After 24 Years, Husband Convicted in Regina Rowe-Hicks’ Death — How a Podcast Reopened the Case

Regina Rowe-Hicks was 25 when she vanished in October 2001. Four days later her body was discovered in the passenger seat of her white Camaro submerged in a pond in Huron County, Ohio. Investigators determined she had suffered blunt-force trauma to the head, but despite early scrutiny, the case went cold for more than two decades.

Cold Case Reignited

For years, family members pushed for answers. Regina’s mother, Lacella Holbrook, mounted a persistent public campaign—placing billboards, running newspaper ads and offering rewards—before she became ill and later died. The investigation regained momentum in 2024 when local activist and podcaster Ashli Ford devoted several episodes of her show, Allegedly, to Regina’s death. Ford’s reporting drew the attention of the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation cold-case team, which reopened the file.

New Witness Account and Arrest

When detectives re-interviewed witnesses, Steve Gates—previously interviewed shortly after the death—changed his account. Gates alleged that on the night Regina came to his home to pick up her son, an argument ensued and Paul Hicks knocked Regina unconscious. Gates told investigators that Paul placed Regina in the passenger seat, drove the car into a pond and jumped out. Gates later received immunity and testified against Paul at trial.

"You can't accidentally get somebody, stuff them in the car and in the passenger seat, drive them down the road and then into a pond and then drown that person. That's not accidental, that's intention."

— Huron County Prosecutor James Sitterly

Trial, Conviction and Sentence

Paul Hicks was arrested in April 2025. At trial prosecutors argued his actions were intentional and said financial and custody concerns provided a motive. The defense countered that Gates was an unreliable witness and that his testimony was the central piece linking Paul to the crime. On December 19, 2025, a jury convicted Paul Hicks on three counts of murder and one count of kidnapping. He was sentenced the following month to 25 years to life and is currently appealing the conviction while serving his sentence in an Ohio county prison.

Impact on the Family and Public Attention

Regina’s relatives say the verdict brought long-awaited relief after decades of uncertainty. "We lost so much sleep over this, and it feels like we can finally breathe again," her cousin Angela Rowe told News 5 Cleveland. The case and the investigation’s long arc were featured in the 20/20 episode "The Secret in the Water," which renewed public focus on how community reporting and persistent cold-case work can produce results years later.

What Remains

Investigators noted that DNA evidence recovered in 2001 was insufficient at the time for a definitive comparison. Ultimately, the combination of renewed public attention, witness testimony and the cold-case team’s re-investigation produced the testimony and evidence that led to an arrest and conviction more than two decades after Regina’s death.