Special Agent Samuel S. Hicks, aged 34, was killed on November 19, 2008, while executing a federal arrest warrant near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Hicks, a male of Caucasian ethnicity, was part of a year-long investigation targeting a violent drug trafficking organization. Upon entering the suspect's house to make the arrest, Hicks was shot and killed by Christina Korbe, the wife of the target, Robert Korbe.
Christina Korbe was subsequently taken into custody.
The planned arrest was a culmination of efforts involving multiple federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Hicks began his law enforcement career with the Ocean City, Maryland Police Department and later joined the FBI in March 2007. At the time of his death, he was assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force in the FBI Pittsburgh Division.
Christina Korbe pleaded guilty in 2011 to voluntary manslaughter and a firearms charge in the shooting death of Hicks. She was sentenced to 15 years and 10 months in prison but was released early for good behavior in 2022. Hicks' death was a tragic loss, and he is remembered as a hero who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
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