On February 28, 2024, Nikkia D. Beck, 43, was sentenced to ten years of probation by President Judge Wade A. Kagarise of Blair County after pleading guilty to conspiring to engage in human trafficking, sexual exploitation of children, corruption of minors, and criminal use of a communication facility. According to the government, this negotiated sentence was the result of Beck’s cooperation and testimony during her co-conspirator’s trial. As we previously reported, her co-conspirator and cousin, Donald Hetrick, was found guilty in Blair County’s first human trafficking trial.
Beck was initially arrested in December 2022, followed by Hetrick’s arrest in January 2023. The investigation began when a friend of Beck discovered disturbing text messages on Becks phone and reported it to the police. During this investigation, police found that Beck and Hetrick rented rooms at an Antis Township motel, Comfort Inn and Suites. According to testimony, Beck’s 13-year-old daughter and her 14-year-old female friend were invited to the motel during Easter weekend, where Beck and Hetrick were staying in adjacent rooms.
From the evidence that was collected, state police found text messages between Beck and Hetrick, which included language from Hetrick expressing his interest in engaging in sexual activity with Beck’s daughters 14-year-old female friend. In these text messages, Hetrick also sought Beck’s help to get the 14-year-old girl to stay in his room, with specific texts sent to Beck with language like: “Please make it happen. Work your magic,” promising he would pay the 14-year-old $100 to lay on his bed and let him “explore her for like 45 minutes.”
While the two minor girls were staying at the motel, it was reported that they both became intoxicated from drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana while in Hetrick’s room. During Hetrick’s jury trial, the victim stated that upon returning to Beck’s room with Beck’s daughter, Beck told her that she would either have to find a ride home or return to Hetrick’s room. Because she had no cell phone, driver’s license, or ride, the victim had no choice but to return to Hetrick’s room. According to the victim, once in his room, she fell asleep and woke up to Hetrick on top of her with his hands inside of her. Hetrick eventually raped her while she was in and out of sleep due to intoxication.
Although Beck eventually pleaded guilty, Hetrick maintained his innocence. At trial, the jury convicted him of human trafficking, conspiring to engage in human trafficking, raping an unconscious victim, statutory sexual assault, sexual exploitation of children, three counts of corruption of minors, unlawful contact with a minor, and criminal use of a communication facility. Hetrick is now incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution at Somerset, where he is serving a sentence of 21 to 47 years.
Under Pennsylvania law, an individual is guilty of trafficking if they recruit, entice, solicit, patronize, obtain, advertise, or maintain another person for a commercial sex act. Further, under both federal and state law, any commercial sexual exploitation of minors constitutes sex trafficking because children cannot consent to be bought or sold for sex. To be guilty of sex trafficking of a child, the prosecution must only prove that the defendants engaged in recruiting, enticing, soliciting, patronizing, advertising, harboring, transporting, providing, obtaining, or maintaining a minor who is or will be subject to sexual servitude. Because the victim in this case is a minor, the government did not need to prove the defendant knew or recklessly disregarded the victim’s age.
Here, Beck’s conviction is appropriate because she knowingly collaborated with Hetrick to get the minor victim in his hotel room, fully aware that he intended to engage in sexual acts with the victim. By enticing the minor victim to go back to Hetrick’s room and exchanging explicit messages with Hetrick coordinating his rape of the unconscious minor, Beck actively participated in conduct that satisfies the elements of the human trafficking charge.
The CSE Institute commends the efforts of the Hollidaysburg State Police and the Blair County District Attorney’s Office for their diligent investigation and prosecution of Beck’s and Hetrick’s crimes, as well as for their appropriate application of Pennsylvania’s human trafficking statute.
More importantly, the CSE Institute commends the incredible bravery of the minor victims who spoke to Hetrick and Beck’s criminal behavior. Without a doubt, survivor voices are the driving force behind meaningful change in the fight against sex trafficking.
We continue to urge organizations to establish proper procedures for investigating and effectively handling reports of abuse in hopes of facilitating relief and justice for potential victims, as well as urge prosecutors statewide to utilize Pennsylvania’s human trafficking statute when appropriate.
The CSE Institute will continue to provide updates as they become available.
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or of Villanova University.