John R. Hicks (July 31, 1956 – November 29, 2005) was an American murderer executed by the U.S. state of Ohio.

After buying more cocaine, he realized his stepdaughter would place him at the crime scene and could be a potential witness.

His last plans in the apartment were to steal a checkbook, a ring, a .32 caliber pistol, and an ammunition box.

Hicks's lawyers have argued that under Ohio law, voluntary intoxication may be considered a mitigating factor in capital cases.

In their report, the parole board wrote that although he was intoxicated, the "merciless death" of his stepdaughter was premeditated.

The jury was also told that the final decision of whether to impose a death sentence rested with the trial judge.

Dr. Theodore Parran of the Case Western School of Medicine diagnosed Hicks with a psychotic decomposition and recommended that he be placed into a psychiatric facility for observation.

The nine-member Ohio Parole Board recommended unanimously on November 15, 2005, that Governor Bob Taft deny clemency for Hicks.