In the late hours of a September night in Livingston Parish, Louisiana, a domestic disturbance call to the Sheriff's office marked the tragic end for Carol Hutchinson. On September 28, 2019, the local daycare owner was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend, Errol Hicks. The violent encounter unfolded at Hicks's residence on McLin Road, where Hutchinson had gone to gather the last of her personal items following the end of their approximately six-year relationship.
An argument erupted
between the former couple on the back porch of the home. While Hutchinson was seated, Hicks, armed with a. 380 semi-automatic pistol, opened fire, striking her in the upper right side of her chest. As she rose and attempted to flee her attacker, Hicks shot her again, this time in the back. Despite her injuries, Hutchinson managed to seek help from neighbors. She first went to the home of James and Lisa Merritt, banging on their window and front door, but they did not immediately respond. She then made her way to the home of John and Darlene Smith. John Smith opened his door to find a doubled-over Hutchinson, who informed him she had been shot before collapsing inside their house.
When Livingston Parish Sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene, they discovered that multiple rounds had been fired and found Carol Hutchinson's body. Errol Hicks was present at the scene and was arrested. He was armed with a. 380-caliber pistol and claimed that he had only shot Hutchinson after she had pulled a gun on him first.
In October 2021, after a trial that spanned two days, a jury took just over an hour to deliberate before finding 70-year-old Errol Hicks guilty of second-degree murder. The conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. Following the verdict, Hutchinson's older brother, Sammy Hutchinson, expressed that while the family deeply misses her, they had found a measure of peace in the justice that was served.
