A man accused of capital murder and arson will likely face a jury trial in the upcoming Lowndes County Circuit Court term, which begins Monday and runs through Dec. 9.
Treveil Hicks, 20, is accused of killing his neighbor, 46-year-old Gwen Roberson, and burning down her house. His trial is set for Nov. 29 before Judge Lee Howard, said assistant district attorney with the 16th Circuit Court District Lindsay Clemons, who will represent the state in the case.
Though his is a capital murder case, Hicks is not eligible for the death penalty, Clemons said, because he was 17 at the time he allegedly committed the crime. If convicted, Hicks still could face life in prison.
“It’ll be tried more like a first-degree murder case,” Clemons said.
Hicks’ attorney, Steve Wallace of Columbus, has filed a speedy trial motion in the case, all but guaranteeing it will move forward this term.
The Dispatch could not reach Wallace for comment by press time.
Lowndes County sheriff’s deputies arrested Hicks four days after Roberson’s death, apparently after an unnamed person contacted investigators and told them Hicks had confessed to the murder.
“I have done something bad,” Hicks allegedly told the person, according to an affidavit filed at the Lowndes County Circuit Clerk’s Office. “Gwen Roberson’s house burned down, and I know who did it.”
Hicks allegedly broke into Roberson’s mobile home on Downs Road intending to burglarize it. While there, he hit Roberson on the back of the head with a pistol and cast-iron skillet before stabbing her in the back of the neck with a knife he seized from her kitchen, the affidavit said. As he left the home, he allegedly set fire to a blanket sitting on the back of the house.
Authorities responding to the fire discovered Roberson’s body at the scene, Clemons said. The Mississippi Medical Examiner’s Office ruled at the time that Roberson had been dead before the fire.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
