‘We got justice’ | Family of Carol Hutchinson reacts to killer’s second-degree murder conviction – The Livingston Parish News

LIVINGSTON -- Sammy Hutchinson made sure to thank everybody.

The sheriffs office and its detectives. The district attorneys office and its prosecutors. All those who reached out to his family after the killing of his baby sister.

Everybodys done a good job, Hutchinson said on the steps of the Livingston Parish Courthouse, minutes after he and his family received the news they had waited two years to hear.

Errol W. Hicks, of Livingston, was convicted on Thursday for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Carol Hutchinson, a local daycare owner who was gunned down in September 2019.

A 12-person jury need just over an hour to deliberate and find Hicks, 70, guilty of second-degree murder following a trial that lasted nearly two days. Second-degree murder carries a sentence of life imprisonment without the benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.

Hicks attended the trial in street clothes both days before being placed in handcuffs and led away after the verdict was in. His bond was revoked, and Judge Brian Abels said sentencing would come at a later date.

The trials outcome concluded a nightmarish two-year period for the victims family that began when deputies discovered Carol Hutchinson had been shot four times following an incident with Hicks on Sept. 28, 2019.

Though nothing will bring back the beloved owner of Little Peoples Playstation Daycare in Livingston, family members of Carol Hutchinson said they felt relief once the verdict was read aloud Thursday.

Only five of Carols family members were allowed inside the courtroom, and they teared up and embraced after walking out of the building.

A truck belonging to Phillip Pearson has a decal in memory of his mother Carol Hutchinson, who was gunned down in September 2019. On Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, a 12-person jury found Errol Hicks guilty of second-degree murder in Hutchinsons death.

Once outside, they were greeted by other family members and friends who had waited in their vehicles for hours as the trial went on. Some wore T-shirts that read Justice for Carol, while one of Carols grandchildren wore a Wonder Woman costume, a nod to her nickname among loved ones.

We miss her and cant bring her back, Sammy Hutchinson said. But at least we got justice.

Seventeen witnesses were called to testify during the trial, which started 746 days after the killing. The testimonies came from neighbors, detectives, deputies, a forensic pathologist, and a DNA analyst, among others.

During the trial, prosecutors Serena Birch and Brett Sommer, both of the District Attorneys Office, painted a picture of a relationship that had run its course and culminated in a cold-blooded murder.

According to police reports, Hicks shot Hutchinson four times: once in the chest at his residence, a second time in the back, and twice more in the head and the leg.

Prosecutors said the first shot was fired under Hicks carport, likely while Hutchinson was sitting in a chair that deputies discovered was pierced with a bullet hole. The next shot came moments later when Hutchinson ran to a neighbors house for help. The last two came consecutively under another neighbors carport.

Hicks attorney Susan Hebert, who was seeking the lesser charge of manslaughter, argued that her client shot in self-defense, a claim he has made since the beginning. According to Hebert, Hicks fired at Hutchinson only after she pointed a gun at him first.

However, police said in a previous hearing that they never found evidence suggesting Hutchinson was armed during the encounter.

Hicks was expected to testify during the trial but eventually chose to exercise his Fifth Amendment right.

Ultimately, Birch and Sommer were able to successfully combat the defenses argument, pointing to the way witnesses said Hicks calmly followed Hutchinson across three houses and a distance of more than 470 feet roughly 100 feet more than a football field before shooting her twice more.

I cant think of a better illustration of specific intent than following a woman whos been shot, Sommer said in his closing argument.

In her closing statement, Birch said Hicks hunted Carol like a deer.

This is not heat (of the moment), Birch said. This is as cold-blooded as it can get.

Family members of Carol Hutchinson, who was gunned down in September 2019, stand outside the Livingston Parish Courthouse during a trial for Errol Hicks, who was accused of fatally shooting Hutchinson. On Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, a 12-person jury found Errol Hicks guilty of second-degree murder in Hutchinsons death.

Following the trial, family members of Carol Hutchinson walked out of the courtroom and gathered on the front steps, where they discussed the challenges of the last two years without the person they called a superhero and a loving woman.

In her obituary, Hutchinson was described as the real life version of Wonder Woman whose greatest passion in life was her family. She was a diehard Disney fan who visited Disney World more than 20 times in the last 10 years of her life. She also bred and sold dachshunds across the country and was an avid photographer.

Carol was survived by three sons, her parents, three siblings, and three grandchildren, though a fourth was born after her passing. She also had numerous nieces, nephews, and special friends.

Hunter Pearson, one of Carols three sons who was the trials first witness, said Hicks should have got the death penalty but acknowledged thats not the way the laws are set up.

So this is the best possible outcome, and were very thankful for everybody that worked towards it, Hunter Pearson said.

Sammy Hutchinson said Hicks got what he needed for the way he ran my baby sister down and executed her.

Weve been waiting for this for over two years, he said before later adding, Now he gets what he has coming.

Wyatt Pearson, Carols youngest, took to social media afterward to thank everyone who worked to make sure justice was served fairly and thank those for all of the prayers and support, though he noted that theres no such thing as victory in this situation.

He ended his post by calling his mother the most selfless amazing person who did everything she could to make her family and friends happy.

Nothing will bring her back or make it better but at least there is a little relief now knowing that it is over, Wyatt Pearson wrote.

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'We got justice' | Family of Carol Hutchinson reacts to killer's second-degree murder conviction - The Livingston Parish News