Convicted murderer charged in another murder

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Dorothy Hudson is still heartbroken over the loss of her grandson 23-year-old Joshua Duncan.

 Ducan went missing in September 2011 and one month later, his decapitated and dismembered body was found in a wooded area off Myland Avenue.

“The body was carried off and dumped in another site. The body was discovered by some public works people cleaning out the lot out there and came across skeletal remains of the individual,” said Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran.

Now, more than a year later, investigators have a suspect.  

On Thursday, December 13, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office charged Dennis Hicks with capital murder Duncan.

“Duncan was known to have been befriended by Hicks, and Duncan had been to his residence on some occasions. Aand it was thought maybe Hicks was trying to take advantage of this man that had a mental impairment,” according to Cochran.

On his way to jail Thursday morning, Hicks said he was innocent.

Hicks is no stranger to the law. In 1979 he was arrested and charged in a Mississippi double murder. He was found guilty and sentenced to two life sentences. He was released on parole after serving 25 years in prison.

On September 9, 2011, Hicks was arrested on a theft charge and made bond shortly after.

According to the sheriff’s office, Hicks was arrested again on November 30, 2011, for violating parole.

Duncan's grandmother said she has been waiting for the capital murder charge since her grandson disappeared.

"I'm so glad they found out; and they finally charged him, because in my heart, I knew. I knew he had to have done something to my child,” said Hudson.  "It’s been too long, but I'm glad.”