UPDATE: Estranged husband found guilty of murder in Jackson County

Update (01-12-23, 3:00 p.m.) – On Thursday afternoon, a Jackson County jury found Kevin Dean Hicks Sr. guilty of second-degree murder, second-degree abuse of a corpse, and first-degree arson.

A sentencing hearing will has been scheduled for January 18.


Original story: CENTRAL POINT, Ore. —A murder trial is underway Tuesday, 5 years after a Central Point mother of four was killed. Police say her estranged husband killed her and set his RV on fire.

Police in June of 2018 said that neighbors called 911 after they heard screaming and a loud popping noise coming from a trailer in the 3100 block of McMartin Lane.

When emergency crews arrived, the trailer was fully engulfed in flames. 49-year-old Tammy Hicks was still inside. An autopsy called her death a homicide saying she died from strangulation.  Her estranged husband Kevin Hicks Sr. was arrested at the scene.

The trial began Monday afternoon. Tuesday, first responders took the stand in front of the couple’s children. A video was also shown of Hicks talking to investigators.

“I killed my wife and I set my trailer on fire to kill myself that’s why my voice is all raspy, and I wasn’t man enough to say that I did it and maybe I need to pay for what I did,” said Hicks.

Hicks has been in Jackson County Jail on charges of murder and second-degree abuse of a corpse since the crime occurred.

The Deputy Fire Marshall says he still doesn’t know how the fire started.  The defense has not yet presented its case. The Deputy DA says it hopes to have a verdict by the end of the week.

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Jenna King is the 6pm and 11pm anchor for NBC5 News. Jenna is a Burbank, CA native. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Sports Business. During her time at Oregon she was part of the student-run television station, Duck TV. She also grew her passion for sports through her internship with the PAC 12 Network. When Jenna is not in the newsroom you can find her rooting for her hometown Dodgers, exploring the outdoors or binging on the latest Netflix release.
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