NORFOLK, Va. — A 30-year-old man pleaded guilty on Monday to shooting his "friend" through the head and killing him in the parking lot of a strip mall in Norfolk in 2022, the Norfolk Commonwealth Attorney's Office announced.
Marco Hicks could face up to 35 years in prison for a first-degree murder charge stemming from a deadly shooting on Sept. 4, 2022.
On the fatal night, authorities say Hicks and several friends, including Michael Rivera-Rubert, went to a nightclub in Norfolk. At around 2 a.m., the group returned to their vehicle that was parked at a nearby strip and prosecutors say that's when things took a turn.
Surveillance video showed the friends talking with one another when Hicks, all of a sudden, went to his pickup truck, grabbed a pistol and walked up to Rivera-Rubert, shooting him. Rivera-Rubert was shot once through the head, killing him almost instantly.
Hicks and the others fled the scene in two separate vehicles. Law enforcement said investigators determined Hicks was the shooter using surveillance video from the strip mall and other businesses he visited that night.
When Hicks was initially arrested, prosecutors say he denied he was the one who shot Rivera-Rubert and blamed it on another individual.
“Marco Hicks walked up and executed his friend for no apparent reason and then blamed his crime on someone else,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “Thanks to video camera footage from multiple businesses, the assistance of a Good Samaritan, and high-quality investigation by the Norfolk Police, our case was strong enough that Mr. Hicks chose to plead guilty to first-degree murder rather than face trial. I extend my condolences to Mr. Rivera-Rubert’s family and my appreciation to the citizens and officers who did the hard work to help us hold Mr. Hicks accountable.”
As part of his plea, Hick's charge of using a firearm in the commission of murder was dismissed. He is set to be sentenced on March 15, 2024.
