Evening star., 1954-05-21
Officials LIST
Hicks Death
AS Murder
Blood on Clothing
Found in Home
Is Of His Type
Rv 4 Michael
BY J. l. Michoel
Stor Stoff Correspondent

stor sioff Correspondent
LA PLATA. Md. May al
Blood on clothing found in the
home of Louis A. Hicks has been
classified by the FBI as Of the
same type as that Of the para
lyzed veteran. now officially
listed as q murder victim.
Scientific findings. informally
given authorities here, were dis
closed yesterday. after State and
Charles County officers revised
a police report calling his death
an accident.
Later in the day, States At
torney Robert T. Barbour said
he had received findings OF
State medical examiners. who
performed an autopsy on Mr..
Hicks body after it was ex-
humed on Mr.. Barbour'S order.
The States Attorney declined
discussion pending study, but it
was learned that the report SUBJ
stantially agrees with a cer-
tificate issued by DR.. Edward j.
Edelen, county medical ex-
aminer, listing injuries as q
fatally crushed chest and head
wounds.
Manner Not Specified.
State physicians did not at
tempt to decide the manner OF
death. and their detailed version
of the medical cause was not
learned.
Detective Sergt. G. Edward
Newcomer, ace sleuth assigned
to the probe by the State po-
lice superintendent. announced
the shift of viewpoint after con-
ferring with Mr.. Barbour.
"We are now exploring the
case from a homicide angle"
Sergt. Newcomer said at a press
conference, "aS there are certain
circumstances surrounding 1t
that are abnormal to a motor
vehicle accident"
Sheriff r. Vernon Cooksey
concurred. Definitely" he said,
this is a case of foul play"
Mr.. Hicks high-powered Lin
coin sedan, it's throttle laShed
wide open with white adhesive
tape. roared off a curve and into
his own house near McConchie
on March %. His body was found
in a sitting position on the floor
of the especially fitted car, cloth
ing in perfect order and hair
neatly combed and parted.
Windshield Smashed.
The right side of the wind
shield, just above his head. was
smashed to bits and all frag-
ments were inside the car. The
steering wheel, behind which
Mr.. Hicks, totally paralyzed in
the lower half of his body by
Battle of the Bulge shellflre, was
said to have been sitting was
undamaged. as was the left side
of. the vehicle.
His wife, Dorothy, Is, told po-
lice she was beside her 34-year-
old husband when the front end
of the heavy car plowed into
their living room about am.
She was too dazed. she told po-
lice. to summon aid until nearly
two hours later.
Nearby relatives of the victim,
who raced to the scene in re-
sponse to her telephone calls,
said Mrs. Hicks repeatedly told
them that, in the interval. she
and her husband remained in
the car chatting and smoking,
although she realized he was
gravely injured.
Two sisters of the dead man
said they asked Mrs. Hicks how
she could sit there under such
circumstances.
IF wanted to watch my hus-
band die, that's my business"
they said she replied.
Injuries Not Examined.
Mrs. Hicks was slightly cut or
scratched on the lips and fore
head. DR.. Edelen said he did not
examine her injuries when he
viewed the body.
THAT was impossible" he told
a reporter, "she raced back and
forth so fast I couldn't get near
her."
Later. at the start of a probe
prompted by relatives, Mrs.
Hicks was incoherent when
questioned here. When bloody
clothing recovered from hiding
places in her home was placed
before her, she became hyster-
ical, police said.
Slugging Suspected.
Sergt. Newcomer said the
taped throttle was among rea-
sons motivating adoption of a
theory that Hicks was slugged
to death by assassins.
Other factors contributing to
the change of theory decision
were listed by Sergt. Newcomer
as certain physical evidences
surrounding the vehicle involved
in the accident" and the belief
that Mr.. Hicks crushing chest
injuries could have been re-
ceived by other means as well as
by an auto accident"