BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Some tense moments arose during cross examination from Chris Hicks' attorney Dan Ward as day two of his attempted murder trial played out.
Perhaps the most memorable testimony of the day was delivered by Brandy Hicks. She was formerly married to Chris Hicks, and faces the same charges as her ex-husband -- although she was offered reduced charges in exchange for her testimony.
Brandy Hicks testified at the January trial of former Stoddard County pastor Donald Lafferty -- with whom she admitted having a sexual relationship in exchange for money. Lafferty was convicted on all the charges he faced, including attempted murder and armed criminal action involving his then wife.
Hicks is accused of setting the fire that was intended to kill Lafferty's wife.
Stoddard County Prosecutor Russ Oliver questioned Brandy Hicks during direct examination concerning multiple statements she had previously made to investigators. He questioned her about the nature of her relationship with Lafferty, as well as her relationship with Chris Hicks.
"We lost our kids because we had problems with writing bad checks, and we couldn't pay them off," Brandy informed Oliver during direct examination. "We had a lot of financial problems."
"But there are social programs in place to help people provide for their children," Oliver replied. "Did you also have problems with drugs?"
Brandy Hicks admitted she had struggled with prescription drug abuse. She said her drug of choice was hydrocodone.
She went on to testify that neither she nor Chris Hicks could manage to keep a job for very long, and they continually struggled during the majority of their relationship, which started in 2003.
She also testified that she and Chris Hicks started attending the Beech Grove Church, where Lafferty was pastor, in 2011 -- primarily because Chris Hicks' grandparents attended there. It was there that she met Lafferty, and eventually approached him, she stated, with a request to help her with "financial counseling to get our bills under control."
"He said he would help," Brandy Hicks testified. "He gave us some money to help with bills."
Brandy explained that as the relationship continued, Lafferty informed her that if he were to continue helping her, he would need more in exchange. She testified that meant he wanted sexual favors.
She claimed that Chris Hicks "must have known" something was going on, as Lafferty purchased her clothing and other items, as well as two different vehicles.
"He should have known, because he knew where I worked and how much I made," she claimed. "The numbers didn't add up."
During cross examination, though, Ward was relentless as he attacked her character.
"You testified at the Donald Lafferty trial several months ago. Do you remember that?" Ward asked. She said she did. "Did you tell the truth then? You've told several different stories. Which story should we believe?"
Brandy Hicks explained that she had told the truth at the Lafferty trial, as well as at the current trial.
"Do you remember the preliminary hearing you testified at in 2014?" Ward asked. "I asked you if it was hard to keep up with so many lies. What did you say?"
"Yes," she answered.
Ward then did a brief review of Brandy Hicks' checkered past. He asked if she had been kicked out of her mother-in-law's home.
"Yes," she answered.
"Was it because you stole from her? Did you steal her camera and a necklace?"
"Yes, I did," she answered. "I sold them at the pawn shop."
She admitted to using that money to purchase drugs.
Ward asked her about the situation with the bad checks she and Chris had written. He asked her if Chris Hicks had been arrested for failure to appear on the charge and then paid off the bad checks the following day. She said he had.
"So what you said earlier was false," Ward noted. "You lost your kids because of your drug problem."
Ward asked about her work history, and Brandy Hicks admitted to being fired from Kentucky Fried Chicken in Dexter because she stole $50 from a co-worker. She also admitted to having an affair with a co-worker when she was employed at Faurecia -- although she said she wasn't sure of the official reason she was fired.
"I just pretty much stopped showing up for work," she explained.
Ward asked her if she recalled how many of her previous statements concerning Lafferty and Chris Hicks were false.
"Most of them were," she admitted.
Ward then started to enumerate the number of false statements she had made since her first interview with investigators.
"During an interview with investigator Tim McCoy, you said that maybe Chris started the fire," Ward said. "Did you come up with that idea, or did Mr. McCoy suggest it to you?"
Brandy Hicks said she couldn't remember.
Ward then played an audio recording from that interview during which Brandy Hicks could be heard saying she didn't know what happened to Lafferty's residence. McCoy then asked Brandy, "Could Chris have set the fire?"
Ward pointed out that it was from that point on that Brandy started to blame things on Chris Hicks.
"At first you said you knew nothing. That was a lie. You said you didn't have a relationship with Don Lafferty. That was a lie. You said you had no knowledge about the fire. That was a lie. You said that Chris did it all. That was a lie. You said Chris told you to drop him off and he would find a way home. That was a lie," Ward said, as he continued to run down a list of inconsistencies with her statements. "Why should we believe anything that you have to say?"
"Because I'm telling the truth," she answered.
"You testified earlier today that you had discussed the fire with Chris ahead of time, correct?" Ward asked.
"Yes," she answered.
"Do you remember testifying at the Lafferty trial? You said you hadn't discussed the fire with Chris at all."
Brandy Hicks said she didn't believe that was an accurate statement, at which point Ward read from a transcript of the Lafferty trial where Brandy told Lafferty's attorney Daniel Moore that she hadn't discussed the matter with Chris at all.
"So we've now proven that you lied during your testimony at the Lafferty trial, haven't we?" Ward asked. "And you expect us to believe you now? After you've told lie, after lie, after lie? We're expected to send this man to prison for the rest of his life because of what you say?"
"Yes," she answered.
Ward pointed out to Brandy Hicks that every time she changed her statement to investigators, it was to her benefit.
"At one point during an interview you had with Tim McCoy in May, 2014, you said, 'If I admit to this, then Chris goes free. And what happens to me? I go to jail.' On May 10, 2014, you asked during an interview, 'How does this help me?'"
Brandy Hicks said she didn't know why the court should believe her.
Oliver had no questions for re-direct after Ward's cross examination.
Earlier in the day during direct examination, Jason Dunn, investigator for the Fire Marshall's office, said that Chris Hicks had indicated some knowledge about the fire that investigators hadn't known at the time. That knowledge, according to Oliver and Dunn, was that the fire had started behind the couch in the Lafferty residence.
However, during cross examination, Dunn testified that Mildred Lafferty (Sandage) had informed him that there had been flames behind the couch.
"So, is it an accurate statement for the court to say that Chris Hicks had some knowledge that you didn't have?" Ward asked.
"Yes," Dunn answered.
"But you just told us that Mildred Lafferty told you on the night of the fire that there were flames behind the couch," Ward rebutted.
Dunn said he believed that Oliver meant it was new information for Chris Hicks to say something about the fire starting behind the couch.
"But that 's not new information," Ward protested. "You just admitted that Mildred told you the flames were behind the couch."
Oliver also called other witnesses like Linda Edwards and David Morris -- congregants and officeholders at Beech Grove Church -- to testify concerning rumors about Lafferty's relationship with Brandy Hicks.
The trial of Chris Hicks was to continue Thursday morning.