Man wanted for murder in Virginia cold case arrested in Florida after running red light

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A traffic violation led to the arrest of the suspected murderer in a 14-year-old cold case after it was reactivated in Virginia, according to Florida deputies.

Timothy Hickerson, 43, was arrested Tuesday after he ran a red light on Old Kings Road in Palm Coast. Once deputies pulled him over, they said Hickerson was wanted in Virginia for the 2010 murder of 23-year-old Shane Donahue, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said .

Donahue was last seen on March 24, 2010, leaving his parents’ home in Nokesville, which is about an hour southwest of Washington D.C. While Donahue has since been presumed dead by authorities, his remains were never located and the case went cold.

However, investigators in Virginia said they recently received new information and reactivated the investigation into Donahue’s disappearance.

According to detectives, Hickerson was seen leaving Donahue’s family home before his disappearance and then returned to the victim’s home nearby. It was also revealed that Hickerson was connected to a burglary at Donahue’s home just days before he vanished.

All of the discoveries allowed detectives to obtain a warrant for Hickerson’s arrest.

“This shows there is no such thing as a simple traffic stop. This one ended with a fugitive meeting justice who was wanted for a murder that occurred more than 14 years ago,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said. “If you’re a fugitive, we will catch you regardless of where you ran from and take you to jail.”

Hickerson has been living in the Palm Coast since 2022, the sheriff’s office said. He will remain in custody in Florida until he is extradited to Virginia.

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