Prime Crime: Solved Murders - "Felony at the Firing Range" Theora Hix Pt. 1

Episode Date: July 7, 2021

In the summer of 1929, the body of 24-year-old Theora Hix was found on a shooting range in Columbus, Ohio. The investigation into her murder surfaced two suspects: a jilted ex, and a secret lover. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of this murder case, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes dramatizations and discussions of murder and assault that some people may find offensive. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. The roaring 20s was a decade of mass consumerism and cultural change. Flapper dresses, bootleg liquor, and jazz music dominated the scene. While everyone in the country was living it up, Many women were enjoying more independence than they'd ever had. Thera Hicks was one of these women.

She wanted to become a medical missionary, and in 1929 she attended college, played sports, and worked as a stenographer. Thera also is said to have experimented with illicit substances and sexual freedom, like many college students of the day. Thera's parents were not on board with the wild, fast, and free lifestyle that was taking over the country. They believed in good behavior, good manners, and above all,

keeping private matters private. They wanted Fira to be a proper lady, but their daughter had other plans. In fact, Thera Hicks' purported sexual appetites would make her one of the most talked-about women of the 1920s. Her supposed sexual escapades and drug use would come out in shocking detail in the most public arena imaginable, a court of law.

To make matters worse, these details only came out after she had died. That's because on June 14, 1929, her body was found, bludgeoned, and battered. Thera Hicks had been murdered. Welcome to Solved Murder's True Crime Mysteries, a Spotify original from Parcast. I'm your host Wendy McKenzie. And I'm your host, Carter Roy. Every Wednesday, we step into the world of true crimes most fascinating murder cases

and tell the tale of how real-life detectives close the case. You can find episodes of solved murders and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free, exclusively on Spotify. This is our first episode on Thira Hicks. This week, we'll cover the gruesome crime scene in the rigorous police investigation. Next week, we'll cover the murderer's confession

and the scandalous trial. We have all that and more coming up. Stay with us. At 11 a.m. on June 14, 1929, two teenage boys in Columbus, Ohio, headed to a rifle range for shooting practice. They pulled their weapons from their car, then noticed a farmer working near the range. The boys decided to warn the farmer

so that he wouldn't get scared by the noise or get caught in the ricochet. But as they trudged through the tall, weedy grass, they stumbled over something. It was a woman. She wore a brown dress, white hose, and black shoes. Even though the hairstyle of the time was for women to have short bobs, her hair was brown and long. She was face down in the weeds, one hand holding a linen handkerchief stained with blood. The boys ran over to the farmer and told him what they'd found. The farmer agreed to stay with

the body while the boys left to go get the police. When detectives finally arrived, the farmer told them the body had not been there the day before. The arrival of the coroner led to the first assessment of the victim's wounds. Her head had been hit by a blunt instrument multiple times. Her nose was flattened and her right eardrum punctured. Her back and abdomen had been scored with a knife, and there was a bruise on her left shoulder. Her throat had been cut. The dress on her back was shredded by a knife.

There were also cut through her underwear in her abdominal area, but no corresponding slashes on the dress. Three fingers on her right hand had been crushed. She also wore a man's watch with a hand stopped at 10 p.m. As the body was carted away for autopsy, the coroner spoke with the police. What do you think, Dr. Murphy? Judging by her broken wristwatch and the amount of rigor mortis, I'd say she's been dead for less than 18 hours. Probably died at 10 when the watch broke.

She took quite a beating. At least 17 blows on the head. From the looks of it, I'd say the murderer used a hammer. I'll know more after the autopsy. The tire tracks make me think that she was murdered elsewhere and then brought here and dumped. Maybe, but this is a well-known spot for lovers. It would be risky to bring the body here. when there could have been others around.

Hmm, lovers. Perhaps it's a lover's spat that turned violent? That's your department, detective. I'm just here for the body. The police questioned the residents who lived in the area, but none of them had seen anything. One of the officers on the scene had even been patrolling the area at 10 p.m. the previous night

and saw nothing out of the ordinary. So far, the police had no way of identifying the body. That would all change at 4.45 p.m. When the police received a phone call from a woman named Alice Bustin, her roommate Thera Hicks, was missing. Thera was a 24-year-old student at Ohio State University and was about to complete her second year of medical school. Thera had left at 7 p.m. the night before to attend job training but never came home. While Thira often spent the night away, she was always home by the next. morning. But the morning came and went with no Thira, and Alice began to worry. Her worries

deepened at 11.30 a.m. when she learned from Thera's friend Peggy that Thira had missed their luncheon appointment. This convinced Alice that something needed to be done. She told the police clerk that Thira wore a man's wristwatch and had long brown hair. The quick-thinking clerk put two and two together and told Alice to run down to the morgue. Let me know when you're ready, miss. I'm ready. It's okay if you need to look away. Well, I would hardly know if it's Thira.

The faces... Yes, it's difficult to discern her features because of the damage she sustained. Can you tell from her clothes? That... I think that's the dress she was wearing when she left last night. These are the victim's personal effects. You mentioned a watch? Yes, that's the one.

It was her father's wristwatch. Thank you, miss. Where's her purse? Purse? I see her dress and the watch, but what about her purse? She always carries a small brown purse with a green clasp. I'll check with the police, miss. With Alice's identification, police traveled to her apartment to search Thera's belongings.

They hoped to find any clue pertaining to her murder, and they found several strange items that seem like they could help with this cause. First, they discovered theorist banking information. She had an unusually large amount of money for a working middle-class college student. In fact, she had enough to both purchase a vehicle and acquire a home loan. Next, they found several love letters signed Janet. The letters hinted at a passionate, physical relationship.

Police also found a 41-caliber Derringer pistol and cartridges. Thera's roommates were aware of the gun but had no idea why Thera owned one. In fact, upon further questioning, it became clear that they knew very little about their roommate in general. They could not explain the money in the bank and they had no idea who Janet was. To them, Thera was a very quiet, private person who enjoyed sports and kept her personal life a secret. Did she have a boyfriend? Well, Theora hardly talked about any of that.

You lived with her. You must know something about her. Well, I know she had been dating one man, but broke it off some time ago. Do you know what happened between them? As I said, Theora was very private. It's a wonder that I knew about him at all. Have a name? I think it was... Marion Myers. He works at the university, though. He's often traveling. He was crazy about her from what I could tell. And how did Theora feel about him?

I guess the way Theora felt about men in general. She never really had a use for them, as far as I could tell. We'll get to the truth. Marion Myers' work often took him away from the city. He worked for Ohio State University and used his horticultural expertise to help people in rural communities. The police tried to get in touch with Myers, but were unsuccessful. Detective then paid a visit to Bertha Dillon, the telephone operator who was training Thera at the University Hospital switchboard the night she disappeared.

She was here all right. Quiet girl, not much to say. It was her third day of training. How long was her training that night? Oh, she cut it short. Around 7.45, she said she had to leave for a date and would try to be back around 9 or 9.30. Never saw her again.

Any idea on who she was meeting? I don't know, but she seemed nervous about something. But then again, she was a strange girl. As police continued to investigate, reporters started to sniff around at what they believed to be a front-page news story. One reporter from the Columbus Dispatch tracked down a Northwestern professor named Robert Summerbell.

Summerbell often worked alongside Marion Myers, and the two were also members of the same fraternity. Say, Summerbell, what can you tell me about your man, Myers? Listen, there's no way that Myers is involved. He couldn't hurt a fly. You'd be amazed at the types of things a jilted lover can do. Not Marion. It was probably the other man.

What other man? Marion said that Theero was dating another man, an important man, someone with a good reputation. Someone who'd have a lot to lose if the news got out? Exactly. I haven't got all day, man. What's his name? I'm sorry, it's not my place.

It's too delicate. A woman is dead and you're worried about appearances? You'll have to drag it out of me. I'm no snitch. We'll see about that. The next morning, Saturday, June 15th, reporters went back to Summerbell with a couple of police officers in tow,

Under pressure from the law, Summerbell finally told them the man's name. It was Dr. James H. Snook, a well-respected member of the community. Snook was a veterinarian who worked at the university. He was happily married and had a two-year-old daughter. The doctor had even won two gold medals in the Olympics on the United States pistol shooting team. From the outside, Dr. Snook was a professional, a model citizen, a loving husband and the least likely person to commit murder, unless, of course, he had a hidden dark side.

Coming up, we'll learn about Dr. Snook's secret life. The CIA. They're the first line of defense for the United States, analyzing intelligence to thwart any possible threats and keep us safe. Some of their involvements are made public, and others aren't. Hi, it's Carter from Parcast, and in honor of America's birthday, we're uncovering the cases you were never supposed to know about in the new series, Conspiracy Theory's CIA Edition. From international assassination plots and mind control experiments to catastrophic cover-ups and secret societies fit for film, sift through the agency's most questioned and controversial affairs. Each week, conspiracy theory CIA edition exposes the covert operations intended to protect us from conflicts, but end up creating conspiracies.

Where does the truth lie? Where do the lies end? And how much do we really want to know? Follow the new Spotify original from Parcast, Conspiracy Theory's CIA edition. Listen every Thursday, free and only on Spotify. And now, back to our story. On Friday, June 14, 1929, the body of Thera Hicks was discovered on a shooting range in Columbus, Ohio. She had been bludgeoned, battered, and her throat had been cut. As the police investigated, they learned that Thira was a student at Ohio State University who led a scandalous personal life.

While everyone believed Thira had no interest in men, the police discovered that she actually had two lovers, both older men who worked at the university. One was 35-year-old Marion Myers. He and Thera had dated what were broken up. The other was Dr. James Snook. He was a 48-year-old married veterinarian who worked at Ohio State University.

It was rumored that he and Thira were having an affair. On Saturday morning, as the police tracked down the whereabouts of their main suspects, details from the autopsy were filtering in. There were hammer imprints on her skull, proving the coroner's initial theory. Also, Thera's throat had been cut with expert precision, indicating the murderer had medical knowledge. The coroner also noted that he'd received a visitor while performing the autopsy, Marion Myers. On Friday night, Summerbell got a hold of Marion Myers and Bono,

some 130 miles away from Columbus and told him of Therah's murder. Saturday morning around 315, Myers called the police station trying to confirm Summerbell's story. Then Myers drove through the night from Bono to Columbus. He showed up at the coroner's office at dawn. Police learned that Myers was back in town and were dispatched to collect him. He was staying at the frat house with Summerbell. Myers was frightened and nervous, but went willingly with the detectives. They headed straight to police headquarters.

At the same time, another group of officers knocked on Dr. James Snook's door. When he answered, officers saw that Snook's right hand was wrapped up, and he claimed to have heard himself while repairing his vehicle. Detectives asked him to come to the station for questioning about Thera Hicks. Snook admitted to knowing Thera, but he was openly annoyed by the request. He had weekend plans with his mother, but he agreed to delay them to put the officers at ease. The officers allowed him to drive his own car and even stopped at a restaurant to have breakfast

on the way to police headquarters. Compared to how Myers was retrieved, Snook was being handled with kid gloves, but that's because there was no evidence actually linking Snook to the crime. As ever, the police were mindful of his reputation in society as a husband, a veterinarian, and an Olympic gold medal winner.

At the police station, both Myers and Snook were interrogated in separate rooms. What happened between you and Theorem, Myers? We were quite keen on each other, or so I thought. I asked her to marry me, but she turned me down, said she wanted to wait until she graduated from medical school. So you decided to kill her? What? No, I could never.

I'm engaged to someone else now. How convenient. Look, when Summerbell told me, I couldn't believe it. I thought he was playing a trick on me. had to come see it for myself. You drove through the middle of the night because you had to see it for yourself. Couldn't wait for the morning paper? I loved her.

I don't deny that. But it was Snook. I'm sure of it. I never liked him. He was using her to satisfy his hedonistic pleasures and she had no choice but to go along with it. Poor, poor Theora. Sounds like a motive to me.

Excuse me. Unlike Myers, Snook was calm, cool, and couple. during his interrogation. Oh, yes, I knew Theora. I've known her for about three years. She was in the stenographer's pool and did some work with me on my book. How well did you know her, Snook? Well, I did not know her in the sense that you are implying, detective.

I am a married man, after all. That doesn't stop most men. Indeed. But I think you're better off looking into this Myers fellow. It's my understanding that she turned down his marriage, proposal. He's a loose cannon. So you've actually met Myers? Interesting. He works at the university. I work at the university, and she was a student there. We were all bound to run into each other at some point. It's simple math. All murders come down to simple math, Snook. I wouldn't know, Detective.

Both Myers and Snook had alibis for the night of the murder. Myers said he was with his brothers at the frat house all night, leaving only briefly to mail some letters around 9 p.m. He was only gone for half an hour. Several fraternity brothers confirmed his story. Snook also provided a compelling alibi. He claimed that he remained at work until 8 p.m., stopped by the country club, and then returned home by 9.30 that night. His wife, Helen, confirmed this timeline.

The officers also questioned the origin of Snook's arm injury, but an independent doctor confirms Snook's original story. It looked like Snook had been telling the truth. Seeing as Thera's watch had stopped at 10 p.m., this put both men outside of the window they had to commit the crime, but the police felt that one or both of them were hiding something. That morning, Saturday, June 15th, as the police continued to grill both Myers and Snook, the story broke front page news. Once the people, the people, People of Columbus, Ohio learned of Thera's murder, they started weighing in. A taxi cab driver said that he picked up Thera from the university after 7 p.m. Thursday night

and drove her to Hilltop on the west side of the city. Thera said she was looking for a man in a coop and told him to cut through quarries and use back streets. They never found this supposed man, and the cab driver dropped her back on campus. A restaurant worker at a popular downtown dining establishment remembered Thera as a frequent patron coming in two to three times a week. She was always in the company of an older, bald-headed man. The police also spent time talking to Therra's friends and acquaintances.

Some saw her as quiet and shy. Others thought of her as moody, but all of them thought of her as very private. One thing became very evident. No one knew very much about her. her personal life at all. Those who knew her said she seemed to have little interest in men, mostly keeping to herself, sports, and her jobs.

The fact that she had been seeing two older men must have come as quite a shock, but at least clarified her position. It's not that Thera wasn't interested in men. Thera simply wasn't interested in men her own age. Saturday's afternoon newspaper broke the news that Myers and Snook were being questioned about therapy. as murder. That night, a lady showed up at the precinct. What can I do for you, Mrs. Smalley?

Well, I just had to come in when I saw that man's picture in the paper. Which man? Snook. He's been renting a room in my home. He said he was a salt salesman, and that room was for him and his wife. What did his wife look like? They always used the back entrance for their coming and going. But I did run into her one time. She was a pretty young thing, and very quiet. When was the last time you saw Snook? Well, that's just it.

I saw him yesterday. He said he and his wife were giving up the room and he was returning the keys. I only put two and two together when I saw today's paper. That man is a liar. Mrs. Smalley had believed that Therahick's wife. On the spur of the moment, the detective asked Mrs. Smalley to wait there. He then went and fetched Snook from his interrogation room. Good evening, Dr. Snuck.

Good evening, Mrs. Smalley. What are you doing here? You're not a salt salesman, are you? No, ma'am. Aha. So you know her? Well, yes. Finally you ready to spill the beans, Snook?

If I must. After meeting and greeting Mrs. Smalley, Snook realized he had no recourse. He finally admitted that he had no recourse. He finally admitted that he was. had been having an affair with Thera. They rented a room from Mrs. Smalley as their love nest. Shortly after Snook met Thira, he'd given her a ride home.

They struck up a conversation and an illicit love affair developed quickly. Snook admitted to giving Thira money, solving the mystery of her bank accounts. Thira and he would often write love letters to each other using code names. He was the Janet on the letters they'd found in Thira's room. Snook also revealed that he'd given her the Derringer pistol. He said that Thera was concerned for her general safety, so he got her the pistol and taught her how to shoot it. The next day, Sunday, June 16th,

the police took Snook to the crime scene. As a pistolier, he'd been to the shooting range before, but he did not appear familiar with a spot where Thira died. They also took him to the country club and the love nest. Snook recognized and acknowledged them, but nothing of note was discerned. They also searched his car, his house, his office, and his locker at the country club. In his car, they found a blood-stained glove, blood stains on the passenger's side door and seat,

a woman's umbrella, and a hairpin. At his house, they found a shirt-stained with blood, as well as a hammer and a pocket-knife that looked clean. His office contained more items that cast him in a suspicious light for the era, love letters, sexual literature, and aphrodisiacs. Then, on Sunday night, the police received a call from the dry cleaners. Apparently, Snook had dropped off a suit on Friday. This suit had stains that appeared to be blood. The police retrieved it for testing.

Better come clean, Snook. We found blood in your car and on your clothes. Have you now? Innocent men don't leave a trail of blood wherever they go. But veterinarians do. What do you mean? As a veterinarian, I am regularly covered in animal blood. Of course it comes off in my car and on my clothes.

The lab will tell us if it's human or animal. You can't tell me science knows how to distinguish between animal and human blood. I have no confidence in those lab results. You might not, but a jury will. But I'll never be in front of a jury, because I didn't kill her. We'll see about that. Coming up, we'll learn with the labs reveal about Snook's suspicious bloodstains. And now, back to the story.

On June 15, 1929, police brought two suspects into police headquarters for questioning on Thera Hicks' murder. They were both older men whom Thira had been seeing. Mary and Myers had proposed to Thera and had been turned down. Dr. Snook was married and having an affair with her. Even more surprising, both Myers and Snook knew about each other's relationships with Theora for quite some time. But it was still unclear which one was the real killer. Myers could have gone after her in a jealous rage, or perhaps Snook killed her to hide the affair from his wife. While the police had found bloodstains in Snook's car and on his suit, they needed more answers.

So, on the order of the county prosecutor, John J. Chester, the police continued to question both men mercilessly for over 48 hours. This was technically illegal, but at the time everyone involved was willing to turn a blind eye in order to catch a murderer. The autopsy reports came in, Snook. We found drugs in her system. Did you drug and murder this poor girl? My heavens, you must think me a monster, detective. The drugs were her eyes. What do you mean? Theora was a very adventurous girl. Why she knew more about sexual relations than I did. She was always looking for a way to make our encounters more exciting for both her and I.

So you both took drugs on purpose? She was young and very athletic. I'm of an age where I needed something to keep my stamina up, you see. Your depravity knows no bombs. Trust me, detective. If you were in my situation, I guarantee you would do the same thing. It's human nature. To the police, it was starting to look like Snook was a sex maniac. In the 1920s, America still struggled to pull itself away from Victorian ideals. Owning books on sex and taking drugs were thought to be the sign of a depraved mind, even though younger generations were experimenting with both. However, being a sexual degenerate did not mean that he'd murdered Thera.

The police still needed evidence to connect Snook to the crime. Then, on Monday, June 17th, lawnmowers at the crime scene discovered a broken key ring and 12 keys. Three were still on the ring, but the rest were scattered on the ground. The police determined that they were all Theras. These included her room keys, luggage keys, and keys to a safety department. closet box, but one key was missing, her key to the love nest. So, both you and Thira had a key to the love nest.

That's correct. You say you returned the keys to Mrs. Smalley? Yes. And this was Friday morning around 9 a.m.? To my recollection, yes. Just your key. And Theoras. But Thira was already dead on Friday morning.

In fact, 9 a.m. is two hours before. before the body was found. I am aware? The only way you could have her key is if you took it off the dead body when you murdered her. Nothing of the sort, my man. She'd given it to me a few days earlier

as she decided to abandon the apartment for the summer. You have an answer for everything, don't you? If you're looking for a murderer, go talk to Myers. He's always been insanely jealous of my relationship with Theura. Try as they might, the police could never catch

snook off balance. He always had a well-thought-out and reasonable answer for everything. He was also actively trying to throw suspicion on Myers. Meanwhile, Myers was much more emotional and distraught. According to Snook, you've had relations with Thera. That louse! Why is he trying to tarnish her good name? Come now, it's true, isn't it? I wanted to marry her. I'd marry her yet. You have to believe me. Question, Myers. Answer the question. Did you have sexual relations with Thira Hicks? She was a good woman, kind and true. That man you have in the other room, he was taking advantage of her. I just know it. But what was I to do?

You are insufferable, Myers. Myers eventually admitted to having sex with Thira, but he was constantly vague and obsequious with the police. One detective remarked that if Myers was questioned, about why he walked into a drugstore to buy milk, he'd be at a loss for a reply. More and more, Myers was starting to look like an unfortunate idiot as opposed to a murderer. In a last ditch effort to get Myers to confess, the police took him to see Thera's body the morning of Tuesday, June 17th. They hoped that the shock of seeing her would lead to a confession. But while Myers was visibly shaken and overcome with emotion, he did not incriminate.

himself. They also brought Mrs. Snook in for questioning. She was quite emotional and at one point swooned and collapsed in the room. But eventually, Mrs. Snook admitted that she hadn't told the whole truth. You must believe me. I know nothing about my husband's affair. I had no idea he had a love nest until I read it in the newspaper. I knew nothing of that woman. Mrs. Snook, I want the truth. Now, do you understand? Yes, yes, I understand. The truth is, I don't know what time my husband came home. I didn't see him enter because I was upstairs. I thought I heard the door close, but I don't know when. I only saw him when I went downstairs, around 11 o'clock. That means he could have done it.

Yes, I'm afraid he could have. With Mrs. Snook's admission, her husband was in even hotter water. But there was still no evidence linking him to the crime, only opportunity and motive. They were getting even less from Myers. The police and the county prosecutor discussed their situation. I hate to say it, but we're going to have to let Myers go. We've held him too long. We'll have to let Snook go soon, too.

There go both my suspects. I think Snook will be staying around a little longer. What's that? Lab results. It says his hammer and pocket knife both had traces of human blood. Excellent news! Yes, but it's still not enough to arrest him. Official cause of death is the slashed throat.

The coroner said the cut was expertly done, as if by a medical professional. It must be Snook. It's the only explanation. We still don't have evidence. We can't prove its theorist blood on the hammer or the knife. Who needs evidence when you can get a confession? It was time to turn the heat up on the good doctor, and the police were determined to catch their killer by any means necessary.

Thanks again for tuning in to solved murders. We'll be back next Wednesday with part two of the murder of Thira Hicks, where we find out which of her lovers ended her life. For more information on Thier Hicks' murder, amongst the many sources we used, we found the article The Mystery of the Thirteenth Key from the True Detective magazine's January and February 1930 issues to be extremely helpful to our research. You can find all episodes of solved murders and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. We'll see you next time. If we live, till next time.

Solved Murders, True Crime Mysteries, is a Spotify original from Parcast. It is executive produced by Max Cutler. Sound design by Michael Langsner, with production assistance by Ron Shapiro, Trent Williamson, Carly Madden, and Joshua Kern. This episode of Solve Murders was written by Shilpy Roy, with writing assistance by Giles Hofsef, fact-checking by Amber Hurley, and Haley, and research by Mickey Taylor. The amazing cast of voice actors includes Kimlin Tran,

Tiana Camacho, Ellie Schiff, Julian Smith, and Drew Lawn. Solved Murder stars Wendy McKenzie and Carter Roy. Hi, it's Carter from Parcast. Every Thursday on Conspiracy Theory's CIA edition, we're uncovering secrets hidden deep within the archives of the Central Intelligence Agency to bring you a special collection of episodes from shows across our network.

Follow the new Spotify original from Parcast, conspiracy theories CIA edition. Listen free only on Spotify.