Dustin Higgs (10 March 1972 – present) is another federal prisoner on death row that Barr seems intent on having executed before Trump’s term is up on the 20th. His is an interesting case.

Higgs was at a party with 5 other people. The three women at the party got angry and left. The men; Higgs, Gloria and Haynes went to pick them up and offer them a ride home. Along the way they stopped the van, the three women and Haynes got out of the vehicle and Haynes shot and killed each one.

Victor Gloria cut a deal to testify against Higgs and was charged as an accessory and received a sentence of 7 years. Willis Haynes cut a deal to testify against Higgs and received a sentence of life in prison plus 45 years. Higgs, according to the other two had ordered the killing, and received the death penalty.

This is a travesty of justice. The case is described in this Baltimore Sun article. Victor Gloria later recanted his statements and said Higgs neither ordered nor threatened him to commit the murders. Either way, Gloria committed the murders, not Higgs.

Higgs was scheduled to be executed on Thursday January 15th. A Federal Judge has put the execution on hold until further notice. Let’s hope the US Supreme Court doesn’t clear the way for his execution like they did with Lisa Montgomery.