Robert Keith Gilmore, aged 51, tragically passed away on January 26, 2021, in Panama City Beach, Florida. Gilmore, originally from Lindale, Georgia, was in Panama City Beach working on renovating a home on Delmar Drive with his relative, Robert Shawn Fowler. On the night of January 26, a passerby noticed Gilmore lying unresponsive on the porch of the house and called for emergency assistance.
Upon arrival, deputies found Gilmore deceased with a rip on the back pocket of his pants, and Fowler was found dead inside the home. Both men had suffered fatal gunshot wounds.
The investigation into their deaths revealed that the two men had encountered Ruez Hicks, a 19-year-old transient, who had broken into the home with the intent to burglarize it. Hicks was armed with a pistol and, when confronted by Gilmore and Fowler, he shot and killed them both. Hicks then stole Gilmore's wallet, which was later found to have been used at a local business shortly after the murders. This led investigators to identify Hicks as the suspect.
Hicks was arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree murder, armed robbery, and armed burglary. During his trial, Hicks admitted to entering the home looking for items to steal and shooting the victims when they unexpectedly returned. The jury found Hicks guilty on all charges, and he faced up to a life sentence for each of the murder charges. Additionally, Quantavious Dion Burns, an 18-year-old friend of Hicks, was charged with accessory after the fact to premeditated murder for holding onto the firearm used in the killings and lying to investigators during the investigation.
The case was a significant one for the local community, highlighting the senseless nature of the violence and the swift justice brought by law enforcement and the judicial system. The families of the victims were left to mourn their loss, but the conviction of Hicks and Burns provided some measure of closure.
