Karen Johnson
Appearances
Dateline NBC
New evidence in Karen Read's retrial. Cold case arrest in Ohio. And a big ruling in Sean Combs case.
A lot of, you know, Ohio media organizations gave the fire a lot of coverage. So, you know, I do believe it... pushed people more, I think, to open up about what they knew about Paul Hicks. I think more people started talking. How has Hicks responded to these new charges? All we know at this point is Hicks did enter a plea of not guilty in court last week.
Dateline NBC
New evidence in Karen Read's retrial. Cold case arrest in Ohio. And a big ruling in Sean Combs case.
But so far, that's the only response that he has made is that not guilty plea.
Dateline NBC
New evidence in Karen Read's retrial. Cold case arrest in Ohio. And a big ruling in Sean Combs case.
They learned that there were some really bizarre purchases a short time before the fire started.
Dateline NBC
New evidence in Karen Read's retrial. Cold case arrest in Ohio. And a big ruling in Sean Combs case.
Yeah, it was in 2019 is when the name Paul Hicks first came on my radar. And it was after the Claremont County, Ohio Sheriff's Office had released a video to us. of this massive fire inside a house. But what caught my attention even more was what we saw before the fire. And we saw two people, a male and a female, walking into the house. This woman had long curly hair. They had gas cans.
Dateline NBC
New evidence in Karen Read's retrial. Cold case arrest in Ohio. And a big ruling in Sean Combs case.
They started clearing the house, the electronics, the TVs. So it appeared maybe it was a robbery. Then they doused it and lit the house on fire.
Dateline NBC
New evidence in Karen Read's retrial. Cold case arrest in Ohio. And a big ruling in Sean Combs case.
He said, that's my ex-girlfriend. Looks just like her. The hair. And at first, investigators believed it was probably her. They questioned her. But there was far more to this than that. Oh, so much more. The ex-girlfriend is saying, absolutely not. You know, we broke up. I have no idea what you're talking about. I was not in his house. I had nothing to do with this. Okay, so they believe her.
Dateline NBC
New evidence in Karen Read's retrial. Cold case arrest in Ohio. And a big ruling in Sean Combs case.
Yes. It took a lot of investigating, and it actually took a civil suit by all states. Their investigators did so much of the legwork on this and got subpoenas for cell phone records and talked to other associates of Paul Hicks, and they learned that there were some really bizarre purchases a short time before the fire started. What were these bizarre purchases?
Dateline NBC
New evidence in Karen Read's retrial. Cold case arrest in Ohio. And a big ruling in Sean Combs case.
One was a wig that looked identical to his ex-girlfriend's hair. They also noticed a purchase from a company called That's My Face. Oh, my goodness. OK, what is that's my face? Well, that is a company where you could send in photos of someone and you can have a mask made to look like that person. OK, this is crazy.
Dateline NBC
New evidence in Karen Read's retrial. Cold case arrest in Ohio. And a big ruling in Sean Combs case.
Yes. The video surveillance system, in months leading up to the arson, he had purchased a pretty elaborate surveillance system. And he had it, according to investigators, in a firebox. So the cameras would record, and even if the cameras got destroyed, the data would still be collected.
Dateline NBC
New evidence in Karen Read's retrial. Cold case arrest in Ohio. And a big ruling in Sean Combs case.
So that way he can show investigators, hey, I have video proof that two people walked in the house, and one appears to be my ex-girlfriend. So did they think that Paul Hicks himself was wearing the mask then of the ex-girlfriend and the wig or someone else? They do not believe it was Paul Hicks.
Dateline NBC
New evidence in Karen Read's retrial. Cold case arrest in Ohio. And a big ruling in Sean Combs case.
Investigators believe that he hired two people to go in, set the fire to his home, and that way he can frame his ex-girlfriend. The reason why investigators say he tried to frame her was so he can get custody of their child and also for the insurance money. How does it all end then with the fire? Something finally happens criminally? So 2015 is when the fire took place inside the house.
Dateline NBC
New evidence in Karen Read's retrial. Cold case arrest in Ohio. And a big ruling in Sean Combs case.
He was indicted in 2019. And finally in 2022, when we thought this case would be going to trial, we learned there's been a plea deal. And all of the felony charges, including the most serious aggravated arson, they were all dropped. And he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of insurance fraud.
Dateline NBC
New evidence in Karen Read's retrial. Cold case arrest in Ohio. And a big ruling in Sean Combs case.
So he got no time and he ended up leaving Claremont County and moving back to where he is from in northern Ohio.
Dateline NBC
New evidence in Karen Read's retrial. Cold case arrest in Ohio. And a big ruling in Sean Combs case.
Yes. He was indicted on three counts of murder and one count of kidnapping in connection to the 2001 murder of his estranged wife, Regina Hicks. He was never named a suspect in Regina's death up until he was indicted last week. But family had their suspicions. Friends had their suspicions.
Dateline NBC
New evidence in Karen Read's retrial. Cold case arrest in Ohio. And a big ruling in Sean Combs case.
I can't really speculate, but leading up to it, I have heard, you know, they had a rocky marriage towards the end. Right. They had kind of separated. She had a new boyfriend. So it wasn't the best relationship. Why was he charged now? Is it possible that this fire, you know, renewed interest? I do believe so. I think it put more eyes on Paul Hicks. I know we gave the fire a lot of coverage.