In the quiet early morning hours of May 5, 2022, a violent home invasion shattered the peace in an El Dorado, Arkansas neighborhood. Inside his residence on Wilson Street, 41-year-old Willie Hicks Jr., a Black male, was confronted by an intruder. The encounter turned tragic when Hicks was shot in the head. His fiancée, Jakeia Washington, who was also present, was shot twice and physically assaulted.
Both victims were rushed to the Medical Center of South Arkansas for urgent medical
attention. While Washington was later transferred to a Little Rock hospital and eventually recovered from her injuries, Hicks remained on life support. Despite the efforts of medical staff, Willie Hicks Jr. succumbed to his injuries on May 9, 2022, four days after the brutal attack.
The El Dorado Police Department swiftly launched an investigation into the violent home invasion and shooting. Their efforts quickly led them to identify a suspect, 29-year-old Charles C. Miller, who was reportedly an acquaintance of Hicks. Miller was already in custody on unrelated charges at the time he was named a suspect in the attack. Following Hicks's death, the charges against Miller were upgraded to include capital murder, attempted capital murder, and aggravated residential burglary, among others. The investigation suggests that Miller broke into the residence, leading to the fatal confrontation, although the specific motive for the crime remains under investigation.
