This story contains material about domestic abuse. If you or someone you love is experiencing domestic violence or an abusive relationship, call the National Domestic Abuse Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233) or visit www.thehotline.org. Callers can remain anonymous.
The ex-wife of the man accused of killing five people in a rural northern Michigan shooting rampage blames the local court system for failing to keep him behind bars.
Chad Hickman, 39, was found dead on Aug. 14 following an extensive manhunt in Missaukee County, roughly 200 miles northwest of Detroit, according to Michigan State Police. Authorities said the violence began at a home, where officers responding to reports of a shooting found a 45-year-old man, a 40-year-old woman,
and a 16-year-old boy dead, and a 13-year-old girl critically wounded.
During the investigation, police discovered a 53-year-old man fatally shot at a second residence and later found a 29-year-old woman dead near a wooded area alongside Hickman. Evidence at the scene indicated Hickman died by suicide, according to state police.
Chad Hickman's history of alleged violence and the court system's handling of the cases have come under scrutiny following the deadly shooting spree.
"Missaukee County should be held accountable for what's going on," his ex-wife Katie Hickman told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, in a brief phone interview on Aug. 17.
"Every last bit of it. Every death falls on the Missaukee County prosecutor who released Chad and let him off all the charges after he raped, tormented, and almost [expletive] killed me and 15 years of abuse," she continued. "Missaukee County let him do this. They were warned and they knew it was coming and they let it happen."
Ex-wife of suspected gunman previously sought protection
In late July 2025, Chad Hickman's ex-wife sought a personal protection order against him, alleging years of abuse.
"I fear for my life and my children," Katie Hickman wrote in a letter to the court seeking the order. "Chad is an evil man. He tortured me for 15 years and he hurt my children. Chad will stop at nothing, he will never leave me alone. Now that he is released, he is back in possession of many guns, pistols, rifles including fully automatic weapons. He is a danger to me and my children."
Family Court Judge Edward Van Alst denied the request for the protection order and advised Katie Hickman that she could seek a hearing to plead her case. Court records do not show any hearing ever being held.
"Petitioner fails to clearly establish reasonable cause to believe immediate, irreparable injury, loss or danger will result from the delay to give notice," Van Alst wrote in his decision.
The denial came after Chad Hickman had been released from the county jail, where he had served time after cutting a plea deal with prosecutors the year before.
Van Alst declined through his office on Aug. 17 to comment on the decision to deny the protection order.
Why prosecutors agreed to a plea deal
In that 2024 case, Chad Hickman was charged with felony counts of criminal sexual conduct and assault with intent to do great bodily harm, along with misdemeanor counts of child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
He agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts, according to court records. Prosecutors agreed to drop the felonies.
In a statement explaining the plea deal, Missaukee County Prosecutor David DenHouten said his office had charged Chad Hickman with the felonies even though the crimes were alleged to have happened years before they were reported to police. A police report shows the accusations were reported in December 2023 and stretched back to 2011.
DenHouten also noted that the allegations were made in the middle of a divorce case. Court records show the divorce was especially bitter. DenHouten said the prosecutor's office became aware of prior family court testimony in which Katie Hickman, under oath, denied an assault had taken place.
"In light of the fact that the alleged victim’s credibility had been severely damaged, and because the truthfulness of her proposed testimony was in question, and without other corroborating evidence to support the assault, the Missaukee County Prosecutor’s office entered into a plea agreement involving the remaining child abuse counts," he wrote.
The Detroit Free Press was not immediately able to access transcripts of Katie Hickman's testimony that DenHouten referenced.
Court records: Children described abuse to investigators
Court records related to the criminal case show two children who lived with the couple told investigators that they witnessed abuse. One of the two daughters was the couple's biological child and the other was Katie Hickman's from a previous relationship.
One girl, who was 15 at the time, described seeing Chad Hickman choke her mom with his arm and hands, including once in the kitchen when he pinned her against a "cabinet or refrigerator" with his arm against her throat, according to a summary of the police interview from 2023. The girl said she went to call police for help and Chad Hickman smashed her phone.
When investigators asked how the choking incidents would end, the girl said there came a point when her mother could no longer breathe. She told police she had seen her mother's face "turning purple" and that she was gasping for air, court records show.
The girl also told investigators that after her mother was injured in a car crash and relied on crutches following foot surgery, Chad Hickman would sometimes throw the crutches outside the house to prevent her from walking, according to court records.
Contributing: Darcie Moran and Christine MacDonald, Detroit Free Press; Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ex-wife of Michigan shooting suspect warned of ‘danger’ before rampage
