Monroe Hickson

{{short description|American serial killer}}{{Infobox FBI Ten Most Wanted|name=Monroe Hickson|image=Monroe Hickson.jpg|image_size=245px|birth_date={{Birth date|1908|7|8}}|birth_place=Aiken County, South Carolina, U.S.|death_date={{Death date and age|1967|12|29|1908|7|8}}|death_place=Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S.|alias=Willie Tyler
"Bluecorns"|conviction_penalty=Life in prison|conviction=Murder|added_date=February 17, 1967|status=Deceased|number=243|gender=Male}}

Monroe Hickson (July 8, 1908 – December 29, 1967) was an American serial killer and fugitive who committed four murders and the attempted murder of a fifth in the city of Aiken, South Carolina, from April to October 1946. His crimes went mostly unnoticed until he abruptly confessed to them after being arrested for assault in 1957; prior to that, another man, L.D. Harris, had been wrongly sentenced to death for two of the murders. After his confessions, Hickson was convicted and sentenced to four life terms.

In 1966, while serving his sentence at Manning Correctional Institution, he escaped from custody and remained elusive for nearly two years. He was added to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list but was never recaptured, as he was found dead in North Carolina in 1968.[https://www.newspapers.com/article/abilene-reporter-news-wanted-man-dies-i/145368955/ Wanted Man Dies, Is Taken Off List]. Abilene Reporter-News. February 1, 1968.

Early life

Monroe Hickson was born on July 8, 1908, in Aiken, South Carolina. Hickson, although lacking a formal education, was said to have been very intelligent, and was an avid reader of the Bible, regularly carrying one with him.{{cite news |title=S.C. Man Wanted In Four Murders |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90771162/monroe-hickson-1/ |access-date=January 16, 2022|work=The Daily Advertiser| date=March 1, 1967}}

Crimes

Hickson was convicted of assault with intent to kill in 1931 and was sentenced to five years in prison, but he was released early in 1933.{{cite news |title=MANY PRISONERS IN COUNTY JAIL |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108348722/many-prisoners-in-county-jail/ |access-date=August 26, 2022|work=Aiken Standard| date=October 7, 1931}} In 1937, Hickson was convicted of burglary and larceny and sentenced to one year in prison.{{cite news |title=NUMBER OF CASES TRIED IN COURT |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108349056/number-of-cases-tried-in-court/ |access-date=August 26, 2022|work=Aiken Standard| date=May 7, 1937}}

Hickson committed his first murder on April 17, 1946, when he attacked David Garrett with an axe at Garrett's shop in Aiken and killed him.{{cite news |title=Slaying Of 4 Aiken People Now Admitted |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90771566/monroe-hickson-confesses/ |access-date=January 16, 2022|work=The Greenville News| date=August 20, 1957}} Afterwards, he robbed the shop and stole a pistol. Eleven days later, on April 28, Hickson entered a grocery store owned by 33-year-old Edward and 25-year-old Mary Bennett. He brandished the gun he stole from Garrett and fatally shot Mary and injured Edward.[https://www.newspapers.com/article/anderson-independent-mail-negro-admits-d/145370568/ Negro Admits Double Murder]. Anderson Independent-Mail. July 18, 1946. Edward later exclaimed to police that "a big negro shot me and robbed me" before succumbing to his injuries. The three murders, which took place in a short amount to time, were quickly connected and a $2,500 reward was published for any information leading to an arrest.{{cite news |title=$2,500 Reward Posted For Aiken Slayer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108349390/2500-reward-posted-for-aiken-slayer/ |access-date=August 26, 2022|work=Aiken Standard| date=May 8, 1946}}

On September 28, Hickson attacked Annie Wiseburg at her home, where he stabbed and bludgeoned her to death.{{cite news |title=Aiken Negro Charged With Four Murders |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108349673/aiken-negro-charged-with-four-murders/ |access-date=August 26, 2022|work=Columbia Record| date=October 3, 1957}} In October, Hickson attacked a female liquor store clerk with a brick, however, she survived. He was arrested shortly after the last attack, but was not linked to the previous crimes, and was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. On October 5, 1947, Hickson managed to escape from jail but was quickly apprehended by police officer G. C. Johnson.[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-columbia-record-alert-officer-nabs-n/145326728/ Alert Officer Nabs Negro Soon After Jail-Break]. The Columbia Record. October 8, 1947.

= Wrongful conviction of L.D. Harris =

During the investigation of the Bennett slayings, police were notified about L.D. Harris, who had left town for Nashville, Tennessee shortly after the murders. Harris, who was illiterate, was questioned without a lawyer, and he confessed to the murders.[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-columbia-record-man-admits-aiken-kil/145370107/ Man Admits Aiken Killings, Now Lodged In Penitentiary]. The Columbia Record. July 18, 1946. In January 1947, Harris' case went to trial. His defense claimed that besides the confession, which they claimed was the result of pressure from higher authority, no other evidence linked Harris to the crime.{{cite news |title=L.D. Harris |url=https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetailpre1989.aspx?caseid=139 |access-date=January 16, 2022|work=The National Registry of Exonerations}}

Nevertheless, the jury found Harris guilty on all counts, and he was sentenced to death. His lawyers attempted to appeal his sentence by contacting the Supreme Court of South Carolina, but they found no basis that his confession was involuntary. In 1948, Harris appealed to the United States Supreme Court, and they noted several factors that made his confession involuntary; Harris had not been informed of his rights under South Carolina law, had no access to family or friends, and the persistence of the authorities. As such of this, in June 1949, the Supreme Court voted 5–4 in favor that Harris' sentence should be reversed. Afterwards, Harris was released from prison.{{cite news |title=S.C. Drops Murder Case |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88077226/1949-09-02/ed-1/seq-2/#date1=1777&index=8&rows=20&words=D+Harris+L&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1963&proxtext=L.D.+Harris&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1 |access-date=January 21, 2022|work=Ohio Daily Express| date=September 2, 1949}}

Capture and escape

On August 8, 1957, Hickson was arrested after perpetrating another violent assault, in which he attempted to kill Lucy Hill Parker, leaving her with a serious head injury. In the subsequent interrogation, Sheriff Wyman Busch questioned Hickson about other crimes, after noticing patterns in Hickson's movements to unsolved murders in the area. After this, Hickson confessed to having perpetrated four murders in the Aiken area in 1946, but claimed he was drunk each time he committed the crimes. Because of this, Hickson was forced in four consecutive life sentences for each of the murders.

Hickson served his sentence at the Manning Correctional Institution in Columbia. On March 10, 1966, while working in the prison's outside yard, he managed to walk off without the guards noticing.[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-state-prison-escapee-being-sought-r/145387978/ Prison Escapee Being Sought; Reward Offered]. The State. March 13, 1966. A federal warrant was issued the following month, but with no leads in sight, Hickson was added to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on February 17, 1967. In 1968, a couple from Chapel Hill, North Carolina came forward with information, after identifying Hickson to a migrant farm worker named Willie Tyler{{cite news |title=Wanted Fugitive Dies in Hospital |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108348151/wanted-fugitive-dies-in-hospital/ |access-date=August 26, 2022 |agency=Associated Press| date=January 31, 1968}} who had died on December 29. A positive identification was later made via fingerprinting.{{cite news |title=243. Monroe Hickson |url=https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/topten-history/hires_images/FBI-243-MonroeHickson.jpg/view |access-date=January 16, 2022|work=FBI}}