Kathy Augustine - Death and Subsequent Investigation

Death and Subsequent Investigation

On July 8, 2006, Augustine was found unconscious in her Reno, Nevada, home, and died four days later without regaining consciousness. Although early reports stated that the cause of death was a massive heart attack, police soon came to suspect foul play. Following Augustine's death, Steve Martin, an accountant and Republican candidate in the 2006 State Controller race was appointed by Governor Kenny Guinn to succeed her. Augustine is buried at Davis Memorial Park in Las Vegas, Nevada.

On July 14, 2006, Augustine's husband, Chaz Higgs, attempted suicide by slitting his wrists in the couple's Las Vegas home. Higgs was arrested in Hampton, Virginia, on September 29, 2006, and charged with first degree murder in her death after an FBI toxicology test found a paralyzing drug, succinylcholine, in Augustine's system. Higgs, a critical care nurse, allegedly made suspicious remarks to a co-worker about how to kill someone undetectably using succinylcholine. He was extradited back to Nevada. The warrant and test results were kept secret until Higgs's arrest.

Higgs was convicted of murder by a Reno, Nevada, jury on June 29, 2007. He was sentenced to life in prison, with a chance of parole after 20 years. He is on suicide watch after twice trying to kill himself while in custody. He is housed in the High Desert State Prison in Indian Springs, Nevada. In May 2009, the Nevada Supreme Court upheld Higgs' murder conviction in a majority decision.