Caleb Adams, a 38-year-old man from Randleman, NC, was found dead on June 13, 2017, at the home of Wendy Dawn Hicks, also 38, on Heritage Mountain Trail. The preliminary cause of death was determined to be multiple gunshot wounds. Deputies from the Randolph County Sheriff's Office responded to an Assault With a Firearm call and discovered Adams unresponsive at the scene.
Hicks was subsequently charged with second-degree murder and held at the Randolph County Jail without bond.
The relationship between Adams and Hicks was tumultuous, marked by drug use and efforts by Hicks to reveal their affair to Adams' wife. On the day of the incident, Hicks had warned Adams via text message not to come to her residence, but he ignored the warning and arrived at her home. A confrontation ensued, resulting in Adams being shot twice in the back. Hicks called 911 and reported the shooting, claiming she acted in self-defense.
During the trial, the jury was instructed on self-defense, the defense of habitation, and the aggressor doctrine. Hicks contended that she shot Adams while trying to avoid his blows, but the prosecution's evidence showed that Adams was shot in the back from at least six inches away. The jury ultimately convicted Hicks of second-degree murder in 2019, and she was sentenced to a prison term of 15 to 19 years.
The case went through multiple appeals, with the North Carolina Court of Appeals initially directing a new trial for Hicks, citing errors in the jury instructions and the admission of certain evidence. However, the North Carolina Supreme Court upheld the conviction in September 2023, ruling that the trial judge had given appropriate instructions to the jury about the legal limits for deadly force inside a home. The court found that Hicks could not cite self-defense and the protection of one's home to justify deadly force if the jury could infer that she was acting as the aggressor, even if she did not instigate the confrontation.
