In the winter of 2016, a chilling phone call marked the beginning of a tragedy that would end the life of 19-year-old Nicholas Hawkins. A male resident of the Quinton, Alabama area, he vanished on February 14th after making a frantic call to his mother, warning her that a man named Joshua Reese was trying to kill him. This desperate plea for help was the last time his family heard from him.
The search for the young man, who was close to completing his GED with aspirations of becoming a cosmetologist, came to a grim conclusion when his body was discovered at a construction dump site in a wooded area of Walker County. He had been shot to death and his body was found wrapped in sheets.
The investigation into the murder quickly focused on the individual Hawkins had named in his final phone call. Authorities arrested 21-year-old Joshua Adam Reese, who was initially considered a person of interest. As the case unfolded, the investigation led to several other arrests. Cory Daniel Conner, 28, and Danny Lee Jarvis, 22, were also taken into custody and, along with Reese, were charged with murder. The inquiry also implicated others who were accused of attempting to cover up the crime. Lawanda Marie Reese, 39, Colton Stephens Echols, 20, and Tessa Jean Wise, 23, were all charged with hindering prosecution, expanding the circle of those allegedly involved in the aftermath of Hawkins' death. During court proceedings, it was revealed that there had been a personal relationship between Hawkins and his accused killer, Joshua Reese.
More than three years after Nicholas Hawkins was killed, the legal process came to a close. In September 2019, the primary suspects in his murder entered guilty pleas. Joshua Adam Reese, the man Hawkins had identified as a threat, pleaded guilty to murder and received a sentence of 40 years in prison. Cory Daniel Conner also pleaded guilty to murder and was given a matching 40-year sentence for his role in the crime. The third murder suspect, Danny Lee Jarvis, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. He was handed a 15-year split sentence, which required him to serve three years in prison followed by a period of probation.
