Man convicted in Merced County marijuana-related homicide

A Crows Landing man was convicted of murder Thursday for killing a man by shooting him and striking him in the head with a hatchet while trying to steal marijuana.

Frankie L. Hicks, 23, was found guilty in the 2014 slaying of 37-year-old Casey Desalles. The verdict was handed down Thursday afternoon following a five-day jury trial before Judge Mark V. Bacciarini in Merced Superior Court, the Merced County District Attorney’s Office confirmed.

Desalles was found dead Feb. 24, 2014, at his home in the 19000 block of Sixth Avenue in Stevinson.

“The victim’s family, particularly his mother, is very happy with the outcome and are hoping to now move past this terrible incident and move on with their lives,” said Thomas Min, the deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case.

Hicks’ attorney, William Davis, declined to comment.

The co-defendant in the case, Emilio S. Virgen, 20, pleaded no contest in September to burglary and multiple counts of conspiracy and possession of stolen property. He received a sentence of nearly 14 years in state prison, prosecutors said.

Virgen also testified in the case against Hicks.

Prosecutors believe Hicks went into Desalles’ home to find keys to a trailer containing marijuana plants. Once inside, Hicks apparently threw a small radio against a glass door, alerting Desalles to his presence. Hicks then shot Desalles several times before striking him in the head with the hatchet.

“But we don’t know why this happened,” Min told the Merced Sun-Star.

Investigators believe Virgen was outside the house when Desalles was killed.

Min said Hicks confessed to the crime in a videotaped interview with investigators, which Min described as the key piece of evidence in the case.

Min praised the work of the Merced County sheriff’s detectives, including lead investigator Detective Mike Ruiz.

Detective Sgt. Chuck Hale said investigators were pleased with the outcome, which he said was the result of “great collaboration and cooperation between the District Attorney’s Office and the detectives.”

Hicks remains in custody without bail at the Merced County jail. He returns to court Jan. 8 for sentencing. He faces a maximum prison term of life without the possibility of parole.

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Man convicted in Merced County marijuana-related homicide."