Member of Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Pleads Guilty to Murder and Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child

Jackson, Miss. –  A Philadelphia, Mississippi man pled guilty today to federal charges of second degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse of a child, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Michelle A. Sutphin of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi. 

According to court documents and statements in open court, on June 8, 2019, Brett K. Hickman, 27, physically and sexually abused a two-year-old child who lived at his home in the Tucker Community of the Choctaw Indian Reservation which resulted in the death of the child.  

In July 2019, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Hickman, charging him with one count of murder and one count of aggravated sexual abuse of a child. 

Hickman will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge David Bramlette III on November 2, 2021 in Natchez.  He faces a potential maximum sentence of life in prison on the murder charge and not less than 30 years on the aggravated sexual abuse charge, along with a $250,000 fine on each count.

Acting U.S. Attorney LaMarca commended the work of the Special Agents with the FBI’s Jackson Division and the Criminal Investigative Division of the Choctaw Police Department, who investigated the case.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Payne.