircut, from behind as he got into a car with Null that night in January. But that was not very strange he said, because people from more rural areas often come to Scranton in search of prostitutes and drugs.

“There’s not a lot of tricks going on in the Poconos and if you’re looking for that kind of stuff, you have to come to Scranton,” he said.

Edmund Pisano, owner of Pisano’s Smoke Shop on Olive Street said he used to see Null in his store almost every day. He did not recall seeing Hicks.

“I didn’t pay attention to him individually,” he said.

People across the region pontificated the murder Monday, and many talked about the death penalty.

In Monroe County, Aaron Lopez, 18, one of Hicks’ neighbors watched the police and media activity from his home Monday.

“It was crazy that this person was so close. It’s like the stuff you see on TV but it’s in front of you,” he said.

Lopez did not recall anything suspicious about the property or even recall Hicks.

Meanwhile, state police at Swiftwater and the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office continued to gather evidence Monday from the house.

“Our main focus right now is tracking down the leads and focusing on the preliminary hearing,” said Cpl. Lynn Courtright. “We have a lot of work to do yet.”

Monroe County District Attorney David Christine said Null’s family had been notified and he expected them to watch the progress of the case closely.

“We will do all we can do to convince the jury that he is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of killing and chopping up this poor victim,” he said.

In the meantime, Emma Hicks said she has started looking for lawyers for her son and has considered a trip up north.

“Someone has falsely accused my son and I know that’s the truth,” she said.

http://www.thedailyreview.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19378847&BRD=2276&PAG=461&dept_id=465049&rfi=6

KittyMom

03-11-2008, 01:46 PM

hmmm...hey mom, how do you suppose her hands got in his house?

wheezer

03-12-2008, 11:22 AM

TOBYHANNA – A suspected killer’s toolbox with his name written on the handle inside Tobyhanna Army Depot is believed to be large enough to contain cutting tools used to dismember the corpse of Deanna Marie Null, according to federal court papers released Tuesday.

A search warrant was served Saturday at the site, where FBI agents seized the locked red and black Craftsman toolbox belonging to Charles Ray Hicks, 33, who is accused of killing Null, 36, and dismembering her body, parts of which were found scattered on interstate highways in the Poconos.

Two of Hicks’ desk drawers containing various paperwork, binders and folders were also taken by authorities who picked up the items at the depot.

Hicks worked at Tobyhanna as a contract employee since Jan. 2, according to U.S. Middle District Court records.

On Saturday, security officers at Tobyhanna went to the first-floor workspace in building 72 assigned to Hicks after they learned he was a suspect in the homicide investigation, according to the affidavit.

Investigators will search the contents of the toolbox and drawers for evidence of Hicks’ contacts with Null or for tools used to cut up her body, and capable of producing blunt-force and sharp-force trauma. A wound analysis of Null’s remains was conducted by forensic anthropologist Conrad B. Quintyn, an assistant professor of anthropology at Bloomsburg University. He suggested two sharp-edged tools were used in the dismemberment.

Quintyn said the flesh and bone cuts were neat and clean.

“Consequently, this would suggest a mechanically powered saw,” he said in an e-mail in response to a reporter’s questions. “However, a hand-held saw could give one the same result if the body was cut while frozen.”

State police found cutting tools, a hacksaw and a circular blade inside Hicks’ home at 131 Prospect St. in Tobyhanna on Saturday.

Null’s body was probably frozen when it was cut, Quintyn said, adding that there is a 50 percent chance that a mechanically powered saw was used in the dismemberment of the victim.

http://www.timesleader.com/news/20080312_12_Toolbox_ART.html

wheezer

03-13-2008, 10:55 AM

While a pair of human hands was the most gruesome find in a house rented by Charles Ray Hicks Jr., state police removed more than 130 pieces of evidence from 131 Prospect St. in Coolbaugh Township.

Bed sheets and pillowcases with a multi-colored comforter, white tube socks and a brochure that read “Hell fire: Is it part of Divine Justice,” were among 132 items state police took from the home March 7, according to police documents.

Hicks was arrested on murder and related charges for allegedly killing and dismembering Deanna Marie Null, a drifter from Williamsport who stayed in Scranton near the abrupt end of her life.

Her remains were first found Jan. 29 by a state Department of Transportation employee. An expanded search led to the discovery of eight bags with Null’s body parts along interstates 80 and 380, seven of which were within 10 miles of the home of the accused. The eighth bag was found in Stroudsburg, about 22 miles away.

Several items normally associated with a woman were also found in Hicks’ home. A pair of woman’s blue jeans were taken from the basement. Eyeliner was found under a pallet along two walls.

Hicks is being held in Monroe County Correctional Facility without bail, pending a preliminary hearing Friday.

Kimm Montone, staff writer, contributed to this report.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19387411&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=571464&rfi=6

wheezer

03-13-2008, 10:57 AM

Charles Hicks, suspected of killing and dismembering Deanna Marie Null, passed a security check with an employment agency that serves the Tobyhanna Army Depot. The check apparently did not investigate deeply enough.

Hicks has a long criminal record stemming from incidents in Texas and Virginia. The Texas Intelligence Center turned up arrests for assault causing bodily injury in 2002, aggravated sexual assault in 2003 and aggravated robbery in 2007. Similar arrests occurred in Virginia.

A spokesman for Tobyhanna said the installation will review the way its vendors do background checks. A review is definitely in order.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19387356&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=456222&rfi=6

wheezer

03-13-2008, 11:01 AM

TOBYHANNA — State police continued to comb the home and life of a Coolbaugh Township man Sunday who they arrested for the gory death of Deanna Marie Null.
Despite the insistence of his innocence by Charles Ray Hicks, 33, of 131 Prospect St., to police during their investigation, and to media after his arraignment Saturday in Monroe County, state police are sure they got the right man.
“We’re 100 percent confident,” said Trooper Craig Vanlouvender on Sunday afternoon.
Hicks has been charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse in the death of 36-year-old Null, a drifter who lived in Williamsport and Scranton. He is being held without bail in Monroe County Correctional Facility, pending a preliminary hearing Friday.
Along with a boot stained with blood state police found in his car, a search of Hicks’ home found garbage bags similar to those used to dump Null’s body parts, a hacksaw in a bag and two human hands wrapped in the Feb. 4 edition of The Times-Tribune, and coated in what police believe to be cleaning detergent, according to a criminal complaint.
Details of the gruesome killing emerged after police announced the arrest of Hicks on Saturday.
An autopsy, performed by forensic Pathologist Dr. Sarahlee Funke, determined Null had been dead at least four or five days before her body parts were discovered at eight locations along Interstates 380 and 80 in Lackawanna and Monroe counties, according to an affidavit.
The affidavit also details which body parts were found at each location. According to the affidavit:
The lower half of Null’s torso was found in the median of I-380 northbound in Clifton Township, Lackawanna County near mile marker 14.5 — the northern-most discovery.
About 10 miles south — at three separate locations in the median within a mile and half stretch of I-380 northbound in Coolbaugh Township, Monroe County — state police recovered a leg, an arm and both feet.
The upper torso was found on I-380 northbound, less than a half-mile from the I-80 interchange in Jackson Township, Monroe County.
The head was discovered off to the right of the entrance ramp to I-380 southbound (Exit 8) in Coolbaugh Township.
An arm was found on I-80 westbound near Stroudsburg, and a leg was found on I-80 eastbound in Pocono Township.
All of the boady parts were collected by state police at Swiftwater Forensic Unit and turned over to the Monroe County Coroner’s Office. There was no clothing discovered with any of the body parts.
Now, investigators still want to know more about Hicks.
Trooper Vanlouvender said they believe Hicks relocated to Tobyhanna from Texas in January for a job with Defense Support Services at the Tobyhanna Army Depot. But they don’t know if he lived with anyone else, what kept him occupied in his free time, who he might have dated and where he might have frequented.
“We want to know more about him. If anyone knew him or saw him, we want to talk to them,” he said.
Hicks told police he had picked up Null on two separate occasions in his Mercury Grand Marquis while in Scranton, and on both occasions, the two had sex, according to court documents. Null also provided Hicks with crack cocaine, which they smoked together, according to an affidavit.
State police believe the last time anyone saw Null alive was with Hicks in Scranton driving in his Grand Mercury between Jan. 18 and Jan. 20.
Her remains were first found Jan. 29 by a Department of Transportation employee. A search lead to the discovery of eight bags with Null’s body parts along Interstates 80 and 380, seven of which were within 10 miles of the home of the accused. The eighth bag was found in Stroudsburg, about 22 miles away.
The only parts of her body not recovered that day were her hands, investigators said.
Trooper Vanlouvender could not discuss many details, including whether authorities believe Hicks acted alone or with an accomplice and whether the murder scene had been identified.
“There is a lot in this investigation we just can’t talk about,” he said. “But we’re still looking at everything.”
Without a doubt, the help of the public made the difference in finding Hicks, said Trooper Vanlouvender.
After seeing media reports, it was a Scranton man who called Null’s family, which lead to an identification of the body Feb. 1, the trooper said.
“That can take years,” said Trooper Vanlouvender about the identification. “And we got it in a short amount of time — before people had a chance to move around and before memories began to fade.”
After identifying Null, several witnesses on Feb. 3 placed her with an unknown black male driving an older model blue car with a soft top and white license plate. A good enough description of the vehicle was given that a neighbor of Hicks linked it together and called police.
“Without the help of the public, we’d still be floundering,” Trooper Vanlouvender said.
While state police continued their investigation within Hicks’ home early Sunday morning, neighbor Bonnie Woehrle was feeding another neighbor’s cat.
“This is a very quiet area; I couldn’t believe it when I heard what had happened,” said the 40-year resident of the area. “It’s shocking for somewhere like here.”
People can reach state police in Swiftwater at 839-7701.

http://www.standardspeaker.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6995&Itemid=2

wheezer

03-14-2008, 10:46 AM

Charles Ray Hicks, 33, is accused of killing, cutting up Deanna Marie Null in January.

TOBYHANNA – A district judge will decide today whether the case will proceed against a Tobyhanna man who state police allege butchered 36-year-old Deanna Marie Null before tossing her remains along Pocono region interstate highways in late January.

Charles Ray Hicks, 33, formerly of Texas, is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing before District Judge Anthony Fluegel in Tobyhanna, according to court records. He is being held at the Monroe County Correctional Facility without bail. Hicks’ public defender, William Sayer, was not available for comment.

State police believe Hicks is solely responsible for the killing and dismemberment of Null, whose body parts were found strewn along Interstates 380 and 80 in Monroe and Lackawanna counties on Jan. 29. He was arrested last week at his residence.

Hicks will have the opportunity to testify at today’s hearing, First Assistant District Attorney Michael Mancuso and District Attorney David Christine said in a phone interview on Thursday.

Hicks denied the criminal charges filed against him at his arraignment March 8.

While it is not known if Null’s alleged killer acted alone or had accomplices, Mancuso said the evidence so far in the state police investigation points to Hicks.

“We have no evidence to suggest that there was anyone else involved,” Mancuso said. “As far as I know, he’s not trying to say anything. He’s not providing any other information.”

A pair of hands believed to be Null’s found wrapped in the Scranton newspaper, along with two saws and plastic bags with blue ties similar to those found on the highways, were enough to charge Hicks after state police searched his house last week.

Investigators found apparent blood dabbed on Hicks’ boots in the trunk of his older-model sedan, which resembles the vehicle Null was last seen getting into around Jan. 19 in Scranton.

There is no motive or reason for Null’s murder, said Christine. Police have interviewed Hicks’ family, friends and co-workers at Tobyhanna Army Depot and have no evidence he confessed to anyone.

Authorities spoke with Hicks in jail this week, Mancuso said, adding that Hicks did not offer any knowledge of how the body parts ended up in the house.

http://www.timesleader.com/news/20080314_14_Hicks_ART.html

wheezer

03-17-2008, 06:50 PM

COOLBAUGH TOWNSHIP -- Charles Ray Hicks, Jr. will go to trial in Monroe County Court for the murder of Deanna Marie Null, a woman whose severed head and dismembered body were found along the highway on Jan. 29.

Stoic family members of Hicks and Null packed into a small courtroom as forensic experts and investigators took the stand this morning at a preliminary hearing for Hicks in front of Magisterial District Judge Anthony Fluegel.

Witnesses recounted evidence that was recovered from Hicks' home. Investigators described Hicks as calm and polite throughout questioning. Trooper Robert Sebastianelli added that Hicks questioned state police as they transported him from the Swiftwater barracks to Monroe County Correctional Facillity.

"(Mr. Hicks) said, 'So what did you find in my house?'" Sebastianelli recalled. "I told him, 'We found Deanna's hands.'"

Sebastianelli said Hicks then promised to tell him why he found her hands in his house once he had an attorney. Hicks remains in prison without bail.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19393153&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=618523&rfi=6

Nut44x4

04-03-2008, 12:34 PM

Could we get this marked as identified?? I assume an administrator needs to do that. I have not tried to do it myself. Thank you to anyone who can help.

StickyBeak

04-03-2008, 01:21 PM

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080308/NEWS/80308008

Deannas Picturehttp://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080207/NEWS/802070329

Roamer

04-03-2008, 01:25 PM

According to the above link, the suspect has been arrested and charged.

Nut44x4

04-07-2008, 03:47 PM

Deanna marie null dismemberment case

April 6
A chilling profile
Crime fits pattern, expert says

There is a very detailed map at the site. Interesting.

http://www.timesleader.com/news/17333919.html
In the back of a prisoner transport on the way to the Monroe County jail, accused homicide suspect Charles Ray Hicks told state police troopers he knew why the severed hands of Deanna Marie Null were inside his bathroom.

But, he never said anything more.

That left investigators without an explanation of the murder and dismemberment of the 36-year-old woman, and why – if Hicks is guilty – he would discard all body parts but keep her hands.

Criminal personality expert Judith M. Sgarzi doesn’t know but has a theory.

“He kept the hands, about all my guess would be, to use to please himself or to relive his fantasy of what he had her do before he actually murdered her,” said Sgarzi, a professor of criminal justice at Mount Ida College in Newton Centre, Mass.

Sgarzi, an expert on criminal personality development and domestic violence, said a dismembering killer fits the psychological profile of a serial killer – a sexual sadist who has no remorse and commits crimes for pleasure.

She also suspects the body of a previous victim is somewhere out there.

While there have been no updates in the Null case since Hicks was arrested, Sgarzi believes a nationwide search for similarities into other unsolved dismemberment crimes may be under way. To search for patterns, Sgarzi said investigators will have to look at similar unsolved crimes prior to the Null case.

If police investigating the case know more, they’re not saying.

That leaves the public still wondering about the circumstances surrounding the brutal slaying of the former Williamsport woman.

What they do know is that the woman’s body parts were found in January – strewn across highways in the Pocono region.

Null’s hands were found inside Hicks’ Coolbaugh Township home in early March shortly after his arrest for the homicide.

The hands were wrapped in the Feb. 4 issue of the Scranton Times-Tribune.

Null’s body parts were found Jan. 29 along interstates 80 and 380 in Monroe County and 14 miles northbound along I-380 into Lackawanna County.

Both hands were then wrapped in four more layers – a bag placed inside a sock, an outer bag with detergent and another sock.

Hicks asked questions as he was being taken to jail following the arraignment on March 8, according to a trooper who testified at the preliminary hearing. He asked investigators what they found inside his home – and said they didn’t find a lot of blood, the trooper said.

Sgarzi, who reviewed the master affidavit on the case, said she thinks the person responsible for Null’s death and dismemberment is a disorganized killer who put the body parts out so they would be found.

Some of the body parts were found miles away from where Hicks lived, but some were found close his home. Null’s severed head was located about 200 yards from Hicks’ house.

“From the description I saw on the affidavit, it appears some of the body parts were found close to home to where he lived,” Sgarzi said. “If this is true (that he did it), it is a sign of the profile of a disorganized serial killer.”

Sgarzi said it is possible whoever killed Null led a double life as a serial killer who is a sexual sadist. The profile of a serial killer, she said, shows these individuals are loners who are pleasant enough to talk with people, but are leading a secret life that took root in childhood fantasies.

But, in time, the sexual sadist will play out his or her fantasies in reality.

Behaviors escalate over time, said Sgarzi,

“All of the research shows that whatever the crime, no matter how vicious, the fantasy is far worse,” she said.

The Null crime, she said, “is definitely the work of one person.”

State police have said Hicks’ demeanor has been calm, polite and relaxed, which Sgarzi said is not unusual for someone who might fit the profile of a dismembering killer. Hicks continues to deny any involvement in Null’s murder and dismemberment.

“If you watch interviews with the most famous serial killers, they are all calm and show little emotion, because they have no guilt – they have never developed it. That is what allows them to do this kind of crime.”

Hicks, 33, formerly of Burleson, Texas, was employed as a subcontractor at Tobyhanna Army Depot.

At the time of his arrest, according to a trooper, Hicks said he was not on any medications but was prescribed psychiatric medications about five months prior while dealing with a “rocky” divorce.

According to court papers, Hicks’ trouble with the law goes back at least six years:

• In 2002, he was arrested in Texas for assaulting a woman and causing bodily injury. The misdemeanor charge filed in Tarrant County was dismissed.

• In 2003, Hicks was charged with aggravated sexual assault, also in Texas.

• In 2006, he was arrested in Virginia for assault and battery and possession of cocaine. The assault and battery occurred in Hampton, where Hicks pleaded guilty. The cocaine charge was dropped.

• In 2007, he was charged with aggravated robbery in Tarrant County, Texas. The felony charge was dismissed in August 2007.

Sgarzi believes this shows a pattern of violence and anger.

“All assault cases are about anger,” Sgarzi said, “but more important, about displaying power over a victim.”

According to Hicks, he only met Null twice – and each time for sex.

Hicks told police he drove to Scranton in search of a prostitute. He said he had sex with Null on two separate occasions, and the two smoked crack cocaine, police said. He would give her drugs and money for sex and they would drive around in his Mercury Grand Marquis.

Null was last seen driving off with a man on Jan. 18 in Scranton, friends told police.

Null, a Williamsport native, had been living in Scranton for nearly two years, and investigators said she would work as a prostitute to support her drug habit.

His family members are steadfast in their belief that Hicks is innocent. They maintain he was set up and that he does not fit the profile of a dismembering murderer.

“No one fits this description until they are caught, and they are the least likely to stand out,” Sgarzi said.

Sgarzi believes the information presented in the affidavit and the evidence gathered by police would stand up in trial.

The evidence: A pair of human hands, the bloody shoes found in Hicks’ trunk and hacksaws found inside his home.

TIMELINE:
Jan. 18: Friends of Deanna Marie Null say they last saw her when she got into a car in Scranton

Jan. 29: Parts of a woman’s body are found in several trash bags along interstate highways in the Pocono region and Lackawanna County

Feb. 4: Police identify Null as the victim in the human remains case

March 8: Charles Ray Hicks of Tobyhanna, Coolbaugh Township, is charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, tampering with physical evidence and abuse of corpse in the death of Null

March 14: Hicks is ordered to stand trial in the murder of Null

“...(I)t appears some of the body parts were found close to home to where he lived.

If this is true, it is a sign of the profile of a disorganized serial killer.”

Nut44x4

04-07-2008, 03:48 PM

Deanna marie null dismemberment case

There is a very detailed map at the site. Interesting.

April 6
A chilling profile
Crime fits pattern, expert says

In the back of a prisoner transport on the way to the Monroe County jail, accused homicide suspect Charles Ray Hicks told state police troopers he knew why the severed hands of Deanna Marie Null were inside his bathroom.

But, he never said anything more.

That left investigators without an explanation of the murder and dismemberment of the 36-year-old woman, and why – if Hicks is guilty – he would discard all body parts but keep her hands.

Criminal personality expert Judith M. Sgarzi doesn’t know but has a theory.

“He kept the hands, about all my guess would be, to use to please himself or to relive his fantasy of what he had her do before he actually murdered her,” said Sgarzi, a professor of criminal justice at Mount Ida College in Newton Centre, Mass.

Sgarzi, an expert on criminal personality development and domestic violence, said a dismembering killer fits the psychological profile of a serial killer – a sexual sadist who has no remorse and commits crimes for pleasure.

She also suspects the body of a previous victim is somewhere out there.

While there have been no updates in the Null case since Hicks was arrested, Sgarzi believes a nationwide search for similarities into other unsolved dismemberment crimes may be under way. To search for patterns, Sgarzi said investigators will have to look at similar unsolved crimes prior to the Null case.

If police investigating the case know more, they’re not saying.

That leaves the public still wondering about the circumstances surrounding the brutal slaying of the former Williamsport woman.

What they do know is that the woman’s body parts were found in January – strewn across highways in the Pocono region.

Null’s hands were found inside Hicks’ Coolbaugh Township home in early March shortly after his arrest for the homicide.

The hands were wrapped in the Feb. 4 issue of the Scranton Times-Tribune.

Null’s body parts were found Jan. 29 along interstates 80 and 380 in Monroe County and 14 miles northbound along I-380 into Lackawanna County.

Both hands were then wrapped in four more layers – a bag placed inside a sock, an outer bag with detergent and another sock.

Hicks asked questions as he was being taken to jail following the arraignment on March 8, according to a trooper who testified at the preliminary hearing. He asked investigators what they found inside his home – and said they didn’t find a lot of blood, the trooper said.

Sgarzi, who reviewed the master affidavit on the case, said she thinks the person responsible for Null’s death and dismemberment is a disorganized killer who put the body parts out so they would be found.

Some of the body parts were found miles away from where Hicks lived, but some were found close his home. Null’s severed head was located about 200 yards from Hicks’ house.

“From the description I saw on the affidavit, it appears some of the body parts were found close to home to where he lived,” Sgarzi said. “If this is true (that he did it), it is a sign of the profile of a disorganized serial killer.”

Sgarzi said it is possible whoever killed Null led a double life as a serial killer who is a sexual sadist. The profile of a serial killer, she said, shows these individuals are loners who are pleasant enough to talk with people, but are leading a secret life that took root in childhood fantasies.

But, in time, the sexual sadist will play out his or her fantasies in reality.

Behaviors escalate over time, said Sgarzi,

“All of the research shows that whatever the crime, no matter how vicious, the fantasy is far worse,” she said.

The Null crime, she said, “is definitely the work of one person.”

State police have said Hicks’ demeanor has been calm, polite and relaxed, which Sgarzi said is not unusual for someone who might fit the profile of a dismembering killer. Hicks continues to deny any involvement in Null’s murder and dismemberment.

“If you watch interviews with the most famous serial killers, they are all calm and show little emotion, because they have no guilt – they have never developed it. That is what allows them to do this kind of crime.”

Hicks, 33, formerly of Burleson, Texas, was employed as a subcontractor at Tobyhanna Army Depot.

At the time of his arrest, according to a trooper, Hicks said he was not on any medications but was prescribed psychiatric medications about five months prior while dealing with a “rocky” divorce.

According to court papers, Hicks’ trouble with the law goes back at least six years:

• In 2002, he was arrested in Texas for assaulting a woman and causing bodily injury. The misdemeanor charge filed in Tarrant County was dismissed.

• In 2003, Hicks was charged with aggravated sexual assault, also in Texas.

• In 2006, he was arrested in Virginia for assault and battery and possession of cocaine. The assault and battery occurred in Hampton, where Hicks pleaded guilty. The cocaine charge was dropped.

• In 2007, he was charged with aggravated robbery in Tarrant County, Texas. The felony charge was dismissed in August 2007.

Sgarzi believes this shows a pattern of violence and anger.

“All assault cases are about anger,” Sgarzi said, “but more important, about displaying power over a victim.”

According to Hicks, he only met Null twice – and each time for sex.

Hicks told police he drove to Scranton in search of a prostitute. He said he had sex with Null on two separate occasions, and the two smoked crack cocaine, police said. He would give her drugs and money for sex and they would drive around in his Mercury Grand Marquis.

Null was last seen driving off with a man on Jan. 18 in Scranton, friends told police.

Null, a Williamsport native, had been living in Scranton for nearly two years, and investigators said she would work as a prostitute to support her drug habit.

His family members are steadfast in their belief that Hicks is innocent. They maintain he was set up and that he does not fit the profile of a dismembering murderer.

“No one fits this description until they are caught, and they are the least likely to stand out,” Sgarzi said.

Sgarzi believes the information presented in the affidavit and the evidence gathered by police would stand up in trial.

The evidence: A pair of human hands, the bloody shoes found in Hicks’ trunk and hacksaws found inside his home.

TIMELINE:
Jan. 18: Friends of Deanna Marie Null say they last saw her when she got into a car in Scranton

Jan. 29: Parts of a woman’s body are found in several trash bags along interstate highways in the Pocono region and Lackawanna County

Feb. 4: Police identify Null as the victim in the human remains case

March 8: Charles Ray Hicks of Tobyhanna, Coolbaugh Township, is charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, tampering with physical evidence and abuse of corpse in the death of Null

March 14: Hicks is ordered to stand trial in the murder of Null

“...(I)t appears some of the body parts were found close to home to where he lived.

If this is true, it is a sign of the profile of a disorganized serial killer.”

http://www.timesleader.com/news/17333919.html

wheezer

05-28-2008, 10:15 AM

STROUDSBURG, Pa. (Map, News) - Monroe County prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for a man accused of killing a woman, dismembering her body and scattering the parts along highways.

District Attorney David Christine says 34-year-old Charles Ray Hicks Jr. tortured 36-year-old Deanna Marie Null in January. He says that aggravating circumstance justifies capital punishment.

Hicks pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Tuesday afternoon.

http://www.examiner.com/a-1411332~Death_penalty_sought_in_Pa__dismemberment_ case.html?cid=rss-Pennsylvania_Headlines

wheezer

05-28-2008, 10:19 AM

STROUDSBURG — The dismemberment and scattering of Deanna Marie Null constitute aggravating circumstances in her January murder on which the District Attorney's Office is seeking the death penalty against Charles Hicks, who is charged with killing Null.

Hicks, 34, of Tobyhanna, was formally arraigned Tuesday in Monroe County Court, during which he entered a not-guilty plea and was placed on the September trial term.

Assistant District Attorney Michael Mancuso told the court that the DA's Office cites the murder, dismemberment and scattering of Null's body parts in trash bags along interstates 380 and 80 as aggravating circumstances. Mancuso said this is the reason the office last week filed a notice of intention to seek the death penalty.

Null, 36, a mother who lived at various addresses including Williamsport, was last seen alive in Scranton in mid-January, getting into a car that matches the description of Hicks' vehicle, according to a police affidavit.

Hicks told police he met Null in Scranton, when he went there looking for "girls to hang out with," according to the affidavit. He said he smoked crack cocaine with her and gave her money in exchange for sex on more than one occasion, but didn't kill her.

He said he was scared to come forward after learning she had been murdered because he figured she had been killed over drugs and that he himself might be in danger. He also told police he had been prescribed psychiatric medication in the past, according to the affidavit.

Police testified at a March preliminary hearing that they had searched Hicks' home in early March and found evidence including Null's severed hands, plastic trash bags and a saw.

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080528/NEWS/805280335/-1/rss01

Roamer

05-28-2008, 10:33 AM

This one certainly cries out for the DP. :mad:

wheezer

08-17-2008, 10:31 AM

The case against a Tobyhanna man accused of murdering a local drifter and scattering pieces of her body along area highways will take its next step toward trial on Wednesday.

In May, prosecutors announced plans to seek the death penalty against 33-year-old Charles Ray Hicks Jr.. He faces charges of murder and related offenses for allegedly killing and dismembering Deanna Marie Null, a Williamsport native who was living in Scranton before she was killed.

A pretrial conference in the case is scheduled for Wednesday in the chambers of Monroe County President Judge Ronald E. Vican.

A PennDOT employee discovered a plastic garbage bag containing body parts along Interstate 380 Jan. 29, touching off a police sweep that located seven more bags containing body parts elsewhere on that highway and Interstate 80. All but one of the bags were found less than 10 miles from 131 Prospect St., Tobyhanna, a residence Mr. Hicks was renting while working at the Tobyhanna Army Depot through a contractor, Defense Support Services.

State troopers went to Mr. Hicks’ home after receiving a tip about Mr. Hicks’ Mercury Grand Marquis. Friends of Ms. Null told police they saw her and an unidentified man driving around in a dark-colored, late 1970s or 1980s sedan just before she disappeared.

On March 4, a neighbor of Mr. Hicks called police and said he drove a car fitting that description. After obtaining a search warrant, investigators searched his car two days later and found a blood-stained work boot in the trunk.

On March 7, troopers searched Mr. Hicks’ home and found Ms. Null’s hands wrapped in newspaper and socks soaked in detergent. They also found garbage bags and twist ties that were “visually identical” to the ones used to scatter Ms. Null’s body parts, according to court papers.

Monroe County Public Defender William Sayer, who represents Mr. Hicks, said he doesn’t discuss pending cases.

“Nothing has been determined,” Mr. Sayer said in response to a question about whether he’ll take the case to trial, adding that he’s met with Mr. Hicks and is preparing a defense.

Monroe County District Attorney David Christine did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Since his arrest March 8, Mr. Hicks has maintained his innocence. He remains in Monroe County Correctional Facility without bail.

http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/articles/2008/08/17/news/sc_times_trib.20080817.a.pg3.tt17hicks_s1.1884589_ top3.txt

Nut44x4

01-15-2009, 10:46 AM

September 26, 2008
Texas link to local murder investigated
DA reveals new angle in dismemberment case

STROUDSBURG — Police plan to visit Texas to see if there is any connection between a death there and a Monroe County murder case awaiting trial, the District Attorney's Office said during a Thursday court proceeding.

Charles Hicks, 34, is awaiting trial on charges of killing Deanna Marie Null, 36, dismembering Null's body, putting the body parts in trash bags and scattering the bags along interstates 380 and 80 in Monroe County. The District Attorney's Office intends to seek the death penalty against Hicks on the grounds that Hicks tortured Null, causing her death.

Defense attorney Bill Sayer had requested the court have the prosecution disclose what evidence it has of Null's torture, since this alleged torture is the basis for seeking the death penalty.

It was during a Thursday court proceeding on Sayer's request that District Attorney David Christine said troopers plan to visit Texas to see if a death there has any connection to the Hicks case. Police have been checking for any connections between the Hicks case and cases in jurisdictions outside of Monroe County, Christine said, declining afterward to comment further.

Hicks lived in Texas before coming to Pennsylvania to work at Tobyhanna Army Depot in January.

As for Sayer's request, Monroe County President Judge Ronald Vican gave Sayer 30 days to review the prosecution's information to see what evidence points to torture in the Null case and file any appropriate motions in response to that information. Another proceeding on the matter likely will be scheduled at a future date.

Null, a mother who lived at various addresses including Williamsport, was last seen alive in Scranton in mid-January, getting into a car that matches the description of Hicks' vehicle, according to a police affidavit. The scattered trash bags containing her body parts were found in late January.

Hicks told police he met Null in Scranton, when he went there looking for "girls to hang out with," according to the affidavit. He said he smoked crack cocaine with her and gave her money in exchange for sex on more than one occasion, but didn't kill her.

He said he was scared to come forward after learning she had been murdered because he figured she had been killed over drugs and that he himself might be in danger. He also told police he had been prescribed psychiatric medication in the past, according to the affidavit.

Police testified at a March preliminary hearing that they had searched Hicks' home in early March and found evidence including Null's severed hands, plastic trash bags and a saw.

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Nut44x4

01-15-2009, 10:49 AM

DA's office: Hicks should be executed if convicted of Poconos murder
Toby man accused of killing Deanna Null, then spreading her remains along interstates

January 14, 2009
A Tobyhanna man accused of murdering and dismembering a Williamsport woman and scattering her remains along interstates 80 and 380 should be executed if convicted, the District Attorney's Office said Tuesday.

Monroe County Court will decide if the death penalty will be the alternative to life in prison for Charles Hicks, 34, if Hicks is convicted of killing Deanna Null, 36. If the court rules in favor of the death penalty and a jury convicts Hicks, the jury would then decide whether Hicks deserves life in prison or an execution.

Null, a mother of two, was last seen in January 2008 in Scranton, getting into a car matching the description of Hicks' vehicle, according to police. Null's body parts later were found in trash bags dumped alongside the interstates in Monroe County.

Police said they found similar trash bags, Null's severed hands wrapped in old newspaper pages and a saw in Hicks' home, as well as a blood-stained work boot in his car's trunk.

The district attorney contends that Null was tortured before death, and cites that as a reason to seek the death penalty. Defense attorney William Sayer in September asked the court to have the prosecution disclose evidence of Null's torture.

An omnibus hearing on the evidence was held Tuesday before President Judge Ronald Vican.

At Sayer's request, county Coroner Dave Thomas and Deputy Coroner Cindy Skrzypek were present. Sayer had planned for a forensic pathologist also to be present, but was not.

During the hearing, District Attorney David Christine and First Assistant District Attorney Michael Mancuso submitted a report from New Jersey pathologist Isidore Mihalakis supporting the torture claim.

Sayer said the court should dismiss the report as hearsay since the prosecution did not have Mihalakis present in court to offer live testimony. Christine said a trial, not an omnibus hearing, is the proper venue for live witness testimony to be heard and found credible or not.

"I'm not asking the court to rule on credibility," Sayer said. "I'm merely asking for the commonwealth to give as detailed an explanation as possible on what evidence and testimony they have so that Your Honor can make an informed decision on whether they have established prima facie (sufficient evidence)."

Vican said, "Those issues are not for us to decide at an omnibus hearing."

Prima facie is determined during a preliminary hearing at the district court level, prior to a case going to county court.

With that said, Vican granted the prosecution's request to quash Sayer's subpoena motion to have the coroner's witnesses testify at an omnibus hearing. Vican released those witnesses.

Sayer presented also a change-of-venue request for the trial to be held outside Monroe County, due to the news coverage the case has received here so far and the possibility of that coverage tainting potential jurors. Sayer submitted various local newspaper articles and TV and radio news tapes.

The prosecution said it doesn't object to the news reports being submitted, but disagrees with the reasoning behind the change-of-venue request. Mancuso said that's an issue that should be determined during "voir dire," when potential jurors are questioned about their ability to be fair and impartial.

The prosecution said it likewise doesn't object to Sayer's request for an initial amount of $10,000 to pay for a mitigation specialist. This is an expert who investigates and testifies on mitigating circumstances that support not having the death-penalty option.

Vican gave attorneys on both sides a certain amount of time to file briefs on their respective arguments. The judge will review those briefs and issue a ruling in the future.

Hicks said he met Null in Scranton and gave her drugs in exchange for sex, but didn't hurt or kill her. He said he heard about her being murdered, but didn't come forward because he feared his own life might be in danger.

No information has been released on how the evidence police said they found in his home came to be there.

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