Dustin Higgs didn’t fire a fatal shot-but he’s being executed tonight.
On January 26, 1996, Dustin Higgs, Willis Haynes, and Victor Gloria met Tamika Black, Mishann Chinn, and Tanji Jackson, and took them to Higgs’ apartment, where the women stayed there all night. In the morning, an argument broke out. Haynes convinced the women to get into the van, and Higgs drove away. The women would never go home.
The men stopped on the Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge, which was federal land.What everyone agrees on is that Haynes took a pistol and shot the three women behind the van. From there, the story becomes murky.
The defense says that Higgs had no idea that Haynes would kill the women. Higgs himself corroborates this. After the murders, the three men drove away. The prosecution has a different story. They say that Higgs ordered Haynes to shoot the women. Victor Gloria said that Higgs handed the pistol to Haynes, and told him to make sure that the women were dead. However, Gloria received a generous deal from the prosecutors for his testimony. He was only sentenced to seven years, as an accessory. Furthermore, Gloria changed his story. At first, he said he was sleeping in the backseat and the shots woke him up. It was only later that he told the police about witnessing Higgs threaten Haynes.
Willis Haynes, the one who fired the shots, was sentenced to life plus 45 years. Dustin Higgs was sentenced to death. In a statement from Higgs’ attorney, Shawn Nolan, Nolan states “All witnesses agree that the sole shooter was Mr. Higgs’ co-defendant, Willis Haynes, who was…sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release. It would be arbitrary and inequitable to punish Mr. Higgs more severely than the person who committed the murders.” Nolan also mentions that Higgs has been a “model prisoner” and “an active, engaged, and dedicated parent” to his son, Da’Quan, who was born shortly after Higgs’ arrest.
Higgs also has COVID-19, which further complicates things. If the execution goes forward, everyone who came in contact with Higgs would be in danger. The guards who will escort him, the executioners, and others may all get sick.
How culpable should Higgs be held? Can Victor Gloria’s testimony be trusted? And is carrying on the execution worth it if it endangers others?
