Jury verdict in just 3 hours
After a murder trial in December 2025, the jury deliberated for only three hours before finding Paul Hicks guilty of murder on all counts.
Where this was said
The Trial: Defense's Attack on Steve Gates
At 41:41 · chapter starts 40:30
The defense's strategy was straightforward: destroy Steve Gates. Attorney J. Anthony Rich told the jury that if lying were an Olympic event, Gates would win gold, silver, and bronze. He reminded jurors that the prosecution itself had acknowledged Gates lied for 25 years, and argued they were being asked to take a huge leap of faith in a witness whose credibility was threadbare. Critically, the defense also emphasized that there was zero forensic evidence linking Paul to the murder scene — no DNA, no physical trace. For the prosecution, Dan Caceres acknowledged this reality openly, having 'gotten out in front of it' by telling the jury the same thing first.
Guilty in Three Hours: The Verdict
Despite no forensic evidence and a star witness the defense called an Olympic-level liar, the jury deliberated for just three hours before finding Paul Hicks guilty of murder on all counts. For Regina's family, it was a moment 24 years in the making.
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