Accordingly, we affirm Higgs's convictions and the sentences of death imposed by the district court. Having considered all issues raised by Higgs on appeal, as well as the question of “whether the sentence of death was imposed under the influence of passion, prejudice, or any other arbitrary factor and whether the evidence supports the special finding of the existence of an aggravating factor required to be considered under section 3592,” we find no reversible error. On appeal, Higgs challenges his convictions and sentences on multiple grounds.

§ 3591-3598 (West 2000 & Supp.2003) (the “FDPA” or “Act”), one for each murder and kidnapping count, and a consecutive 45-year sentence for the firearm convictions. Ultimately, Higgs received nine death sentences under the Federal Death Penalty Act of 1994, see 18 U.S.C.A. Higgs was also convicted of three counts of using a firearm “during and in relation to crime of violence.” 18 U.S.C.A. § 1201(a)(2) (West 2000), all of which are punishable by life imprisonment or death. § 1111(a) (West 2000), three counts of first-degree murder committed in the perpetration or attempted perpetration of a kidnapping, see id., and three counts of kidnapping resulting in death, see 18 U.S.C.A. Dustin John Higgs was subsequently convicted by a federal jury of three counts of first-degree premeditated murder, see 18 U.S.C.A. DiBiagio, United States Attorney, Sandra Wilkinson, Assistant United States Attorney, Greenbelt, MD, for Appellee.ĭuring the early morning hours of January 27, 1996, Tanji Jackson, Tamika Black, and Mishann Chinn were found murdered in the Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge in Prince George's County, Maryland. Hartung, Richmond, Virginia, for Appellant. Johnston, Assistant United States Attorney, Greenbelt, MD, for Appellee. Decided: December 22, 2003īefore WILKINS, Chief Judge, and LUTTIG and TRAXLER, Circuit Judges.ĪRGUED: Timothy Joseph Sullivan, Sullivan & Sullivan, College Park, MD, for Appellant. UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Biden's campaign has actively spoken out against the death penalty, citing the amount of wrongfully convicted inmates who have been given these sentences.United States Court of Appeals,Fourth Circuit. Meanwhile, President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to abolish the federal death penalty and to provide incentives to states for stopping death sentences as a part of his criminal justice plan. The federal government has authorised the executions of 13 federal death row inmates in about six months, CNN reported. In July 2019, then-Attorney General William Barr had resumed federal executions after a 17-year hiatus to 'bring justice to victims of the most horrific crimes'. Later in 2000, a Maryland jury found Higgs guilty of numerous federal offenses, including three counts of first-degree premeditated murder, three counts of first-degree felony murder, and three counts of kidnapping resulting in death, and unanimously recommended nine death sentences, which the court imposed, the statement said. He ordered the women out of the vehicle, gave a gun to one of the friends, and said, 'better make sure they're dead.' The other man shot Black and Jackson in the chest and back, and shot Chinn in the back of the head, killing all three women, CNN cited the statement. Higgs offered the women a ride back to DC, but instead drove to a secluded area in the Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge. In January 1996, Higgs along with two friends drove to Washington DC to pick up Black, Jackson, and Chinn, whom Higgs had invited to his apartment in Laurel, Maryland, according to a Department of Justice statement.Īt the apartment, Jackson rebuffed an advance by Higgs and the women left. Nolan also argued that Higgs was unfairly sentenced, since the actual gunman is serving a life sentence. According to CNN, Higgs' execution went forward despite his attorney, Shawn Nolan's appeal to delay the proceeding because of Higgs' Covid-19 diagnosis. Higgs' victims were Tamika Black, 19 Tanji Jackson, 21 and Mishann Chinn, 23. I did not order the murders,' he said while mentioning the three women by name. Until his death, Higgs maintained his innocence, and the tone of his voice was calm but defiant as he said his final words, according to a pool report. Higgs became the 13th and last federal death row inmate to be executed since the US Justice Department restarted federal executions in July 2019, CNN reported. Washington, January 16 (ANI): Outgoing US President Donald Trump's administration carried out its last federal execution when Dustin John Higgs, convicted of kidnapping and murdering three women in 1996, was executed in the early hours of Saturday.

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