A man accused of killing a woman and burning her trailer pleaded guilty this week in Lowndes County Circuit Court to second-degree murder.
Traveil Hicks, 20, will spend 25 years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections for the 2014 murder of his neighbor, 46-year-old Gwen Roberson. Authorities say Hicks entered Roberson’s trailer, hit her in the head with both the butt of a gun and a cast-iron skillet before setting fire to her home to cover up what he’d done.
Hicks was initially charged with capital murder and arson, but District Attorney Scott Colom said his office offered Hicks a plea deal after several witnesses were reluctant to testify.
“Without the assurance these key witnesses were available, the state felt this plea was necessary to provide the victim justice without the risk of an acquittal,” Colom said in a message to The Dispatch.
The case previously went to trial last December, but ended in a mistrial after the jury became deadlocked over both the capital murder and arson charges.
Hicks’ attorney, Steve Wallace, did not respond to calls from The Dispatch by press time.
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