Fight Bigamy

TV film takes look at convicted Chesapeake bigamist, Ed Hicks

A documentary is scheduled to air this week on Charles Edward Hicks, a 63-year-old former Chesapeake man convicted last year of bigamy.

Hicks' seven known marriages are the subject of the film, called "Very Bad Men: The Man Who Married Too Much." The documentary is to air at 10 p.m. Friday on the "We" cable channel.

Last year, Judge S. Bernard Goodwyn sentenced Hicks to five years in prison, with four years suspended. It was the stiffest sentence ever given to a bigamist in Virginia. Hicks was convicted of bigamy for relationships with his fifth and sixth wives, Rose Marie Sewell and Julie Flint.

Hicks married Flint in 1997 while still married to Sewell. Hicks and Flint lived in the Deep Creek section of Chesapeake when they were married.

He was the subject of at least two "Dr. Phil" television episodes last year. Hicks' seventh wife, Sandra Phipps, praised the documentary.

"This show is very different from the 'Dr. Phil' show, as it shows an in-depth view of Ed Hicks, serial bigamist, and how we brought him to justice," she said.

The film features interviews with people connected to the case, including Sandra Phipps, Julie Flint, Chesapeake Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Derek Wagner, who prosecuted the case, and Tom Jackman, the Washington Post reporter who exposed Hicks.

Even as Hicks faced prosecution in Chesapeake, he was proposing to an eighth woman in North Carolina. Authorities apprehended him after a woman watching one of the episodes of "Dr. Phil" recognized him as her sister's boyfriend.

By John Hopkins of The Virginian-Pilot

Very Bad Men, the Ed Hicks Story, Airs on WEtv Friday, May 18

Predators. Swindlers. Bigamists Masters of Fraud. The men who prey on friends and complete strangers alike. Very Bad Men is a seven-part, true crime series that exposes some of the most notorious cons on record. 

Very Bad Men, first shown in Canada on Global TV and filmed by Make Believe Media is now showing on cable's WEtv each Friday evening, with repeats early Saturday morning.

Meet the men who took what they wanted at any cost. The Don Juan of Con--bigamist William Michael Barber, The Sweetheart Swindler, The Man Who Married Too Much--bigamist Ed Hicks, The Messiah of Death, The Sweetheart Swindler, etc.
               
These men and their crimes fall across the spectrum - fraud, bigamy, larceny, crimes of passion, and murder.

Their methods, the tricks of their trade and the horrendous impact on their victims' lives - it's detailed in every episode - leaving little doubt that these are definitely some Very Bad Men.

The story of serial bigamist Ed Hicks airs Friday, May 18 at 10 PM. As many of you know, I was married to serial bigamist Ed Hicks, and as a result of my personal experience with bigamy, I began this blog in September 2005. Working together with the wife before me, Julie, we ensured that Ed Hicks was slapped with the toughest sentence ever handed a serial bigamist in the state of Virginia.

Read an overview of the episodes on WEtv's website. Read more in John Hopkins' Virginian-Pilot article.

Very Bad Men Airs Premiers on Global October 14

Predators. Swindlers. Masters of Fraud. The men who prey on friends and complete strangers alike. Very Bad Men is a seven-part, true crime series that exposes some of the most notorious cons on record, including serial bigamist Ed Hicks and the Don Juan of Con William Michael Barber.   

These men and their crimes fall across the spectrum - fraud, bigamy, larceny, crimes of passion , and murder. Their methods, the tricks of their trade and the horrendous impact on their victims' lives - it's detailed in every episode - leaving little doubt that these are definitely some Very Bad Men.

Read more in the synopsis of each episode. The series is currently running on Global's Mystery channel, and makes its premier on Global, October 14 with The Don Juan of Con (William Michael Barber). The Ed Hicks' story, The Man Who Married Too Much, airs on October 10 on Mystery, November 11and December 22 on Global.

Bigamist Con Man William Micheal Barber Story on the Montel Williams Show Monday, August 14

Michael William Barber is a serial bigamist and conman who is believed to have married at least 12 women, cheating many out of their life savings.

Police say he used at least 20 different aliases including William Barber, Chris Barber, and Chris James, and had five different social security numbers.

Barber swept women off their feet and then he cleaned out their savings accounts, lied to them, cheated on them, and even allegedly abused some. He told one wife he was a surgeon on sabbatical, he told one he was a former professional football player, he told another he was a Vietnam vet, and yet another he was a bio-terrorism expert. He told people he was shot in Vietnam. He said John Ashcroft was a good friend of his. He even told one wife he had leukemia. Nothing he said was true.

Tune into the Montel Williams Show on Monday, August 14. For show times in your area, check the local listings. Be sure to share your opinion about the show.

Donna Layne Roberts, who began the petition for the National Marriage Database, will appear with two of Barber's other wives, a former business associate and his wife, as well as Barber's sister.

An Officer and a Gentleman--Eric Cooper is Neither

Tonight, ABC-TV's 20/20 aired a follow up to their April 2005 show on Eric Cooper, the 30-year old convicted bigamist con man who was married or engaged to at least ten women in a ten-year period. The con man fathered four children and left a trail of destruction and heartbreak. Cooper was sentenced this past week to 15 years in prison for tampering with a government document.

Many of his wives joined forces to bring Cooper to justice and prevent him from doing this to another woman. They refer to themselves the "Ex-Wives Club".

Cooper claimed to me a former Navy SEAL, a Navy pilot, and a graduate of the Naval Academy. He used at least three aliases.

Be sure to watch the video and see Cooper attired in an orange jumpsuit as he tells his version of the story Don Dahler of 20/20.

Dr. Phil Con Man Bigamist Show To Air Again Friday, August 11

Tune in to Dr. Phil on Friday, August 11 for a show on con men...and bigamists. This is a re-run of the original show that aired on December 12, 2005.

As a result of the original airing, serial bigamist Ed Hicks was arrested in North Carolina immediately after the show aired when a viewer recognized him as the man who had just proposed to her sister. Hicks was sentenced for felony bigamy in May and received a five-year prison sentence; four years were suspended.

Read a synopsis of the show. View a video preview at Dr. Phil.com. And post a message on Dr. Phil's message board.

Check the Local Listings for the time and channel in your area.

A&E Investigative Reports-Bigamy

Airs: Tuesday, August 8, 2006 at 8am and 2 pm.
Investigative Reports™ - Intimate Deception explores this cruel and all-too-common crime with three cases. In one, a handsome model married four women at the same time, however he reaped little financial gain. Another man married three women in less than a year while still married to a fourth. Another bigamist, now in prison, was never prosecuted for bigamy but for fraud. He confesses to the camera that his crimes were for neither love nor pleasure, but only for money. One woman claimed he stole $26,000 from her after a six-week relationship. The investigation features interviews with the bigamist convicted of fraud, seven victims, a police psychologist, police officials and a convicted bigamist.

Bigamists are devious con-artists who wield the powerful weapon of love to become intimately involved with their victims only to leave them in emotional and financial ruin.

Bigamy is a felony in most states, but it's up to the courts to decide what price must be paid. Law enforcement officials agree that bigamists are hard-core criminals without feeling for their victims. More often than not, they fail to punish the offenders appropriately, and in many cases, those who do go to jail do so for other crimes. It happens with such frequency yet it’s an often-overlooked crime. Using trust and love as weapons, perpetrators leave behind a trail of shattered lives and lost dreams.

Bigamist Leaves Trail of Heartbroken Women Behind

Bigamist William Barber's "down and out" appearance may not make him look like a Casanova con man now, but before the law caught up with him, he left a trail of 12 wives heartbroken and financially damaged.

Shortly after his conviction, Inside Edition's April Woodard brought together three of Barber's ex-wives for the first time to talk about the man they all once loved.

His latest wife, Joyce Reynolds, is convinced of one thing Barber will never learn his lesson. "He's gonna find another woman, and he's gonna do the same thing all over again, I have no doubt," she told Inside Edition. Reynolds helped put Barber behind bars after she discovered that he was still married to another woman, Donna Layne Roberts. Roberts says Barber left her with nothing but an empty bank account.

In all, there may have been up to 12 wives as Barber spanned the country using 20 false names, four birthdays and several social security numbers.

Read the entire story on Inside Edition. The show aired April 18.

Casanova Con Man Bigamist, Eric Cooper, Proflied on Oprah

One man, Eric Cooper, conned nine women into marriage and engagements; he married seven of them in ten years.

Watch it on Oprah, Monday, February 13. For the time and channel in your area, check the local listings. Post a message on Oprah's message board.

An article about Eric Cooper appeared in the May 30, 2005 issue of People Magazine.

Eric Cooper currently sits in the Harris County Texas jail on tampering with a government record charge.

Ed Hicks Follow-up Dr. Phil Show

On Thursday, January 19 tune in to Dr. Phil for a follow up show featuring Ed Hicks' latest target, Barbara Grant and her sister, Linda Hembree.

For more information see a synopsis of the show . For the time and channel in your area, see Local Listings.

Also, you can post messages on the Dr. Phil Message Board.

Ed Hicks' Latest Victim Appeared on Good Morning America

On Thursday, December 15, Ed Hicks’ latest victim, Barbara Hembree appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America with her sister, Linda Hembree. 

Linda recognized Ed Hicks during Dr. Phil’s Monday show, Conned by a Con Artist when Ed Hicks' mask of sanity was removed in front of 10 million viewers. Linda called Barbara and then Linda called the police. Ed Hicks was arrested shortly thereafter on a fugitive warrant for the felony of bigamy. Ed Hicks currently sits in a jail cell in Mecklenberg County North Carolina where he is fighting extradition to Chesapeake, Virginia.

Ed Hicks proposed marriage to Barbara Hembree just two weeks ago. At the time, she declined the proposal, but she was thinking about it. He is still married to Sandra Hicks and an annulment between Ed Hicks and Julie Flint-Hicks was just finalized in late October. Sandra Hicks has filed for an annulment or a divorce, depending on the decision of a Fairfax County Virginia judge. Her civil case against Ed Hicks has been continued to March 2006.

Married to a Con Man...and Bigamist On Dr. Phil December 12

Tune in to Dr. Phil on Monday, December 12 for a show on con men...and bigamists.
Ed Hicks will be featured as well as another con man currently in prison.

Read a synopsis of the show. View a video preview at Dr. Phil.com. And post a message on Dr. Phil's message board.

Check the Local Listings for the time and channel in your area.

Tune In: Gwen Robinson's Bigamy Story Airs Sunday, October 30

 Anthony Glenn Owens marries 8 women; jailed for bigamy

On Sunday October 30^th 2005 at 10:30 PM Oxygen's Relentless will feature the story that was popular in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Gwendolyn Robinson, a divorced mother of two, she was retired from twenty years in the Air Force and had a master's degree in criminal justice. But she was swept off her feet by charming young minister Anthony Owens who, after a whirlwind romance, asked her father for her hand in marriage.

Soon after, a female pastor warned Gwen that she had seen Anthony introduce other women as his "wife" and warned Gwen that Anthony would steal from her. While playing the role of dutiful pastor's wife, Gwen switched into detective mode and found that her husband was an eight-time bigamist. She compiled a comprehensive history of his bigamy and swindling that resulted in an annulment for her and jail time for Anthony.

Serial Groom

DATELINE NBC
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2005 - 7:00  PM  ET
Be sure to watch or set your DVD's to record as Keith Morrison reports on a serial groom who left a trail of ex-wives scattered across the country...No it is not Ed Hicks in this report.

Check out Tune In often for postings about bigamists and their stories on upcoming TV shows. 

Anthony Glenn Owens Married to Eight Women at the Same Time

Anthony Glenn Owens was married to eight women at the same time. Read about his courageous wife, Gwen Robinson, who was able to investigate and find all Owens' wives. Through Gwen's efforts, Anthony Glenn Williams received a six years sentence, with two years to be served in jail.