Speaker
Keith Morrison
Appearances over time
3 episodes
Episodes
3
Podcasts
Quotes & moments
Regina Hicks was only 25 years old and a mother to a 4-year-old son when she was murdered in October 2001.
Witness Steve Gates kept silent about Regina Hicks's murder for nearly 25 years before finally coming forward, claiming he lived in fear of Paul the entire time.
Regina Hicks's mother campaigned for years to keep the cold case alive, including putting up billboards, but died before the manner of death was officially changed to homicide.
The Huron County coroner originally ruled Regina's death 'undetermined'; 24 years later investigators persuaded him to reclassify it as homicide, unlocking the murder case.
After a murder trial in December 2025, the jury deliberated for only three hours before finding Paul Hicks guilty of murder on all counts.
Judge sentenced Paul Hicks to 25 years to life in prison for the murder of Regina Hicks; the case is under appeal.
Despite being charged with aggravated arson and insurance fraud, Paul Hicks took a plea deal and pleaded no contest to only a misdemeanor, never serving jail time.
Eyewitness Steve Gates, who could have been charged with obstruction of justice, was granted full immunity in exchange for testifying against Paul Hicks.
Paul Hicks was indicted by a grand jury and arrested in April 2025, charged with murder and kidnapping, more than 23 years after the crime.
Terry Sweet, a woman connected to Paul who had gone along with his activities, died the very day an insurance investigator planned to speak with her again — ruled natural causes, alcohol-related.
Regina Hicks was found on the passenger side of her own car, submerged in a pond, indicating she had not driven herself in — she was placed there by someone else.
Michaela 'Mickey' Costanzo was known to call her family every 15 minutes to report her location; when she went silent, her family immediately knew something was wrong.
Steve Gates came forward in 2024 partly because he was diagnosed with life-threatening kidney disease and wanted to clear his conscience before he died.
Cody, the central male figure in 'Five Miles From Home,' was described as 6-foot-6 and planning to join the Marines after high school before events unraveled.
Mangione's defense team secretly filed a psychiatric 'extreme emotional disturbance' notice months ago — but when the judge unsealed it publicly, they pulled it within 24 hours. By briefly signaling Mangione might admit to the killing, they potentially strengthened the prosecution's resolve.
Extreme emotional disturbance defense requires proving three things: the defendant was genuinely disturbed, there's a reasonable explanation for it, and it was present at the moment of the killing. Even if you win, the best outcome is a manslaughter conviction instead of murder — you still go to prison.
Jamey Laird's testimony blew up the narrative that the affair had ended months before Maya vanished. They were still messaging the day she disappeared — and just two days earlier, Larry had called Jamey's wife to expose the affair, sending Jamey into a spiral.
Former Bardstown police officer Nick Houck arrived at his perjury arraignment without his attorney — who told him to proceed alone. Nick told the judge he had no idea why he'd been charged, and a public defender was hastily assigned for the hearing.
The defense team for Tyler Robinson, accused of killing right-wing activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah campus debate, wants the death penalty removed because a prosecutor discussed an inconclusive ballistics report with media outlets. The judge is now weighing whether to hold the prosecution in contempt.
The Supreme Court reversed the federal appeals court that had overturned Pedro Hernandez's conviction for killing six-year-old Etan Patz. Hernandez, now 64, will serve out his 25-years-to-life sentence without a new trial.
In the finale of 'Five Miles From Home,' Cody's then-fiancée Toni Fratto describes being too terrified to flee, believing that even driving away would only make things worse. She feared she'd be killed as a witness.
Jamey Laird testified that Larry controlled when Maya could drive — he drove her to work and back every day. Maya's secret code name for Larry was 'V for Voldemort.' She was planning to file for divorce after her daughter's Big Bear birthday trip that never happened.
Mickey Costanzo called her family every 15 minutes. When she went silent, the whole town of West Wendover turned out to search. They hoped she was alive. They suspected she wasn't. Her body was found buried in a shallow grave in the desert.
Mangione's writings called healthcare executives 'parasites' and cited the US ranking 42nd in life expectancy despite having the world's most expensive healthcare system. His defense needs to link this to his emotional state at the moment of the shooting — not just general anger.
Persistent family pressure on cold cases isn't just emotional — it's strategically essential. Keith Morrison argues that when families keep pushing, they give police departments the institutional cover to justify ongoing expenditure on cases that might otherwise be shelved.
Paul's plan to commit arson involved ordering a custom-made wearable face mask from a UK company called 'That's My Face' — now defunct — to make his girlfriend appear to be someone else on security cameras. It's one of the strangest schemes ever covered on Dateline.
Paul used a 'spoof card' to make calls appear to come from a different number entirely, which initially made innocent people look guilty and guilty people look innocent. It took a deep investigative dive to untangle the deception.
Steve Gates watched Paul drive Regina Hicks's car into a pond in 2001 and said nothing for nearly 25 years. He lived in fear that Paul's network in the small town would make his life impossible. When he finally came forward, his testimony was the single factor that delivered justice.
Keith Morrison returns to a case he first covered in 2013 — the murder of teen track star Mickey Costanzo in a tiny Nevada casino town. It has obsession, jealousy, a love triangle, and a jailhouse interview. Morrison calls it Shakespearean, and he's not wrong.
Analysis
What they talk about
- True Crime 77%
- Society & Culture 23%
Connections
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