William Hicks; KC Johnson.Photo: Myrtle Beach Police Department; Wilmington Police Department
William Haven Hicks, 25, was charged with first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, kidnapping and financial card theft in connection with the disappearance and presumed death of KC Johnson.
Johnson was reported missing on Jan. 14.
Johnson’s body has not been found, but police are waiting on the identification of remains found in Georgia that are possibly hers, theWilmingtonStarNewsreported.
Police said Johnson and Hicks met recently on social media.
Johnson’s partner Bulla Brodzinski said Johnson walked away from their home on Jan. 13, saying she would return in one hour,WECTreported.
“I wish I would’ve stopped her from going out that door because she would still be here today,” Brodzinski said, who described Johnson as “kind and caring.”
“She was the one I could open up to,” Brodzinski said, according to WECT.
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“KC found love and joy in her community,” Tori Cooper, Human Rights Campaign Director of Community Engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative said in a statement. “We often hear stories of violence and discrimination against transgender and non-binary people, but we must also acknowledge the joy in our community when we live as our authentic selves with people who see, accept, and care about us. For someone to steal KC’s life so callously is to extinguish another light of joy in the world. We must all work to end this violence and build brighter futures for transgender and non-binary people.”
AGoFundMe pagehas been set up to help pay for Johnson’s funeral.
Hicks' next court hearing is scheduled for Feb. 9.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Wilmington Police Department at (910) 343-3609 or use the WPD Tip411 app.
source: people.com
