On January 18, 27-year-old woman Casey “KC” Johnson was found dead in Georgia.
Five days after being reported missing, Johnson’s remains washed up on the banks of the Savannah River in Georgian. The search then turned into a homicide investigation.
The police quickly released an arrest warrant for William Hicks, age 26. Hicks was found the next day in Myrtle Beach. Since his arrest, he has been charged with first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and kidnapping.
According to Johnson’s partner, Bulla Brodzinski, Johnson had been going out to meet a friend and would be back in an hour. Brodzinski alerted the police when Johnson did not come home. Police released a missing persons report the next day.
“She was the love of my life– I would do anything for her,” Brodzinski said in an interview with the Port City Daily. The two had begun dating in August.
LGBTQ community members gathered on the steps of Wilmington City Hall last Friday evening for a candlelit vigil honoring Johnson. Community members passed out flowers, candles, and Pride flags. Johnsons friends shared words about her courage to live authentically and her kind spirit.
“So many of you are chosen family that saw Casey for everything she was,” says pastor Kelly Finch, who spoke at her vigil. “She did not deserve this. This was hate coming in a vicious form. She deserved so much more.”
Johnson is the second known transgender woman to be murdered in 2023. Many community leaders are refusing to ignore the rise in hate crimes against LGBTQ individuals over the last few years.
“Anti-trans violence is a huge issue in America and in our community—and the LGBTQ Center takes that very seriously,” Caroline Morin says in a statement to the Port City Daily. She’s the executive director for the LGBTQ Center of the Cape Fear Coast.
The police department have yet to reveal how Johnson died or what the motive was.
The warrant released by WPD indicated that Hicks threatened Johnson with a hammer, took her purse, debit cards, ID, and kidnapped her. Since his arrest, Hicks waived his rights to an extradition trial, and he will appear in a New Hanover County courtroom on February 9. He is currently being held without bond.
