Dad charged wth murdering mom, 3-month-old daughter (Seattle, Washington)

Dad DANIEL THOMAS HICKS has been charged with shooting and killing his former girlfriend, the mother of their child, and the 3-month-old infant daughter. Seems Daddy was upset because Mom wanted to throw him out (more proof that breaking up with an abuser is the most dangerous time there is). Also seems poor Daddy was upset that the baby was a girl and not a boy, and was thus concerned that it wasn't really his (no, that doesn't make sense to me either). So instead of doing a DNA test, you murder Mom and child. Riiight.

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/413610_Charges24.html

Thursday, December 24, 2009
Last updated 4:11 p.m. PT

'I'm sick like grandpa,' accused Beacon Hill child killer wrote
Suspect remains at large, could face death sentence
By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Clearing the way for a death sentence, King County prosecutors have charged the accused killer of a Beacon Hill woman and her infant with two counts of aggravated first-degree murder.

In charges filed Thursday afternoon, prosecutors claim Daniel Thomas Hicks, 29, shot and killed Jennifer Jeanine Morgan and the couple's three-month-old daughter, Emma Lyn Hicks. Hicks, who remains at large, is considered armed and dangerous.

Detailing specifics of the slayings for the first time, Seattle detectives said in court documents that Morgan was preparing to kick Hicks out of a home they shared with Morgan's mother the day of the shooting. Police also claim that, in a note left for his brother, Hicks referred to a murder-suicide committed by his own grandfather in 1983 in which his grandfather killed his wife.

"I'm sorry," Hicks wrote his brother, who is currently serving in Iraq. "I hope your stuff is not stolen by the police. I am sick, like grandpa.

"Sorry (I) cannot fix life. Please live for yourself and not others. Do not cry."

Hicks had been out of work for more than a year, Detective Eugene Ramirez said in court documents, and Morgan had begun to tell those close to her that there was trouble in the relationship.

"Jennifer confided in (her mother) that the defendant, Daniel Hicks, was upset the baby was a girl and not a boy," Ramirez said in court documents. "Most recently he became very jealous and suspicious of Jennifer and expressed reservations about being Emma Lyn's biological father."

As the couple's problems intensified, Morgan decided Hicks should move out of the home, and told her mother she would tell him to on Monday. Instead, police contend Hicks shot and killed Morgan and his infant daughter, leaving their bodies for Morgan's mother to find Tuesday morning.

Morgan's mother, who lived in the South Ferdinand Street home's upper floor, said she had not seen her daughter since she left for work Monday morning. Seeing that Hicks' truck was gone, she assumed her daughter had kicked him out.

The following morning, the woman went to the downstairs apartment to ask her daughter about a Christmas gift when she stumbled upon the grisly scene. Morgan and the child had been shot multiple times and left to die.

Investigators ultimately collected 21 shell casings at the scene, leaving police to believe Hicks reloaded several times during the slayings.

In interviews with Morgan's family and friends, detectives came to believe Hicks had become increasingly abusive and paranoid in recent weeks. He had previously threatened to kill Morgan, a friend told officers, while armed with two firearms.

"This case has an undeniable component of domestic violence," Senior Deputy Prosecutor James Konat said in court documents. "After murdering his 13-week-old infant and the infant's mother, the defendant left their bullet-ridden bodies to be discovered by the mother and grandmother of the victims."

Speaking with Hicks' father, detectives learned Hicks had placed a collect call Wednesday from San Jose. Hicks was last seen in Seattle at 6 p.m. Monday.

Detectives believe Hicks may be driving a white 2006 Chevrolet pickup truck with license plate A68135Z, according to a police statement. Police have cautioned that Hicks should not be approached if located, as he's believed to be armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information may call 911. Tips can also be made to Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-TIPS, or by text messages at CRIMES (274637). Text messages should include TIP486 in the message.

Tips to Crime Stoppers leading to an arrest and the filing of charges may qualify the tipster for a $1,000 reward.

Charged under the state's aggravated murder statute, Hicks would face a mandatory life sentence if convicted. Prosecutor Dan Satterberg could also seek a death sentence in the case, which could be imposed by a jury following trial.