Man has charges dismissed then gets indicted in craigslist shooting

January 28, 2009

1–2 minutes

craigslist, craigslist killing, Matthew Hicks, shooting, Virginia, Willie Donaldson

Grand Jury Indicts Suspect in Craigslist Shooting:

Do you remember the bizarre case of Willie Donaldson from Virginia? He’s the ex-marine who was arrested for shooting and killing 32-year-old Matthew Hicks after responding to a craigslist erotic services ad placed by Hicks and his girlfriend.

Donaldson claims the shooting was in self-defense when Hicks allegedly tried to rob him and by the look of Donaldson’s mugshot, that story may be true.

A judge last Friday threw out the charge but a grand jury indicted him on second-degree murder charges on Monday. How does that work exactly?

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14 responses to “Man has charges dismissed then gets indicted in craigslist shooting”

Joe Blow

January 29, 2009 at 6:59 pm

The prosecutor can hold back the information to keep the defense off balance. They are not required to give the information to the defense until trial time. They can charge a person as many times as they want. Unless the person has gone to trial and been found not guilty at that point the prosecution can no longer pursue the same person for the same crime double jeopardy. Keep your eyes on this case ole wacking willie is guilty and he will be going to jail for a very long time. And justice will deliver some big jail house penetration to jackass jack-off silly willy 👿

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anon

January 30, 2009 at 11:33 am

Amen to that! Wille will get his

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MD

January 30, 2009 at 3:00 pm

I am so glad that his cat is going to be looking at bars for a LONG time. Murder is murder!!! You will see the truth come out now, this cat is full of lies and will do ANYTHING to cover his tail! It will be nice for the family to have justice! RIP Matt.

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Trench Reynolds

February 4, 2009 at 2:15 pm

Does anyone know what Mr. Hicks was advertising on craigslist?

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Isabella

March 5, 2009 at 1:55 pm

What about ‘innocent until proven guilty’? Tragically, Mr. Hick’s future is erased. The question which none of us on this blog can answer is ‘Was he the aggressor or the victim?’

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Babbit

March 28, 2009 at 12:09 am

Will is my friend and even after this incident I still think of him as a friend. If it were your family member or friend you would feel different.

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RIP Matt!

April 12, 2009 at 12:47 pm

There is A LOT of forensics that has NOT come out yet. The only reason Willie got out on bail in Jan before his preliminary trial was bc he finally gave a written explanation as to what happened that night!…Hmm he had a whole mth to come up w/ some lie that doesn’t match what REALLY happened! But watch and see when he goes on trail Aug 3, 2009. Truth will come out and he will be found guilty! I don’t want the death penalty …bc I want him to spend the rest of his life in prison thinking about how he has ruined so many lives! Matt’s family/friends and his own!

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Louise D

May 29, 2009 at 8:01 pm

As sad as this entire incident has been I knew Matt on an intimate level and he unfortunately had a history of violence when mixed with alcohol. I do believe that this man was defending himself. Nothing will bring Matt back and ruining another life because they made a very poor decision in answering the ad does not make sense.

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1. Tom Scott
  
  June 19, 2024 at 7:18 am
  
  Fully agree, I knew Matt as well and worked with him in surveillance training exercises, I would call him a ‘loose cannon’. He was previously ‘booted’ out of the Navy SEAL’s for theft accusations. Not sure what his discharge stated (General, or Dishonorable), but it certainly wasn’t an Honorable discharge.
  
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Just a thought

July 1, 2009 at 4:09 pm

HI Louise D.If you have any information concerning Matt’s violent temper you should contact Bob Lessemun, the lead investigator of the case, at 703-580-6611.

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A the questioner

July 13, 2009 at 6:23 pm

Willie had a history of inducing others to be victims… his is a consumptive habit that induced others to his house, filled them with alcohol and hoped to fulfill his sexual appetite. Perverse as it is, he set it up with “I shot an intruder” 911 call. In Va, you can get away with that. If you invite people in, get em drunk, pick a fight and then have time to run and get a pistol, then unload it from the second floor into a victims back.. Willie engaged in all kinds of behavior… none of it acceptable, all of which led to him being in a position of shooting instead of going out the front door. Which he had plenty of time to do… Call 911 before shooting… when you invite people over

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Bob Lessemun

July 16, 2009 at 11:11 am

The facts are that the prosecution folded and offered a plea. Will Donaldson was offered no jail to serve and 3 years probation. You dont get that offer if you are considered guilty of murder. Will took the offer based upon sound legal advice. I was the defense investigator on this case and I can assure people who think otherwise that there was a bona fide case of self defense which would have been presented had not the prosecution offered a deal that only a fool would refuse.

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123abc

July 16, 2009 at 6:21 pm

Bob—Get Real IF it were self defense why not wait for your day in court? Willie knew he was lying…I would NEVER plead GUILTY to something if I knew I was telling the TRUTH!!! Willie is a liar and scum IMO….

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Rob

July 16, 2009 at 6:49 pm

123abc – when it comes to going to trial, you’re rolling the dice and taking your chances with a jury. You never know what’s going to sway them one way or another. How many cases have you seen where someone who you see as being clearly guilty has gotten off? It can go the other way around, too.There’s no question that Willie shot this man. The circumstances are foggy and nobody knows for sure what happened who wasn’t there, so you honestly never know how a trial is going to turn out. Innocent men have been jailed in the past.If it was self defense, then I understand completely why he took the deal. He got no jail time and three years probation. That’s a steal compared to what he could have gotten going to trial, even as an innocent man.

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