Man convicted in Seminole County cold case murder facing charges in Hawaii cold case killing

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — The man who was convicted last month of the cold case killing of a U.S. Navy recruit in Seminole County more than 30 years ago is now facing charges in another cold case in Hawaii.

Honolulu police said Monday that a grand jury has indicted Thomas Garner on charges of second-degree murder of Kathy Hicks.

READ: DNA from suspect in Seminole County cold case murder possibly linked to another cold case in Hawaii

Police said Hicks’ body was found along a Nuuanu road in 1982.

Officials said bail in that case is set at $2 million and that Garner is pending extradition from Florida.

READ: Man found guilty of 1984 killing of Navy recruit in Seminole County

In May of this year, after deliberating for less than two hours, a jury found Garner guilty of killing Navy recruit Pamela Cahanes in Seminole County more than 30 years ago.

After he was convicted for first-degree premeditated murder, the judge sentenced him to life in prison.

READ: Man accused of killing Navy recruit takes stand in cold case

Garner, of Jacksonville, was arrested in 2019 for the 1984 cold case murder of Cahanes, who was found murdered and sexually assaulted in the yard of an abandoned home in Sanford.

Prosecutors said Garner’s DNA was found under Cahanes’ fingernails and in the victim’s underwear.

READ: Jacksonville man charged 34 years after Orlando Navy recruit’s murder given bond

In April, detectives at the Honolulu Police Department got a preliminary match in the Kicks case from DNA that was entered into the Combined DNA Index System taken from Garner.

According to a search warrant filed to obtain Garner’s DNA, Hicks told friends she was at a bar near what was called Hickam Air Force Base at the time. Garner was stationed in Hawaii from 1980 until Oct. 29, 1982.

Stay tuned to Channel 9 Eyewitness News for updates.

Video: Man found guilty of 1984 killing of Navy recruit in Seminole County After deliberating for less than two hours Thursday afternoon, a jury found Thomas Garner guilty of killing Navy recruit Pamela Cahanes in Seminole County. (Jeff Levkulich, WFTV.com)