In the small town of Fayette, Missouri, a drug transaction turned deadly on December 30, 2019, leading to the tragic death of 29-year-old John L. Turner, a Black male from Poplar Bluff. Turner was discovered inside his car on South Linn Street around 1:30 PM, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound to his head. A witness reported seeing another man fleeing the vehicle, sparking an immediate investigation by local law enforcement.
The Fayette Police Department swiftly identified a primary
suspect, 21-year-old Alfredo Demario Hicks, Jr. Investigators were able to connect Hicks to the crime by tracing text messages exchanged between him and Turner. Following his apprehension, Hicks confessed to the shooting during an interview with the police. According to the probable cause statement, the meeting between the two men was arranged for Hicks to purchase marijuana from Turner. It was during this transaction that Hicks shot Turner with a. 380 caliber handgun.
Initially charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action, Alfredo Hicks Jr. later pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree murder. He also pleaded guilty to armed criminal action, witness tampering, and receiving stolen property. In court, Hicks admitted that the shooting was not an accident. He was subsequently sentenced to a total of 35 years in prison. The murder deeply affected the community of Fayette and left behind Turner's family, including his parents and children, who mourned the senseless loss of a man they described as non-violent.
