CAMDENTON, Mo. (AP) — A Louisiana man has been charged with second-degree murder in the 1984 killing of a woman in Missouri,
Larry G. Hicks, 78, of Franklin, Louisiana, was charged on Friday in the Dec. 15, 1984, beating death of Diana Lukosius, of Camdenton. Prosecutors said Lukosius was driving home from a party when her car was forced off a road. She was found near her vehicle and died two days later from her injuries.
Hicks, who lived near Lukosius, was named a person of interest in the case in 1989 and was interviewed in Louisiana in 1990, according to a probable cause statement, which does not mention any other contacts with him until last week.
Investigators from Camden County drove to Hicks' home in Louisiana last week. Sheriff's deputies from Louisiana searched his home and had a search warrant for Hicks' DNA, the statement said.
Camden County Prosecutor Caleb Cunningham said in a news conference late Friday that Hicks made admissions that implicate him in the killing, which he called “the most infamous” crime in the county.
Detectives said when they interviewed him, Hicks said he “couldn't say I didn't do it,” according to court documents.
Camden County is working with Louisiana authorities to extradite Hicks to Missouri. Camdenton is located approximately 150 miles southeast of Kansas City.