Monroe Hickson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Monroe Hickson
Monroe Hickson.jpg
FBI profile image of Monroe Hickson
Born(1908-07-08)July 8, 1908
Aiken County, South Carolina, U.S.
DiedDecember 29, 1967(1967-12-29) (aged 59)
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S.
Other names"Bluecorns"
Conviction(s)Murder
Criminal penaltyLife imprisonment
Details
Victims4
Span of crimes
April–September 1946
CountryUnited States
State(s)South Carolina
Date apprehended
For the final time on August 8, 1957

Monroe Hickson (July 8, 1908 – December 29, 1967), known as Bluecorns, was an American serial killer who murdered four shopkeepers in Aiken County, South Carolina during a crime spree dating from April to September 1946. At the time, each murder was believed to be unrelated, and another man was wrongfully convicted for one of them.[1]

In 1957, after an arrest for robbery, Hickson confessed to each of the murders, and was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences. On March 10, 1966, Hickson escaped from prison, and was added to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in 1967. He died while still a fugitive on December 29, 1967.[2]

Early life[]

Monroe Hickson was born on July 8, 1908, in Aiken County, South Carolina. Hickson, although lacking a formal education, was said to have been very intelligent, and was an advocate reader of the Bible, regularly carrying one with him.[3]

Crimes[]

Hickson is known to have committed his first murder on April 17, 1946, when he fatally shot David Garrett at Garrett's shop in Aiken.[1] Afterwards, he robbed the place and stole a pistol. A week later, on April 28, Hickson killed Edward and Mary Bennett, a married couple who were working at the grocery store they owned. Before he died, Edward exclaimed to police “A big negro shot me and robbed me”. In September, Hickson attacked Annie Wisburg at her home, where he stabbed and bludgeoned her to death.[1]

In October, Hickson struck again, this time attacking 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.[3]

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, in which he confessed. 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.[4]

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.[4] As such of this, in June 1949, the Supreme Court voted 5–4 in favor that Harris' sentence should be reversed.[4] Afterwards, Harris was released from prison.[5]

Confessions, imprisonment 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.[1] Because of this, Hickson was forced in four consecutive life sentences for each of the murders.

On March 10, 1966, Hickson escaped Manning Correctional Institution in Columbia, South Carolina, where he had been serving his sentences. 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.[3] In 1968, a couple from Chapel Hill, North Carolina came forward with information, after identifying Hickson to a migrant farm worker who had died on December 29. A positive identification was later made via fingerprinting.[2]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d "Slaying Of 4 Aiken People Now Admitted". The Greenville News. 20 August 1957. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b "243. Monroe Hickson". FBI. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "S.C. Man Wanted In Four Murders". The Daily Advertiser. 1 March 1967. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "L.D. Harris". The National Registry of Exonerations. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  5. ^ "S.C. Drops Murder Case". Ohio Daily Express. 2 September 1949. Retrieved 21 January 2022.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""