Prime Crime: Solved Murders - "Felony at the Firing Range" Theora Hix Pt. 2

Episode Date: July 14, 2021

Dr. James Snook was a respected veterinarian, family man, and former Olympian. But by the time his trial was over, he was a condemned murderer. Revealing details about his affair with Theora that were too salacious to print, Snook confessed to the gruesome events that ended his young lover’s life. 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 of sexual acts and genitalia, as well as dramatizations and discussions of murder and assault. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. Dr. Snook sat in the interrogation room, breathing in the smoke of his interrogators. The detectives filled the air with a putrid smell of cigarettes, hoping it would sting his eyes and help him break. Despite Snook's best attempts, the oppressive atmosphere was finally starting to get to him.

The officers suspected him of murdering his young lover, Theora Hicks, and they had kept him in this room for days. At first, Snook had expertly responded to each of their pointed inquiries, giving them nothing to go off of, but they were no longer giving him any chance to catch his breath or consult with his lawyers. The pressure was finally getting to him. Reporters watched the proceedings with bated breath. They weren't sure if Snook would confess.

But whatever happened, the conclusion was sure to be newsworthy. Welcome to Solved Murder's True Crime Mysteries, a Spotify original from Parcast. I'm your host, Carter Roy. And I'm your host, Wendy McKenzie. Every Wednesday, we step into the world of true crimes, most fascinating murder cases, and tell the tale of how real-life detectives closed the case. You can find episodes of Solve Murders and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free exclusively on Spotify. This is our final episode on Thera Hicks.

Last week we covered the discovery of her body and the investigation that exposed her secret lover, who became the main murder suspect. This week will cover how the police cornered the killer and the scandals that occurred at the trial. We have all that and more coming up. Stay with us. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars. Catch the Jonas Brothers return to the Yamava Theater stage on April 30th, the powerful vocals of Demi Lovato on May 17th, and the signature Southern Country Rock of Eric Church on July 19th.

Tickets on sale now at Yamavat Theater.com, only at Yamava Resort and Casino, celebrating its 40th anniversary. You in? Must be 21 to enter. In the summer of 1929, 24-year-old university student Thira Hicks was beaten, bludgeoned, and left for dead. Her disheveled body was found at a rifle shooting range outside of Columbus, Ohio. The investigation into her murder led to police to an older man Thera had secretly been seeing Dr. James Snook. Snook was well respected in the community as a veterinarian and an Olympic medal-winning shooter. He was also married with a small child.

The police brought him in for questioning and kept him for four days, much longer than the 48 hours they were legally allowed. With no hard evidence connecting him to the crime, the police tried to wrangle a confession from him. At 1.30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 19, 1929, the police increased the intensity of their interrogation. The county prosecutor, John J. Chester, alternated shifts with detectives throughout the night.

It's 2 a.m., detective. Can't you leave me be for a few hours? I'd like to get some sleep. You'll sleep when I say so. Now, what did you take from the love nest when you return the keys? As I said earlier, all my personal belongings. And what about Theris? She had none.

She had no personal belongings at the love nest. That's correct. Then why do we find Thira's pajamas and shoes partially destroyed in your basement incinerator? Well, they're not... You burned her clothes! No, I... Stop lying! You burned them to hide the evidence! Yes! Yes, I burned them. I burned her things!

Snook's cool and calm demeanor failed to hold as sleep deprivation set in. His story began to contradict itself, and by the next morning he was starting to lose his grip. on reality. The officers and Chester, the prosecutor, viewed this as the perfect time to drop a bombshell on Snook. At 5.15 a.m., they brought in Theris key ring. Detective, here are the keys you asked for. Thank you, Chester.

All right, Snook, do you know what these are? Um, I... Theoris keys, maybe. That's right, but not all of them. One is missing. Her key to the love nest. You say that Thira gave you that key on Monday, three days before her murder? Yes, that's right, Detective.

As I said earlier, many times, we had planned to give up the apartment. Then how is it that Thira took her friend Peggy to the apartment on Thursday afternoon? Well, your questioning didn't go far enough, Detective. I... Well, I... gave her the key back, obviously. Ah, so you gave the key back to her. When did that happen?

Thursday, or around noon. So you gave her the key on Thursday at noon, and you took it back after you murdered her Thursday night. That's not what I... You killed her, and you took the key. No, I... In the midst of this interrogation, Prosecutor Chester jumped up and slapped Snook across the face.

Easy now, Chester. Stand down. Admit it, Doctor. Just save us all the trouble. I admit that you killed her. You know damn well where I got that key. Say it, Snook. Off her dead body.

The interrogators were surprised that the story about Thera's friend worked. After all, the detective had completely made it up, but in the end, that fake story didn't matter. Only the results mattered. And while Snook did not directly confess to Therah's murder, he had admitted that he'd seen her dead body. In the prosecutor's eyes, that was proof that they had their killer. They just needed to push him a little further to get their full confession.

They felt that victory was close at hand. So after 18 straight hours of intense interrogation, they took a break at 6.30 a.m. They gave Snook permission to speak to his lawyer, John Seidel. Snuck, what are you doing? They're saying you're ready to confess. I'm exhausted. I don't know what's up or down anymore. I need to sleep. You listen to me, Snook. They don't have any hard evidence. It's all circumstantial.

It's too late, Saitle. It's too late. I'll decide when it's too late. You just keep your mouth shut. I don't think I can. Despite his lawyer's advice, Snook decided to provide a full confession. Rather than take his confession then and there, the prosecutor opted to have brought to the penitentiary to wait for the court stenographer. With a stenographer present, they could get a legal, written confession. However, the stenographer took a little too long to arrive.

By the time she got to the prison, Snook had changed his mind and refused to talk. Infuriated, the officers decided to grill him for another four hours. As I said, my counsel has advised me not to talk. Unless you've got some damning evidence, You'll have to let me go. If you think you can dangle a confession in my face and then not deliver, you're going to be very, very sorry. Sir, this just came for you.

Thank you, deputy. Well, well, well. What is it now, Chester? The lab analysis on your suit came back. The one you took to the cleaners the day after Thira's body was discovered. And? There's blood on it. As I said earlier, I'm a veterinarian.

Human blood. No. Tell me, what did Thira look like after you bludgeoned her? Was it easy to slid her throat? Did you enjoy it? I didn't. Do you think she knew that you were a sadistic, cold-blooded killer? No.

Are you ready to tell the truth now? Or do I need to slap you around some more? Please. I can't. Snook had reached his breaking point. After 22 hours of near constant interrogation, he cried for 45 minutes straight. Once he was done sobbing, the court stenographer entered the room. Snook was ready to confess to the murder of Theora Hicks. Coming up, we find out the truly scandalous nature of Snook and Thera's relationship.

Hi, it's Vanessa from Parkast, and I'm here to tell you about my new 10-episode limited series, Obituaries. They're some of the most iconic figures of all time, celebrated in death for their individual achievements and impact on society. But in life, the relationships they kept tell a different story, one of unexpected connections that yielded extraordinary change. Every Wednesday on Obituaries, join my co-host Carter and me as we explore the shared legacies of prolific pairs from the past, from the mutual traumas of entertainers Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald, to the unlikely admiration between visionaries Mark Twain and Nicola Tesla. Each episode of Obituaries digs deep into the same. the lasting impressions made between two legendary figures and how their entanglements changed the course of history. These meaningful duos may have passed on, but the profound effect they had on each other

and us will live on forever. Follow the Spotify original from Parcast, Obituaries. Listen free only on Spotify. And now back to the story. After five days in police custody and a 22-hour stretch of exhaustive interrogation, Dr. Snook had finally confessed to the murder of his young lover, Theora Hicks. The confession was written down by a court stenographer and it told the full story of Snook and Thera's relationship, or at least the part of the story Snook wanted people to know. Snook claimed that his affair with Theora lasted for nearly three years. They often got together to have sex, and he often rewarded her with cash. He also gave her a gun as a

gift and instructed her on how to fire it. The gun made her feel safe, so she often kept it on her person. Snook claimed Thera had gotten more possessive as time went on. The night of the murder, he claimed she had a temper tantrum because he was going out of town with his family for the weekend. He claimed she threatened to kill him and his family if he actually left on vacation. Snook said she put her hand in her purse, and he reacted in self-defense. He thought she she was reaching for her gun, so he grabbed a hammer and hit her on the head. He did not mean to kill her, but her death was the result of her own actions. The police believe this confession was enough to take him to court, but they knew they had pushed the limits of their authority.

A good defense lawyer could have made a strong argument that their lengthy interrogation was unconstitutional. To avoid this entirely, lead prosecutor John J. Chester allowed two reporters into Snook's jail cell that same night. The reporters convinced Snook to give them his full confession, and Snook did exactly that. Because Snook had voluntarily given his confession to a third party, the defense would no longer be able to argue against it. In one move, John Chester had permanently secured Snook's confession for the prosecution. Snook's confession was printed in the newspapers the very next day. As the public read his confession, most believed he was lying. It seemed like he had invented the self-defense angle to make

himself look better in court. On July 22nd, the case was brought before a grand jury. After looking at the evidence and the confession, the grand jury came to the conclusion that Snook had killed Thera Hicks in cold blood. They indicted him for first-degree murder. With the indictment, Snook's case was set for trial. The first court date was scheduled for July 22nd. Snook hired two of the best defense lawyer's money could buy. He owe Ricketts and John Seidel. They pleaded not guilty and deliberated between themselves the best way to get their client acquitted.

The coarse confession is certainly a strong case for us, but public opinion is already against him. There's no way for us to get an unbiased jury. There's still the self-defense argument. Snook says he was afraid she would wield the. gun on him. Yes, but the gun was found in her apartment. That muddies it up a little bit. Well, there's always an insanity plea. He's been examined. The prison psychiatrists found nothing. We'll get our own psychiatrist then, won't we? Snook's lawyers hired psychiatrists to examine their client, but the prison only allowed them

to speak to Snook for an hour and a half. With such a limited time frame, they felt they could not give Snook a definitive diagnosis. Ultimately, they advised his lawyers against pleading insanity, as they did not believe Snook could meet its legal definition. With this blow to their plans, the defense pivoted and decided the best course of action was to argue that Snook had not planned the murder ahead of time. He had been charged with first-degree murder, so if they could prove the murder had not been premeditated, the jury would have to declare him not guilty.

On July 24, 1929, the court finally convened to select their jury. As citizens arrived to do their civic duty, dozens of reporters and newspaper illustrators arrived with them. The media attention brought with it a frenzy of activity from the public who showed up in droves to try to witness the court proceedings firsthand. These crowds were primarily composed of young women who were intrigued by this scandalous nature of the story. many would arrive as early as three in the morning to make sure they could get a spot in the courtroom to watch the drama unfold.

The trial began with the prosecution. John J. Chester started by walking the crowd through all the known facts and all of their gruesome speculation. He explained how he believed Snook had actually murdered Theura without leaving out any gory tidbit that had been absent from Snook's published confession.

When Chester finished, The defense began their arguments. They focused their efforts on attacking the police's behavior during Snook's interrogation. They summoned over 40 witnesses whose testimonies revealed the myriad way Snook's rights had been violated. Please tell us how you came to know the defendant. I'm the penitentiary doctor. I was brought in to examine Dr. Snook when he was transported there from police headquarters. What did your examination reveal?

The defendant was suffering from exhaustion. dehydration and sleep deprivation. Anything else? Oh, yes. His cheeks were bright red. He claimed that the prosecutor had slapped him multiple times during the interrogation. I'm sorry, did you say slapped? As in the prosecutor who was sitting in this very courtroom inflicted bodily harm on my client

while he was in police custody. That's correct. The marks on his cheeks were consistent with him. his story. Tell me, Doctor, what did Snook say occurred after the slaps? Well, he told me he confessed. He couldn't handle the mistreatment anymore. Sounds like coercion to me. After planting doubt about the legality of Snook's confession, the defense team leveled their next volley against the coroner himself. The coroner insisted that the knife wound to Thera's throat was her cause of death, but the defense didn't buy it. The defense even hired four independent pathologists who believe Thera was

likely killed by one of the hammer blows to the head. This distinction was important because death by hammer blow could have been unplanned and accidental. In contrast, if Thira had been killed by the stab wound to the throat, the murder would have been deliberate and purposeful and undermined Snook's claim for self-defense. These arguments effectively undermine the prosecution's facts and assertions, the public eagerly awaited to hear from Snook himself to see if his testimony could shed any light on their uncertainty. Snook took the stand on August 7, 1929, and the defense asked him all about his affair with Thera. Thera had unusual tastes sexually. See, she was well read on the subject,

more educated than I. And how did this play out in the relationship? She wanted to do things, unnatural things. I wasn't always comfortable with that. I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to ask. What was this unnatural behavior? Well, she would often take my privates into her mouth. Order! Order in the court!

To a 1920s crowd, this was shocking. Not only was intercourse between the court. intercourse between unmarried people a crime, oral sex was illegal and considered perversion of the highest order. The fact that this was being discussed in a court of law was outrageous. Did Miss Hicks engage in this behavior with her other lover, Marion Myers? Oh, yes, yes, indeed. She was often comparing us to each other. I had to hear all about Mr. Myers' ability to satisfy her perversions, and I'm sure it went the other way. as well.

Mr. Seidel, just how is this relevant to the murder? It is to establish that Miss Hicks was in a love triangle with the defendant and Mr. Myers. And what will that prove exactly? No sane man could have entered into such an arrangement as existed between these three persons. They were all insane. This dramatic turn of events proved that the defense was throwing every possible argument against the wall and hoping that it would stick.

It was clear they were trying to make Snook look at insane because then his actions would not have been premeditated. To Snoke's credit, at this point in the proceedings, he didn't exactly look sane. He'd been injured while in jail, so he was forced to sit slanted on a canvas bench chair. He was also struck by blinding headaches and had to wear sunglasses to ward them off. To further support the insanity argument, the defense posited that when Thierra began dating her other lover, Myers, Snook's mind began to unwind. The defense believed drugs also played a part in Snook's unraveling,

as Snook claimed Thera often pushed him to take drugs like cocaine, and the potentially deadly hallucinogenic, Bella Donna. Ther's autopsy somewhat supported this argument, as her stomach lining had cannabis powder present. This information severely damaged Thera's reputation, and the defense was all too happy to drag her further into the moon. mud. This became even clearer when Snook changed his story about what happened the night of the murder. On the stand, he claimed that after arguing about his weekend trip, Thera forced herself

on him and performed violent fallatio. Snook claimed the act was so painful he felt like he was forced to hit her with the hammer to get her to stop. The defense went so far as to hire a urologist to examine Snook's genitals. The urologist testified under oath that Snook did have genital scarring that would suggest violent fallatio. But while it was a small victory for the defense, it was also a small loss for Snook. The urologist also testified that Snook's penis was smaller than average. The courtroom audience was wowed by these salacious details, but the reporters were bummed. These proceedings would have killed in the public square, but they were far to indecent for the Puritan ethics of the time. In articles written about the case,

most reporters omitted specific details about Snook's sexual proclivities and drug use. The defense had done a dramatic and effective job of undermining the prosecution's case, but the prosecution still at a few tricks up their sleeve. When John J. Chester subjected Snook to cross-examination, he handed Snook a hammer and asked him to demonstrate approximately how hard he had hit Thira on the night of her death. Let's see it, Snook. Well, I don't rightly know. Of course.

Give us your best shot. Well, it must have been like... Like... this. Ah, I see. If you were using such a light touch with a hammer, then you'd need to slit her throat to kill her, right? A master tactician, Chester's hammer trick placed Snook in a binding trap. If Snook swung it with massive force, it would have made him look violent. And while Snook had used a light touch, that only helped the prosecution explain why Snook needed to slit her throat to kill her,

and it made that throat cutting look premeditated. After this, the trial went to closing arguments. By the end, it had lasted three weeks and involved. involved more than 60 witnesses. The jury convened to discuss these monumental proceedings, but to everyone's surprise, they returned to the courtroom after only 28 minutes. Those few minutes were all that was needed for them to determine that Dr. James Snook was guilty of first-degree murder. Coming up, we'll learn exactly what happened to Theora Hicks. And now, back to the story.

On August 14th, 1929, Dr. James Snook was found guilty of murder in the first degree. The public had never believed in Snook's innocence, and upon his sentencing, the courtroom erupted with applause. Snook was shortly sent to prison, and reporters frequently bothered him to hear his story. Snook often edited and contradicted his story, but over time, the true events that led up to Thera's murder became clear. Snook and Thera's relationship started as a thrilling fling in 1926. Over the course of three years, a fun sexual attachment became a stressful liability to Snook. Thera constantly demanded his attention, became irritable when he spent time with his family, and wanted him to experiment more wildly with drugs.

On Sunday, June 9, 1939, Thera took things a step too far, while Snook was a little bit of golfing with his friends, she called the club, then hung up before he could answer. He attempted to call back, but she didn't answer. He thought little of it at the time and returned to the sport. But shortly after, Thera stormed up to him on the course. She was livid that he had not called her back. He tried to assure her that he had tried, but she refused to listen. She demanded that he leave with her immediately, and he did, but secretly his own anger. built up within him. Her public misbehavior was unacceptable. Four days later, on June 13th, Thera left work to reconnect with Snook. Their plans fell

through when neither could find the other. However, they later ran into each other back on campus. Snook asked Thira if she wanted to make love at their apartment, but she was not pleased by the idea. She wanted to have sex somewhere she could scream, and Snook thought the shooting range was the perfect place. Once they arrived, the couple attempted to fornicate in Snook's vehicle, but there wasn't enough space to properly do the deed. This put both of them in a bad mood. This machine isn't much of a car.

You should get yourself a larger vehicle. Listen, Theora, I'll be out of town this weekend. I'm taking Helen and the baby to visit my mother. I'll be gone a couple of days. What? You're going to leave me for the whole weekend? It's just a few days. Well, I don't want you to go.

Thira. You're not going home. I'm sorry, but I have to go. My mother and my wife are expecting it. Damn, Mrs. Snook! I'm going to kill her and get her out of the way. And that baby of yours, too. All right, Thira, just calm down.

Let's leave the shooting range. No, you're not going home this weekend, and we're not leaving here. Thira, I've quite had enough of you ordering me around. It's because of this damn car. I'm completely unsatisfied. You have got to help me out, old man. Thira, I don't... I...

Thera! Therra! Therra forcibly opened Snook's pants and started performing Fallatio, but she was too rough on his private parts. When he tried to pull her off him, she refused to move and continued to be rough on his genitals. He tried pulling her hair and choking her, but he couldn't get his arms in the proper position.

So finally, he reached into his back seat, grabbed the hammer from a small toolkit, and lightly hit her on the head. Kill you too! As Thera opened the car door, she grabbed her purse. Thera, no! We'll never know if Snook actually believe she was pulling a gun out of her purse

or simply used that as an excuse to kill her. Regardless, he must have lunged at her and pulled her back into the car. Thera continued to struggle, so Snook hit her with the hammer, harder than before. Thera eventually slid out of his grasp and fell out of the car. She was still alive, but severely injured. Snook got out and saw that she was hanging onto the door for support. Her head bloodied and beaten. She reached for her purse again, and Snook beat her further.

Thira held onto the doorframe and tried to stay upright. Snook then closed the car door and crushed her fingers, dropping her to the ground. Finally, Snook took out his pocket knife and slid her throat. She bled out on the grass and died. Oh, Thira. People familiar with the case have often noted that Thera died exactly the same way most animals are slaughtered. They are first stunned by a hit on the head, and then their throats are cut so the blood can drain. A clear killing method any veterinarian like Snook would know.

As Snook drove home, he discovered Ther's purse was still in the car. He drove over a bridge and threw the purse out the window. Snook then purchased the evening paper, something he often did, and drove home. The next day he returned the keys to his and Thera's love nest, than went about his normal way of living. That night, the police arrived to question him about Thira's murder, and a few months later, he was convicted of the slaying. Looking back, it was clear to all involved that Snook was tired of his affair.

He may have decided that killing Thiro was his best option out. Then, when he brought her to the shooting range, he saw the perfect opportunity to get rid of her for good. It's also possible that Snook killed Thira in self-defense. Perhaps he truly felt threatened by Thera that night and accidentally killed her while trying to protect himself. Whatever the truth may be, we'll never know what actually lay in Snook's heart. Snook was sentenced to death and his execution was scheduled for February 28, 1930.

On February 25th, he retold his story once again, changing several important details. In his penultimate telling, he claimed that his wife had known about and approved of his affair, and he said that he had lied about Thera's unnatural sexual proclivities. He said his supposed genital scarring was actually a set of unusual birth marks that the doctor suggested could be explained in a way that might get him off the hook. On February 27th, Snook told his story again,

allegedly correcting even more details. He said that Theora's murder was, in fact, premeditated. He decided he needed to kill her the day she interrupted his golf game, and he began carrying his hammer and his knife with him, waiting for the perfect chance to end her life. He found that opportunity at the shooting range, where he killed her just like he would kill an animal. He then mutilated her body to make her death look like it had been committed

by an extremely sadistic killer, ideally to throw the police off his trail. He intended to hire a private investigator to search for the real killer once news of her death went public, but the police showed up at his door shortly after. He was shocked at how quickly they had found him. He believed he had expertly covered his tracks.

Though his lawyers appealed the decision, Snook's journey to the electric chair proceeded at lightning speed. Three of Snook's neighbors, all women, beg the governor for permission to personally pull the levers. They were not alone. In fact, nearly 500 people asked to either perform the execution or witness his death. Despite all the outrage, his wife Helen stayed by his side the whole time. Snook was executed at 7 p.m. on February 28, 1930, right on schedule. After his passing, his wife and daughter changed their last names and lived quiet lives in the Columbus area.

Snook's headstone dropped his last name to prevent vandalism or desecration. At the family's request, the location of his grave was kept a secret. Its true location was only publicly revealed in 2005. Snook was 46 when he died. Thira had been 24. Their affair lasted three years and started innocently enough, but it ended in terrible violence. While their sexual escapades gave them notoriety in their time,

today their infamy comes from the brutality of Thera's death. The story of Dr. Snook and Thera Hicks carries a legacy of misogyny and domestic violence that still lives on today. Thanks again for tuning into solved murders. We'll be back next Wednesday with a new episode. For more information on Thera Hicks' murder, amongst the many sources we used,

we found the book, The Professor and the Co-Ed, Scandal and Murder at Ohio State University by Mark Gribbon 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. Solve Murder's 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 Freddie Beckley. This episode of Solved Murders was written by Shilpy Roy with writing assistance by Giles Hofsef, fact-checking by Haley Milliken, and research by Mickey Taylor. The amazing cast of voice actors

includes Tom Bauer, Drew Lawn, Julian Smith, and Rebecca Thomas. Solved Murder stars Wendy McKenzie and Carter Roy. Hi, it's Vanessa from Parcast. If you enjoy our in-depth profiles on historical figures and famous fates, you'll love my new limited series,

Obituaries. Every Wednesday on Spotify, join me and my co-host Carter as we explore the unlikely bonds forged between two meaningful figures from the past and discover how those relationships impacted the future. Follow the Spotify original from Parcast Obituaries. Listen weekly, free and only on Spotify. Thank you.