Is 74-year-old Lexington woman to blame for husband’s death? A jury will decide
A woman accused of murder in the death of her elderly husband appeared in court for trial on Monday – more than five years after the death.
Carol Ann Hignite, 74, is charged with murder, knowingly abusing or neglecting an elderly person and third-degree arson after her husband, 76-year-old Leon Dewayne Hignite, was found dead in their Holly Springs Drive home.
On Monday, prosecutors and the defense argued over whether or not Leon Hignite’s fatal injuries were caused by a fall or by his wife. The 74-year-old’s defense team said Leon Hignite suffered serious injuries in a fall and was already dealing with severe health problems. But prosecutors have alleged that Carol Hignite actually beat her husband with a hammer before neglecting him.
At the time of the incident, Carol Hignite told investigators that her husband fell the night of Sept. 25, 2017 but that he had fallen before and recovered, according to court records. Carol Hignite said her husband hit his head on the bathroom sink when he tried to get up from the fall, causing additional injuries. She was unable to get in the bathroom because it was locked.
About 15 minutes later, he came out of the bathroom, where there was a “substantial amount of blood,” according to court records. She laid him on the bedroom floor, according to court records.
Carol Hignite said she checked on her husband periodically, but didn’t think his injuries were severe enough to call an ambulance, according to court records. He was down on the floor for days before she called emergency services on Sept. 28.
The same day that Leon Hignite was taken to the hospital, detectives executed a search warrant at the Holly Springs Drive house. When the detectives went inside, they smelled smoke and saw smoke “rising through the house,” according to court records. The Lexington Fire Department extinguished the fire and found that it appeared to have started in the basement of the home.
Prosecutors: Victim was intentionally attacked and neglected
While first laying out the case for the jury Monday, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Mary Tobin asserted that Carol Hignite attacked her husband with a hammer and left him on the floor for three days with no food, water or medical attention.
“Three days later, she woke up, showered and got dressed, did her hair and makeup, and called the primary care physician,” Tobin said.
Once she did, the primary care physician told Carol Hignite to call 911 immediately.
Tobin said Leon Hignite was unresponsive, dehydrated, had lacerations to his head and was lying in own filth when police and fire arrived at the scene. There was blood on the walls and ceiling, as well as on the bedroom floor around his head. Photos showed Leon Hignite wedged underneath a bed frame in the bedroom.
Penn Edward, a paramedic and firefighter with the Lexington Fire Department testified that Leon Hignite appeared emaciated.
Jamie Johnson, a former patrol officer with Lexington police, said in court that Carol Hignite “had no emotion” when he arrived at the home to interview her.
“She seemed unattached. Not like her husband had been lying on the floor for three days,” he said. “Typically when we arrive people run out to meet me at my car — I can’t get there fast enough. This was nothing like that.”
“When police became suspicious, she set her house on fire,” Tobin said.
According to Tobin, health care providers who took care of Leon Hignite said he sustained an extensive brain injury, a collapsed lung, broken ribs, a broken leg, a fractured orbital socket and bed sores. Doctors noted these injuries were atypical to a fall.
Tobin said the state medical examiner found Leon Hignite had 33 lacerations to his head, and that his cause of death was blunt force trauma sustained from an assault.
Tobin said the defendant was in complete control of Leon Hignite, whom never stood up to her. Carol and Leon’s daughter, Heather Hignite, said her mother was “dominating.”
“She was in complete control of everything,” Heather Hignite said.
Defense: Victim had medical issues which contributed to fall
Carol Hignite’s defense team, led by attorney Russell Baldani and Tucker Richardson, said the central issue of the case was not whether or not Carol Hignite neglected Leon Hignite’s injuries, but whether or not she caused them.
“This is undeniable that Dewayne suffered a tragic, undignified and heartbreaking death — there is no question,” Richardson said. “It’s also really no question that Carol neglected to call for medical help sooner than she did.”
Carol Hignite’s defense team argued that Leon Hignite fell and hit his head repeatedly on the bathroom sink. They also said he had poor health prior to the fall, which contributed to his injuries and appearance when he was found.
Defense said Leon Hignite “neglected his health” for several years, and that his last visit to the doctor was in 2013 in an attempt to get a jury excuse.
It was argued by defense that after Leon Hignite had fallen, Carol Hignite could not get into the bathroom to help because the door was jammed. Once she did, defense said Leon Hignite indicated he wanted to remain on the floor “because he had a bad back.”
“She left him there to go to sleep, and laid a towel down to catch the blood coming out of his head,” Richardson said.
Richardson said Carol Hignite cut off her husband’s underwear and cleaned him up after he soiled himself, and put a blanket over him. Defense said she used a hammer to crush up ice cubes to feed her husband ice chips as he lay on the floor.
As Leon Hignite’s health declined over several days, Richardson said Carol Hignite decided to call emergency services.
Once she was arrested, Richardson said their client answered every question and agreed to everything police asked her to do. She gave fingerprints and DNA willingly to officers.
He said officers neglected to test the sink for any evidence that Leon Hignite did hit his head on the sink.
“...She maintains to this day she is not guilty of (charges) concerning Dewayne,” Richardson said. “We ask that you keep an open mind, and wait until the end to make a decision. The burden of proof falls on the Commonwealth to prove that she is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
“...They will not be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she caused the death of her husband,” he said. “They are not going to be able to prove that Carol started that fire.”
Following opening arguments Monday morning, state prosecutors began calling witnesses to testify. The trial is scheduled to last until Thursday.
This story was originally published December 19, 2022 at 1:14 PM.
CORRECTION: Attorney Tucker Richardson made the opening statement for Carol Ann Hignite’s defense team. This information was incorrect in a previous version of this story.
