Defendant In Child Abuse Cases Found Dead

Authorities found a Northeast Texas man on trial for multiple child sexual abuse charges who was supposed to be in court Wednesday morning dead. The body of 63-year-old Randal Hawkins of Dekalb, Texas, was in a vehicle parked on County Road 3202 in Dekalb. Investigators found that Hawkins had a gunshot wound to the chest and a 9mm beside him on the front seat.