Milwaukee man charged in Minnesota in death of daughter
A Milwaukee man is being charged with second-degree murder in the death of his 2-year-old daughter in Minnesota.
Dariaz Lewis Higgins, 35, was charged Thursday with felony second degree murder-without intent in the death of his daughter, Noelani Robinson.
In Wisconsin, Higgins is also facing first-degree intentional homicide, attempted homicide and first-degree recklessly endangering safety in the shooting death of Noelani’s mother, Sierra Robinson, 24, and wounding Lynaettia Parker, 40.
A jury trial is expected to begin in Milwaukee in early April.
In Minnesota, second degree murder-without intent is a similar penalty to first degree reckless homicide, which carries a sentence of up to 40 years in prison.
According to the Minnesota criminal complaint: On March 11 of last year, an Amber Alert was sent out in an attempt to locate Noelani. Higgins was arrested in Milwaukee on March 13 in the death of Sierra Robinson.
During discussions with investigators, Higgins said he was with Noelani at the Rodeway Inn Motel in Austin, Minnesota, days earlier and she fell off a toilet and hit her head and died.
Higgins then returned to Milwaukee to get a vehicle, drove back to Austin on March 10, put Noelani’s body in the car and began to drive to Minneapolis.
During the drive, he said he stopped by the side of the road and put the girl’s body in a ditch. A passerby found her body on March 15.
An autopsy was conducted and it was determined that Noelani died from “non-accidental blunt force trauma.”