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Thread: Derek Connell Sentenced to LWOP in 2016 CA Slayings of Kim Higginbotham and Christopher Higginbotham

  1. #1
    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Derek Connell Sentenced to LWOP in 2016 CA Slayings of Kim Higginbotham and Christopher Higginbotham


    Derek Connell, left, is accused of killing mum Kim Higginbotham and his stepdad Christopher, right


    Scot faces death penalty after being charged with killing his Glaswegian mum and American stepdad

    Derek Connell – who was brought up in Shawlands in Glasgow – is alleged to have shot his mum Kim Higginbotham and her husband Christopher in a bloody rampage.

    A SCOT has been charged with murdering his mother and stepfather by shooting them at their home in the US.

    Derek Connell, 29, is facing the death penalty after being accused of killing Scots mum Kim Higginbotham and her American husband Christopher in a bloody rampage.

    The couple were found dead at their home in Bakersfield, California, on April 30 by police officers who were called to the scene.

    Connell, originally from Glasgow, is also alleged to have taken a video of their dead bodies on his mobile phone and sent it to a relative.

    He has denied the murders and claimed he arrived home to find his mother and stepfather already dead.

    Police records state Mrs Higginbotham, 48, was found lying in a pool of blood in the hall of the property with a spent bullet near her body.

    Mr Higginbotham, 48, was lying face down in a pool of blood and police said it appeared bleach had been poured on his skin and clothing in an effort to clean up the crime scene.

    Two shotguns, five handguns and seven rifles were seized from the home.

    Connell was born in Rutherglen Maternity Hospital and lived with his mother in Shawlands on Glasgow's south side as a child. No details of his father were listed on his birth certificate.

    Mrs Higginbotham worked as a secretary in Glasgow and met her future husband while he was stationed with the US navy in Scotland.

    She moved with her son to be with Mr Higginbotham when he went back to America more than 20 years ago and the family settled in southern California.

    Connell is being held in custody without bail while he awaits trial on two counts of first degree murder.

    Court documents state Connell told police he did not know what to do when he found the bodies and lay next to his mother face-to-face for an undetermined amount of time.

    Connell said he tried to clean up the blood before he left the house and began driving around in circles.

    According to police, Connell said: "I probably didn't handle the situation like I was supposed to. I had never had to deal with anything like that before."

    Connell also told officers that his stepfather had large gambling debts from betting on horse racing and boxing matches and had used a loan shark.

    Connell also claimed to have served in the US Army in Afghanistan and Iraq.

    Mrs Higginbotham had worked for the last 16 years as a kindergarten teacher at the nearby Princeton Street Elementary School. A minute's silence was held at the school following her death.

    James Hay, director of student support services at Delano Union School District, said: "There was some intense grieving on the part of the staff.

    Mrs Higginbotham was a fixture at that school and was highly respected. Her loss is going to be deeply felt."

    Her husband worked at a power plant.

    Neighbours in the quiet residential area told of their shock at the death of the couple.

    Kim Riddle, whose children grew up with Connell, said the family moved into the neighbourhood when he was seven or eight.

    She said "They were not real sociable but I guess they knew everybody because the group mailbox was right here in front of their house.

    "When Derek came home from school, he had to do his homework right then and there and was not allowed to go out until it was all done. I did the same thing but after a while as my son got older, I was a little lax."

    Fellow neighbour Jana Owen said: "It really is a shock. I just feel so sad. Just to see them going out in body bags made me about want to vomit."

    http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/cr...-after-7937224

  2. #2
    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Scot facing Death Row for killing parents opts for 'military trauma' defense

    A Scottish-born army veteran accused of killing his parents will try to save himself from execution in America by arguing that he is severely traumatised after fighting in Iraq for the United States.

    Derek Connell, from Glasgow, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder after being charged with murdering his mother and stepfather in the US.

    Police in Bakersfield, California, found the bodies of Kim and Christopher Higginbotham shot dead in their home on April 30 and arrested Connell as he was seen leaving the property.

    http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/1...ce/?ref=twtrec

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    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Man on facing death row claims Mexican loan shark is to blame for his mother and stepfathers’ deaths

    By Graham McKendry
    Sunday Post

    A SCOT accused of shooting dead his mother and stepfather has blamed the killings on a Mexican loan shark.

    Derek Connell, 29, was arrested after the bodies of Paisley-born Kim Higgin-botham and husband Christopher were found in a pool of blood at their home in Bakersfield, California, on April 30.

    Connell will face the death penalty if convicted.

    According to newly released police transcripts, he initially blamed a Mexican money lender called “Nacho” for the killings.

    He said his stepdad had run up massive debts to Nacho – and that the mysterious loan shark was responsible for shooting him.

    Detective David Brooks, who grilled Connell, said: “I told him he was a coward and that he should admit what happened to provide closure to the family.”

    Californian police were tipped off by concerned family members in Scotland who had received a mobile phone message from Connell which read “mom is dead”.

    When officers arrived at the house they found Connell – originally from Shawlands, Glasgow – trying to drive away in a 4×4 smelling of alcohol.

    They also noticed he had blood on his trousers and marks consistent with bleach stains.

    He told them, “My parents are shot in the house”, and was immediately handcuffed and taken into custody.

    Then over a series of interviews lasting more than five hours, unemployed oil worker Connell gave officers his side of the story.

    Senior detective Kenneth Sporer said throughout the grilling he “did not show any emotion”.

    Connell claimed that, after discovering the bodies, he “lay down next to mom” before attempting to clean up the crime scene using “that stuff you put in the dishwasher”.

    He said he also planned to take the bodies to a funeral home “to avoid issues with the police”.

    Asked what he would say to his mother and stepfather if they were in front of him, he replied: “I love them.”

    Connell’s next court appearance will be in July.

    https://www.sundaypost.com/news/man-...athers-deaths/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  4. #4
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
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    Derek Connell will not face death penalty if convicted in murder of mother and stepfather

    BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Prosecutors have waived the death penalty for Derek Connell, who was arrested for the murder of his mother and stepfather in April 2016, 23ABC News has confirmed.

    Connell now faces the maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted of the murders.

    Accused of killing Christopher Tare Higginbotham and Kim Higginbotham at their home on Lily Pad Court, just south of Olive Drive, Connell said "I think it was me," during questioning with police.

    He was originally scheduled to begin his trial on February 27, 2017, but the trial was delayed until January 29, 2018.

    http://www.turnto23.com/news/local-n...and-stepfather

  5. #5
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    April 3, 2019

    Trial date confirmed for man accused of killing mom, stepfather


    By KGET News

    A trial date in November was confirmed Wednesday for a man charged with murder in the slayings of his mother and stepfather at their northwest Bakersfield home.

    The trial of Derek Connell, 32, is scheduled to begin Nov. 4 and last 2 1/2 months, Deputy Public Defender Paul Cadman said in court. Cadman stood next to Connell and blocked a photographer from getting video of his client.

    Connell in prior court appearances had a full head of hair. He now sports a shaved head and a beard.

    Cadman has said Connell suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and an array of medical and mental conditions stemming from his years serving overseas in the U.S. Army. Connell served from 2005 to 2008 and was less than honorably discharged due to an incident involving alcohol, according to court documents.

    Connell is accused of gunning down his mother, Kim Higginbotham, and stepfather, Christopher Tare Higginbotham, both 48, on April 30, 2016, at their home Lily Pad Court. Police said in court filings that Connell used FaceTime to send video of the bodies to a relative outside the country and told the relative he found the couple dead upon entering the home.

    It appeared bleach had been poured on the body of Christopher Tare Higginbotham in an effort to clean up, according to the documents.

    Interviewed by Bakersfield police detectives, Connell said he’s responsible for the killings but doesn’t remember what happened.

    “I mean obviously I think there was, you know, I think it was me, but I don’t know how,” the documents say Connell told detectives.

    Investigators seized two shotguns, five handguns and seven rifles from the home. Connell said the guns belonged to his stepfather, according to the documents.

    Kim Higginbotham was a 16-year teacher with the Delano Union School District and one of four kindergarten teachers at Princeton Street Elementary School in Delano. Christopher Higginbotham worked for Chevron Global Power at the Bakersfield Kern River Cogen, a co-generation power plant.

    A readiness hearing is scheduled for Oct. 25.

    https://www.kget.com/news/trial-date...om-stepfather/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  6. #6
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    Derek Connell sentenced to life without parole in murder of his mother and stepfather

    By 23ABC

    Derek Connell, 33, who was found guilty in the 2016 shooting deaths of his mother and stepfather has been sentenced to life in prison. Earlier this month a jury returned a guilty verdict of first-degree murder in the death of Connell's stepfather, Chris Higginbotham. He was also found guilty of second-degree murder of his mother, Kim Higginbotham.

    On Thursday, Connell was sentenced to 25 years times three and life in prison without parole.

    On April 30, 2016, officers responded to the Higginbotham home on Lily Pad Court in Northwest Bakersfield to find a bloody scene. Chris's body was laying face-down covered in bleach and comet cleaning powder. He had been shot multiple times. Kim was found approximately 20-feet away with a single gunshot wound.

    Police said they were alerted to the scene by Kim's sister in Ireland. She told officers her nephew, Connell, Facetimed her the crime scene.

    During the trial, Connell testified that he did not kill his mother, but shot his stepfather in an act of self-defense.

    Connell testified that his stepfather sexually abused and molested him from the ages of 10 to 14-years-old. He testified that on the night of the killings, Connell finally told his mother about the abuse. According to Connell, she confonted his stepfather who then killed his mother.

    Connell testified that after his stepfather killed his mother, a struggle ensued and Connell shot his stepfather.

    The prosecution argued during closing arguments that Connell repeatedly lied to police during the investigation and therefor his testimony of what happened that night could not be trusted.

    During the investigation, Connell was interviewed three separate times and each time, his story changed. The prosecution pointed out that during the first interview Connell "swore to God" he was telling the truth, only to admit later on that his original statement was a lie.

    https://www.turnto23.com/news/crime/...and-stepfather

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