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Man charged with murder in missing person case granted bond

Timothy Hickerson, 43, is charged with second-degree murder in the disappearance of Shane Donahue.

NOKESVILLE, Va. — A Prince William County judge granted bond for a murder suspect charged in a 14-year-old missing person case.

Judge James Willett didn’t cite his reasoning on Wednesday when he approved a $50,000 bond for 43-year-old Timothy Hickerson, who is charged with second-degree murder in the disapearance of Shane Donahue. Hickerson must wear a GPS monitoring device, stay in Virginia, live with his parents in Prince William County, cannot possess guns or illegal narcotics and must stay away from all witnesses in the trial.

The defense argued Hickerson was not a flight risk and questioned the Commonwealth’s evidence against him.

Hickerson was arrested in Florida, where he lived, after he ran a red light in September. Officers learned he had warrants out for his arrest on murder and burglary charges tied to the disappearance of 23-year-old Donahue, from Nokesville. 

While a body has never been found, prosecutors allege Hickerson killed someone he used as a drug dealer. Attorneys for the Commonwealth claim the two men exchanged more than 70 calls days prior to Donahue’s disappearance. Both were last seen leaving Donahue’s home in March 2010. 

In court Wednesday, the prosecution said Hickerson owned Donahue $500 and broke into his home to steal pills a few days prior to his disappearance. 

Based on when Donahue’s phones were last connected that day, prosecutors argued that based on the proximity to Hickerson’s family farm, a property search was warranted. Both searches in 2010, and another one conducted just a few weeks ago, yielded no evidence of a body nor a weapon.

However, prosecutors said new testimony from a witness interviewed years ago, eventually revealed that Hickerson was panicking over a gun he buried on his family’s farm as investigators conducted a search. He allegedly couldn’t remember he buried it because he was under the influence.

The Commonwealth also accused Hickerson’s family of obstructing the investigation, hence, a reason to keep him in jail.

Defense attorney Marc Eisenstein doubted why the same witness who mentioned new information about the gun is only coming forward about it now.

“I think what they’re looking for is not going to be found because it does not exist,” Eisenstein said.

To further his argument, Eisenstein told Judge Willet that despite his client spending four years in federal prison for a gun store burglary case, Hickerson got married and turned his life around.

Donahue’s family was in the courtroom Wednesday, including his father who later told WUSA9 that he’s disappointed that Hickerson could be released.

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