Robert Nixon sometimes had an accomplice to his acts, Earl Hicks (a.k.a. Howard Jones Green). Hicks was sent from Chicago to Los Angeles and taken to the Wordens' former room at the Astoria Apartments. He admitted to the L.A. police that he beat 12-year-old Marguerite on the head with the butt of a pistol, but denied taking part in a sexual assault or using a brick. Hicks said that he and Nixon stole eight dollars from the Wordens (equivalent to approximately $ in ). In addition, he confessed to attacking Zoe Damrell, for which he was sentenced to five-years-to-life.
