The man suspected of launching an Up North killing spree had a history of violence before being found dead himself on Aug. 14.
Court records show Chad Hickman, 39, of Lake City had a criminal conviction for child abuse and a stormy divorce with accusations of domestic abuse. Michigan State Police said they found Hickman dead in a wooded area of Missaukee County’s Caldwell Township about 25 miles west of Houghton Lake.
Police began searching for him Friday after responding to a reported shooting at a home on South Lachance Road. They found three people dead and a fourth in critical condition at that home. Another apparent victim was found dead at a nearby home. A fifth person was found dead near where Hickman’s body was located, State Police said.
Investigators have not yet released the names and ages of the people who were killed.
Court records show that in January 2024, Hickman was arraigned on four felony and five misdemeanor charges in Missaukee County. Prosecutors accused him of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder by strangulation. They also charged him with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of interfering with electronic communications.
The misdemeanor charges at the time were one count of domestic violence, three counts of fourth-degree child abuse and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
In August 2024, Hickman pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree child abuse and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. All other charges were dismissed, according to online court records.
A judge sentenced Hickman to a year in the county jail.
Hickman’s 2023 divorce from his wife, Katie Hickman, was so bitter that he posted parts of the court file on his Facebook page, thanking the judge for being “way to f—ing smart to believe my ex wife’s bull—- story.”
The records show the couple married in 2011. Katie Hickman was injured in an accident and received a lawsuit settlement. The pair used that money to start a business buying and renovating homes to rent or sell.
The marriage eventually soured and they separated and tried reconciling.
Hickman testified in the case that he attempted to separate from his wife in December 2023 after she set up online dating profiles, according to the court filings posted online on his Facebook page. He also accused his wife of “sex bombing” him as a way of reconciling with him.
“It is uncontested that this marriage involved allegations and incidents of domestic violence which lie at the heart of the issues before the court,” Judge Melissa Ransom wrote in an opinion in the case also posted on Facebook. “Testimony and evidence presented by both parties confirm that the relationship was marked by significant disfunction and mutual toxicity.”
Contact John Wisely: jwisely@freepress.com. On X: @jwisely
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Up North mass shooting suspect Chad Hickman had violent history
Reporting by John Wisely, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By John Wisely, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
