Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and assault. Reader discretion is advised.
An episode of In Pursuit With John Walsh, titled “Road Trip Killer,” will air on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at 10 p.m. ET. “Host John Walsh is hot on the trail of fugitive Larry Hicks, who stands accused of a heinous crime – the murder of a devoted mother of two in Plattsburgh, N.Y. With the stakes high and justice on the line, Walsh leaves no stone unturned in his relentless pursuit of justice,” a part of the episode summary reads.
WAMC Northeast Public Radio reported that Monique Yanulavich was found dead on July 14, 2022, in a car off Plaza Boulevard close to the La Quinta Inn in the Town of Plattsburgh. The death was reported to the State Police at about 5:45 in the evening while the car was parked in a parking lot. Authorities ruled the death as a homicide and assured citizens that it wasn’t cause for immediate concern. However, they confirmed that it was a targeted attack and not random, as per a News 10 report. The police named Larry Hicks Jr. as a suspect in the case and issued an arrest warrant against him.
After the stabbing death, Larry Hicks Jr. allegedly fled the scene and was indicted with second-degree murder and the criminal possession of a weapon, the Times Union reported. NBC 5 reported that Hicks was previously in a relationship with Yanulavich. According to the victim’s family, the relationship was abusive. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was multiple stab wounds and the manner of death was homicide, according to the New York State Police.
What was Larry Hicks previously convicted of?
The police previously charged Larry Hicks with the 2001 strangulation death of his sister-in-law Kimberly Michelle Jacobs Suggs. The woman was found dead in her apartment on March 8, 2001, by her husband, Christopher Suggs. He then reportedly pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. The court sentenced him to five years in prison, as per a report by the Press-Republican.
Authorities announced that Larry Hicks escaped New York on a 2015 Honda Goldwing Motorcycle. He was captured in some surveillance footage from South Carolina dated to the day after Yanulavich was found. Hicks was last seen on July 21, taking a bus at Corpus Christi, Texas. The bus was to go to Brownsville, Texas. State police are still on the lookout for Hicks and have seemed public assistance to get hold of him. They asked for the public’s help to find a white male 6’7 in height. He weighs 300 pounds and has blue eyes and grey hair.
WAMC reported that a vigil was held in August 2022 in memory of Monique Yanulavich. The vigil also aimed at raising awareness about domestic violence. The Plattsburgh City Police Department is also assisting the New York State Police alongside the Sheriff’s Office of several counties to get hold of Larry Hicks.
The episode of In Pursuit With John Walsh that explores the charges on Larry Hicks will air on ID on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at 10 p.m. ET. It will feature John Walsh in the fifth season of the show. John Walsh’s son, Callahan Walsh, will also feature in the episode. He will present a different homicide case concerning fugitive Steven Leifeste. Leifeste was charged with sexual assault and was then caught by authorities on January 26, 2024.