ACWORTH, N.H. — New Hampshire authorities say a renewed cold case investigation has determined who was responsible for the 2007 murder of Carrie Hicks, officially closing the case nearly two decades later.
Attorney General John M. Formella and New Hampshire State Police Col. Mark B. Hall announced Thursday that the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit has identified Wayne Ring as the person who shot and killed Hicks at a home in Acworth.
Formella and Hall say the case is now classified as solved. Ring died in 2012 at the age of 57.
“We hope that the conclusion of this investigation brings a measure of clarity and peace to the loved ones of Carrie Hicks,” Formella said in a statement. “This resolution underscores the commitment of the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit.”
Hicks, 25, was found dead on the morning of Feb. 24, 2007, inside a rural home at 146 Beryl Mountain Road. State police had been dispatched following a 911 call from a friend of Ring’s who discovered the scene.
Troopers found Hicks on a living room sofa, dead from two gunshot wounds to the head. Ring, then 51, was found alive on a separate sofa, suffering from a single gunshot wound to the head.
Investigators determined that Hicks and Ring had openly discussed suicide and had formed what witnesses described as a “pact.” Testimony indicated Hicks instructed Ring to shoot her twice so she would not survive.
A 2026 review of the autopsy report, combined with bloodstain pattern analysis and forensic reconstruction, revealed that the first gunshot wound suffered by Hicks was a contact wound that would have caused immediate incapacitation, officials said. Investigators concluded it would have been medically and physically impossible for Hicks to fire a second shot.
Authorities determined that Hicks could not have inflicted either injury herself and that Ring shot her before turning the gun on himself in an attempted suicide.
Based on the findings, the Attorney General’s Office concluded there would have been sufficient evidence to prosecute Ring for first‑degree murder, determining his actions were deliberate and premeditated.
Because Ring is deceased, criminal charges cannot be filed. However, officials said the investigation is officially closed.
The Hicks family expressed appreciation for the renewed investigation, saying in a statement, “We deeply appreciate the State of New Hampshire reopening Carrie’s case and resolving it. Carrie is greatly missed.”
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