Armando Hicks was sentenced to Life in prison by a Jury of his peers for the felony offense of Possession of over 400 grams of cocaine with intent to deliver.
Hicks’ trial began Monday, August 22, 2011. The offense of Possession of over 400 grams of cocaine is a 1st degree felony with a punishment range of 15 years to life in prison.
In January 2010, a confidential informant tipped off the DEA that Armando Hicks looking to purchase several kilos of cocaine. The DEA set up a meeting on January 19, 2010, between the confidential informant, an undercover agent, Armando Hicks and his co-defendant Phillip Norwood. At the meeting, the undercover agent posed as a drug trafficker and the defendants discussed exchanging high-end cars for cocaine.
On January 21, 2010, the undercover DEA agent met with Hicks and Norwood in a parking lot off of Sawdust Road to exchange cash and cars for cocaine. The cocaine used in the sting was seized in 2005 by the MCSO and is kept by the MCSO to be used in these types of cases. Hicks and Norwood were arrested by DEA agents and MCSO officers after they took possession of the cocaine.
Hicks chose to represent himself and a lawyer was appointed to advise and assist him. Hick’s case originally was assigned to the 9th District Court; however, Judge Edwards transferred the case to the 359th after the defendant mailed paperwork to Judge Edwards that purported to be a contract between himself and the Judge. This purported contract stated that Judge Edwards was liable to the defendant for a substantial sum of money for the Judge’s unauthorized use of the defendant’s copyrighted name. The defendant sent similar paperwork to the original prosecutor assigned to the case.
Once his case was transferred to the 359th District Court, the defendant began sending similar paperwork to Judge Kathleen Hamilton and even tried to file a lien on her home for the $1.5 million he claimed that she owed him for using his name. Judge Hamilton recused herself and former Liberty County Judge C.T. Hight was brought in as a visiting judge to handle the case.
At trial, DEA Special Agents Scott Higgins and Kurt Nelson testified to the investigation and to the agreement made with the defendant. The jury heard audio recordings of the defendant negotiating the deal and saw all of the cocaine used in the sting.
The defendant claimed the defense of entrapment and testified that the only reason he got caught up in trying to purchase the cocaine was because the confidential informant promised him $500,000 if he would help get a huge shipment of cocaine across the border. On cross examination by prosecutor Andrew James, the defendant was unable to explain away the fact that he, not the informant, negotiated the deal with the undercover officer and that he was an eager and willing participant in this deal to exchange cars for drugs.
During the punishment phase of the trial, prosecutor Mary Nan Huffman presented evidence that the defendant had been to prison for Aggravated Robbery and Possession of Cocaine. The jury also heard evidence about the defendant’s harassment of Judge Hamilton and the prior prosecutor handling the case.
During closing arguments, ADA James told the jury that this defendant had not learned from any of the chances that the justice system had already given him and that the defendant blamed everyone except himself for all of the crimes he has committed. ADA Huffman asked the jury to sentence him to life in prison because the defendant was an unrepentant drug dealer and would create more crime and ruin more lives if given the opportunity.
After deliberating for only 30 minutes, the jury returned with a punishment verdict of life in prison.
Phillip Norwood’s case is currently pending in the 9th District Court.
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