On Saturday, November 14, 2020, Terry Lavell Hickman, a 44-year-old Black male, was fatally shot inside a Southwest Washington, D.C. apartment. The incident, which was determined to be domestic in nature, led to the immediate arrest of Nijinsky Latassia Dix, then 37, of Jacksonville, Florida.
The events unfolded in the 1000 block of 4th Street, Southwest, where police responded to a report of gunshots at approximately 5:26 p.m.
Upon arrival, officers found Hickman suffering from gunshot wounds. Emergency medical services declared him deceased at the scene.
Investigations revealed that Dix and Hickman had been in a romantic relationship that he had recently ended. In the weeks leading up to the shooting, Dix, a doctoral student, had reportedly exhibited obsessive behavior, including traveling to Washington D.C. to stalk Hickman. On the day of the murder, Dix flew from Indiana to Washington, rented a car, and drove to Hickman's apartment, where she shot him.
When police entered the apartment, they discovered Dix kneeling at Hickman's feet, holding a 9mm pistol. According to court documents, she told officers that Hickman "pushed me and I shot him." Her mother, who was on the phone with her at the time, also heard her daughter make this statement.
Dix was arrested and charged with Second Degree Murder While Armed. In February 2023, she accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty to the charge. Subsequently, in September 2023, Nijinsky Dix was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the murder of Terry Hickman. During the sentencing, members of Hickman's family delivered emotional victim impact statements, expressing their profound loss. Dix offered an apology to the court, stating, "I am immensely sorry."
