Harley Hicks was only nineteen years old when he made a choice that would shock an entire nation. In the early hours of June 15, 2012, Hicks was riding a high on methamphetamine. He decided to go on a wild burglary spree through the quiet neighborhood of Long Gully. Armed with a heavy, homemade baton, he slipped into homes to steal whatever he could find.
His chaotic path eventually led him to a house on Jackson Street. Inside, a mother and her young children were fast asleep. Hicks crept through the rooms, grabbing a wallet with two thousand dollars and a pair of sunglasses. But he did not stop there. He walked toward the nursery where ten-month-old Zayden Veal-Whitting was resting.
Before entering the room, Hicks unplugged the baby monitor. He then walked over to the crib and unleashed a brutal attack on the sleeping baby. He struck the infant over twenty-five times with his homemade weapon. The weapon was a heavy bundle of copper wire wrapped in black electrical tape.
After the horrific crime, Hicks fled the scene. Police launched an intense manhunt and eventually found him days later. He was hiding on the floorboards of the backseat of his father’s car in a nearby town. He lied to detectives, trying to blame another man for the break-in, but the forensic evidence was already piling up.
Detectives searched Hicks’ home and found the stolen sunglasses and the homemade baton. A forensic test of the baton revealed a chilling match. The exposed copper wires lined up perfectly with the marks left on the baby’s body. Furthermore, the baby’s DNA was smeared across the weapon.
The trial took a bizarre turn because of Hicks’ family. Harley had an identical twin brother named Ashley who shared his exact DNA and criminal habits. During the trial, Hicks’ defense lawyer tried to argue that Ashley could have been the real killer. But when a forensic officer admitted the DNA could belong to either twin, Harley turned to the lead detective and winked.
On June 13, 2014, the Supreme Court of Victoria sitting in Bendigo ended the legal battle. Justice Stephen Kaye sentenced the twenty-one-year-old Hicks to life in prison. He must serve at least thirty-two years before he can even ask for parole. The judge called the murder an act of unmitigated evil, noting that Hicks showed zero remorse for his sickening crime.
“””
Leave a Reply