One of the region's oldest cold cases has been closed after a jury found a Sandusky man guilty of killing his wife, Regina Rowe Hicks, in October 2001 in Huron County.
Paul Hicks was found guilty on three counts of murder and one count of kidnapping, and is facing life in prison.
“We lost so much sleep over this, and it feels like we can finally breathe again. We are just overwhelmed and feeling so much joy, because we have been waiting for this moment for 24-years,” said Regina’s Cousin, Angela Rowe.
In 2001, Regina went missing in Huron County while on the way to pick up her son. Her family searched for her until she was found four days later in the passenger seat of her car in a pond in Huron County. Her autopsy showed bruising on her head, and authorities didn’t believe it was an accident. It wasn’t until 2025 that Hicks was indicted on murder and kidnapping charges.
Rowe said the family always had an idea that Hicks was the cause of Regina's murder.
“We knew it all along, we couldn’t prove it, but we knew he did it,” said Rowe.
In October 2024, people in the Huron County community gathered together to find answers.
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Prosecutors say Hicks knocked Regina unconscious before leaving her body in her 1992 Camaro and driving the car into a pond. The prosecution relied heavily on a key witness named Steven Gates, who testified off-camera that Regina came to his property the night she died. Regina was coming over to pick up the son she and Hicks shared.
Gates testified that he saw her and Hicks arguing outside her vehicle. So, Gates excused himself and went into his home. But when he came back outside, he said he noticed Regina’s car was moved from its original location. He walked over to her car and found Regina "crumpled up" in the front passenger seat, with Hicks outside the car. Gates claimed he wanted to call the police, but Hicks told him, “She’s already dead,” and told Gates to follow him. Gates said Hicks then drove Regina’s car toward the pond, with Gates following behind. He testified he saw the car's taillights rise and disappear into the water.
“You can't accidentally get somebody, stuff them in the car and in the passenger seat, drive them down the road and then into a pond and then drown that person. That's not accidental, that's intention,” said Huron County Prosecutor James Sitterly.
During closing arguments, the defense argued the case presented by the prosecution was speculation and challenged the credibility of their key witness.
“The government is asking you to take a huge leap of faith on a witness who they acknowledge has lied for 25 years. And then I think they thought this is what we got to roll with this because it's the best we got,” said the defense.
The prosecution says the motive was control & money, arguing the couple was on the brink of a divorce, fighting over custody, and many family members testified that Regina was happily moving on with her life.
“The defendant is looking at a situation he could be paying child support while being laid off and he had to limit his financial exposure as well as get full custody,” said Sitterly.
The defense argued there was no evidence linking Hicks to the scene of the crime.
“There's no evidence that this even took place and certainly zero corroborating scientific evidence,” said the defense.
The prosecution came back in a rebuttal and stated that there would not be much evidence because Hicks' sister testified that she saw her brother and Gates cleaning off muddy clothes in her bathroom the same night of Regina’s disappearance. Gates testified that Hicks showered and cleaned up after the incident and left his boots on the back porch. Those boots would later come up stolen according to Hicks, but the prosecution argues they were disposed of.
“Steve Gates' emotion was genuine, he kept quiet all those years, and he could have kept quiet. However, he didn't have to come in here and tell you what happened, and he told you why he kept quiet which was out of fear,” said Assistant Ohio Attorney General Dan Kasaris.
“We have so much love and everything for the prosecutor's office, and just thankful for all the thoughts and prayers that everyone's gave us throughout all this time,” said Rowe.
Hicks' sentencing is scheduled for June 9.
