Hicks murder trial opens

NORWALK — Assistant Ohio Attorney General Dan Kasaris opened the state's case Wednesday with a stark claim: "This is the murder of Regina Hicks." In a packed courtroom, Kasaris outlined with precise detail what prosecutors say happened on Oct. 18, 2001, the night 23-year-old Regina Hicks disappeared and when she was later found dead in her submerged white 1994 Camaro. He told jurors they would hear testimony that Regina was not suicidal, not intoxicated and not a drug user but a young mother "finding her independence," dating someone new, and finally separating from a man who, witnesses said, refused to let her go. Defense attorney Anthony Rich declined to give an opening statement following the prosecution, a not uncommon tactic in which Rich could give his opening after the prosecution rests. A confrontation, an assault and a drowning Kasaris guided jurors through the state's version of events using a slide presentation. The heart of the allegation centers on a confrontation between Regina and her estranged husband, Paul Hicks, at the rural Willard property of Hicks' longtime friend, Steve Gates. According to Kasaris, Gates will testify that Regina arrived around 8 p.m. to pick up her young son, Montana. She had spent the afternoon shopping in Mansfield and was preparing to go out with friends that evening. In his opening statements, Kasaris recounted to the court statements he said were made by Gates during the investigation. According to Kasaris, Gates told investigators: •"Regina was there at 8 p.m." •"Regina and Paul argued." Kasaris said Gates walked into the garage to avoid another fight, something he "always did" when Paul and Regina began yelling. When he came back out, Gates noticed two things: •"I saw the dome light on in her car." •"I saw her car had been moved a few hundred feet." Gates told investigators he walked toward the Camaro and saw Regina "slumped in the passenger seat floorboard" and when he told Hicks to call 911 Hicks replied with "No, she is (expletive) dead". Kasaris said the evidence will show she had been struck in the head "at least three times" and never regained consciousness. 'Follow me, you are involved now' According to Kasaris, Gates says Hicks turned to him and said: "Follow me. You are involved now." According to the prosecution, Hicks then drove the Camaro, with Regina slumped in the passenger seat, while Gates followed behind with Hicks' four-year-old son in the back seat. They drove to a pond off Section Line Road 30, accessing it through a narrow, unlit farm lane. Kasaris told jurors they will hear expert testimony and physical evidence showing: • The driver's window was down,• The passenger window halfway down,• The car was in second gear,• The tilt steering wheel was raised all the way up,• Regina was unconscious in the passenger seat, and• Gates said he watched Hicks drive the car straight into the pond. A muddy cover-up Kasaris said Gates will testify that Hicks swam out of the sinking vehicle "muddy, wet and scratched up," then immediately told him: "Say nothing." The state says Hicks then went to his sister's home, leaving mud throughout the bathroom and on his clothes. Later, Hicks reported his muddy boots missing, claiming someone stole them. Kasaris told jurors Hicks phoned Regina's voicemail from the property, pretending she had never arrived and that he did not know where she was. The discovery Two days later, property owner Roger Whetstone saw something unusual in the pond, believing it to be a partially submerged jet ski, according to Kasaris. Whetstone and his son returned with a boat and rope to drag the vehicle toward shore. As the Camaro surfaced, the hatchback popped open, items floated out and Regina's body was discovered inside. Cold until Gates 'came clean' From 2005 to 2015, the case produced no new leads. In 2015, the Ohio Attorney General's Office was assigned to review it; in 2019, it was reassigned again after staffing changes, according to Kasaris. In 2021, BCI and the Special Prosecutions Section launched a full reinvestigation. They conducted what Kasaris described as "scores of interviews" over three years. By winter 2024–2025, investigators returned to Gates, now in failing health and undergoing dialysis. Gates asked for immunity for lying to investigators in 2001 and 2002. The request was granted. Kasaris said that is when the story changed. "After 24 years of holding on to a secret, he comes clean." Kasaris said Gates' account is corroborated by: • Phone records,• Employment records,• Bank records,• Testimony from Regina's uncle, Jimmie Patrick,• Homicide scene expert Rick Wells,• Forensic pathologist Dr. Diane Barnett. The state also argues that Hicks' own statements undermine his claims. On a recorded 2025 call with his now-adult son, Hicks again said Regina was drunk the night she died: • Paul Hicks: "I just thought your mom got drunk again, was hung over." • Montana Hicks: "Yeah." Kasaris said the coroner's report shows no alcohol and no drugs whatsoever in Regina's system. Witnesses say Hicks was controlling After Kasaris' opening, the prosecution called eight witnesses, primarily from Regina's family and friend group. Their testimony echoed the themes prosecutors described earlier, a relationship deteriorating under the weight of control, anger and separation. Regina's brother, Chad Rowe, testified Hicks intentionally isolated Regina from her family: "He didn't want us around her," Chad Rowe testified. Chad Rowe described tension and fear within the family as Regina tried to distance herself from Hicks in the months before her death. Chad's wife, Sarah Rowe, testified that Hicks dictated much of Regina's daily life, limiting her independence. According to Sarah Rowe: • Hicks "told her she couldn't have a job."• Hicks told Regina she "couldn't talk to her mom because Paul wouldn't allow it."• Sarah Rowe told jurors that after Regina began dating Mike Perkins, she seemed to be reclaiming her identity. "She seemed happy, like she was finding herself," she said. Kasaris said this growing independence, a new relationship, new car, new clothes, refusal to give Hicks more money is central to the state's motive: Hicks feared losing control, custody and financial support. Defense attorney Rich only briefly cross-examined witnesses on Wednesday and asked about facts presented during direct examination. It's possible that some of the state's witnesses could be recalled by Rich when it's the defense's turn to make its case. It wasn't clear how many more witnesses the state intended to call. Next steps The prosecution will continue presenting witnesses Thursday at 8:30 a.m. The state has not said when it expects to rest. Once its case concludes, defense attorney Anthony Rich will have the opportunity to deliver his opening statement and call witnesses of his own.