Texas – In a harrowing case of domestic violence that escalated to homicide in Texas, a 40-year-old man identified as J. Hickerson has been sentenced to life without parole for the murder of his 32-year-old girlfriend, identified as A. Alexander. The sentencing, announced on Wednesday, marks the end of a long journey for justice, nearly eight years after the brutal act that was committed as retaliation.
The tragic series of events began in September 2016. Days after Alexander filed an assault charge and obtained a protective order against Hickerson—following an incident where he hit her at a restaurant—the situation took a deadly turn. Hickerson had tried to persuade Alexander to drop the charges, even proposing marriage in an attempt to prevent her from testifying against him. When his manipulative tactics failed, he resorted to violence.
On September 19, 2016, Alexander was last seen with Hickerson after they left a family member’s residence. Concern grew when she didn’t show up for work the next day, prompting her family to file a missing person report. The sheriff’s office began an investigation, during which Hickerson claimed he did not know her whereabouts. Authorities discovered that Hickerson had killed Alexander in her apartment. He then transported her body to a remote area, over 40 miles from the crime scene, and dumped her remains in a field. It wasn’t until November 30, 2016, that her skeletal remains were found in a shallow grave. Investigators were led to the location through cellphone records that placed Hickerson in the area on two consecutive days following her disappearance.
At the time of the discovery, Hickerson was already in jail for violating the protective order issued after the earlier domestic violence incident. Surveillance footage further implicated him, showing Hickerson leaving Alexander’s apartment on the day she vanished. Additionally, his truck was seen arriving and leaving her apartment complex with a large object in the bed before she disappeared. While out on bond awaiting trial for the murder charge, Hickerson tampered with his GPS ankle monitor and assaulted another girlfriend by choking her. He was rearrested on April 6, 2021, and remained in custody until his sentencing.
Assistant DA S. Walsh said, “It was an eight-day trial with a lot of testimony, but there were several key pieces of evidence that were important. Those pieces included video of him leaving her apartment when she disappeared and his cellphone records showing that on two consecutive days after she went missing, he was in the area where her remains were later found.” After a prolonged legal process that spanned nearly eight years, Hickerson was finally sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. The delay in justice was a source of pain for Alexander’s family. The victim’s sister expressed the family’s anguish: “He took her body far away and left her there to rot. Left her there to rot and let the animals tear her apart. Think about that.”
Alexander was remembered as a compassionate individual who dedicated her life to helping others. A GoFundMe page set up in her memory described her commitment: “She had chosen a career working with the elderly so she could express her gift of generosity and kindness. She loved God and had a smile and a laugh that would brighten your day.” This heartbreaking case underscores the devastating consequences that can result from domestic violence. It highlights the necessity for timely intervention and support for victims to prevent such senseless loss of life. The life sentence without parole ensures that Hickerson will spend the rest of his days in prison, unable to harm others.
