Wall heard testimony Dec. 5 from investigators of the crime, members of the Ho and Higgins families and attorneys before setting Monday’s sentencing announcement.
“To go from a model citizen to ‘I murdered my roommate’ doesn’t happen,” Wall said.
Higgins had no criminal record; was described as hard working, with jobs delivering mail in Tipp City and serving as a lifeguard in Piqua; and was an active blood donor.
Wall made extensive comments on evidence in the case such as online searches about the strength of a human skull and what happens if a body is placed in a body of water, before imposing life without any parole eligibility. “The risk to the public is far too great,” she said.
Higgins earlier pleaded guilty to charges of murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence (two counts), theft and receiving stolen property. Police said abuse of the corpse involved the amputation of Ho’s thumb by Higgins so he could access Ho’s phone.
During the Dec. 5 hearing, defense lawyer Jose Lopez said Higgins admitted killing Ho from the beginning. “I cannot figure out what the motivation for it was,” Lopez said. “The acts are so inconsistent with the young man I came to know.”
County Prosecutor Tony Kendell called Higgins a “monster … He doesn’t deserve a second chance.”
Higgins told Troy Police Detective Capt. Jeff Kunkleman in an interview in which he admitted the killing that he had been planning to kill Ho for years, Kendell said.
Members of Ho’s family and his girlfriend all asked Wall to choose life without parole for Higgins. “He (Easton) was betrayed by someone he considered a friend,” one of Ho’s sisters said. Family members described Ho as “crazy smart,” and a black sheep in the family and society who loved Legos and his work at LJB Engineering. Others talked of the time he worked at Piqua Kroger, paying the bill for someone if they didn’t have enough money.
Members of Higgins family including an aunt, brother, grandmother and parents all testified they were stunned when they heard the allegations against him. They called him “quiet” and “caring,” saying they saw no propensity to violence.
Kunkleman testified Ho’s body was found April 15 in an Indiana creek. He suffered from wounds inflicted to the head, neck, chest and back by a hand sledgehammer and a knife with a 7-inch blade.
Ho was attacked while sleeping on the couch in an apartment he shared with his girlfriend and Higgins in Troy. Higgins further attacked Ho in the garage and then drove over him while he was under the car Higgins later used to take the body to Indiana. At one point in the interview before he confessed Higgins claimed Ho had abused him over the years, Kunkleman said.
In court Dec. 5, Higgins told Wall he couldn’t explain why he murdered Ho but was taking full responsibility for his actions. Wall said Monday if Higgins had been mistreated, he never reached out to anyone.
After Ho was reported missing by his roommates, including Higgins, police said they checked their apartment, finding evidence of blood in the garage, empty Clorox bottles in the recycling bin and what was described as an “almost overwhelming odor of Clorox.”
A deputy Montgomery County coroner testified about Ho’s autopsy. Sean Swiatkowski, D.O., said Ho suffered multiple blunt force injuries and sharp force injuries to his head, neck, chest and back, adding approximately 60 wounds were documented.
Family and friends of Ho have started a scholarship in his memory - The Easton Ho Scholarship for Rising Stars in Engineering, Architecture and Construction supporting the Piqua Education Foundation. More information is available at https://bit.ly/3ThuKMQ.
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