Where this was said
Steve Gates's 25-Year Silence and the Witness Clip
At 24:28 · chapter starts 22:05
Steve Gates is the pivot on which the entire case turned. He was present on the night of Regina Hicks's murder — he didn't see it happen, but when he returned to the car, Paul told him she was dead. He went along, stayed silent, and carried that weight for nearly 25 years. Keith Morrison reads his reluctance sympathetically: Paul's network in a small town was real, his reach felt limitless, and the idea of going to police without Paul finding out seemed impossible. [1] — Steve Gates "In an exclusive clip, Steve Gates tells Keith Morrison that Paul is now powerless — no minions, no reach, no danger. After 25 years of fear…" 22:48 The exclusive bonus clip is striking in its candor. Gates tells Morrison he now believes Paul is powerless — no minions, no reach, no danger to him. Morrison pushes harder: once you decide not to be afraid, does it make you look back and wonder why you didn't find that courage 24 years earlier? Gates's reply is simple and devastating: 'I was a young stupid kid.' Tim Uehlinger adds a crucial caveat — Regina's family heard all of this and is still not fully at peace with Gates, because his silence meant their mother never lived to see justice.
In an exclusive clip, Steve Gates tells Keith Morrison that Paul is now powerless — no minions, no reach, no danger. After 25 years of fear, Gates finally stopped being afraid. Morrison pushes him: why didn't you have that courage 24 years ago?
Steve Gates's testimony delivered justice — but Regina Hicks's family still holds hard feelings toward him. They believe their mother deserved to see a verdict before she died. Gratitude and anger can coexist, and in this case, they do.
Under Ohio law, Steve Gates requested that no audio or video be recorded during his court testimony, and the judge granted the request, making Keith Morrison's subsequent interview with him especially significant.
Despite going public with his testimony after nearly 25 years of silence, Steve Gates still lives on the same farm he lived on in 2001, facing community judgment daily.
