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ACWORTH, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) State investigators have officially closed a nearly two-decade-old homicide case after concluding that Wayne Ring was responsible for the 2007 killing of Carrie Hicks at a home in Acworth, according to an announcement from the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office and New Hampshire State Police.
Attorney General John M. Formella and New Hampshire State Police Colonel Mark B. Hall said the state’s Cold Case Unit reopened and re-examined evidence connected to Hicks’ death, ultimately determining there would have been enough evidence to charge Ring with first-degree murder had he still been alive.
Officials said Ring died in 2012 at the age of 57.
According to a news release, troopers responded to a residence on Beryl Mountain Road in Acworth on Feb. 24, 2007, after a friend of Ring’s called 911 upon discovering the scene inside the home.
Investigators found 25-year-old Carrie Hicks dead on a sofa in the living room with two gunshot wounds to the head, the release said. Ring, then 51, was found nearby suffering from a gunshot wound to the head but survived.
Authorities said the original investigation revealed Hicks and Ring had spoken openly about suicide and had allegedly formed a suicide pact. Witnesses told investigators Hicks had instructed Ring to shoot her twice to ensure she would not survive, according to the release.
The case was revisited in 2026 by the state’s Cold Case Unit, including a renewed review of forensic evidence, witness statements and autopsy findings. Officials said Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jennie Duval determined the first gunshot wound Hicks sustained was a contact wound that would have immediately incapacitated her, making it impossible for her to fire a second shot.
Investigators also conducted bloodstain pattern analysis and reconstructed the shooting sequence, according to the release. Authorities concluded the evidence showed Hicks could not have inflicted the wounds herself and that Ring shot and killed her before turning the gun on himself in an attempted suicide.
Formella said in a statement that investigators hoped the findings would provide “clarity and peace” for Hicks’ loved ones and highlighted the Cold Case Unit’s continued efforts to revisit unresolved investigations.
Family members of Hicks also thanked the state for reopening the case and bringing it to a resolution, saying in a statement released by authorities that “Carrie is greatly missed.”
Because Ring is deceased, no criminal charges can be filed. State officials said the case has now been formally classified as solved.