Fayette County prosecutors are gearing up for a second attempt to convict 76-year-old Carol Ann Hignite of her husband’s murder. The new jury trial is set to begin Monday, following the first trial’s dramatic mistrial in December 2023, which caught national attention. After eight hours of deliberation, the jurors in the first trial announced they were “hopelessly deadlocked,” unable to agree on a verdict.
Hignite faces charges of murder, abusing or neglecting an elderly person, and arson. Prosecutors argue that she killed her husband, Leon Dewayne Hignite, with a hammer, left his body for days, and later set their home on fire. However, her defense attorneys claim it was all a tragic series of accidents, saying Leon had severe health issues, fell in the bathroom, and the fire wasn’t intentional. Carol Hignite has remained in jail since her arrest, just days after her husband was found dead.
In the first trial, Carol gave her version of events to investigators. She said her husband fell in the bathroom of their Holly Springs Drive home, near Lane Allen Road, on the night of September 25, 2017. According to her, Leon fell a second time and hit his head on the sink. Since the bathroom door was locked, she claimed she couldn’t get in to help him. After he managed to leave the bathroom, Carol said she checked on him periodically but didn’t think his injuries were serious enough to call for medical help. He remained on the bedroom floor for several days before she finally called emergency services on September 28.
During the first trial, prosecutors speculated about possible motives. They suggested Carol might have wanted to leave and didn’t want to take her husband along, or perhaps she lost her temper and went too far. Carol’s defense team at the time, led by attorneys Russell Baldani and Tucker Richardson, argued otherwise. After the trial, Baldani revealed that the jury had been leaning toward a not-guilty verdict for arson and guilty for elderly abuse, but one juror refused to convict her of murder, leading to the mistrial.
In February 2023, after the mistrial, a bond hearing was held to determine whether Carol could be released while awaiting her second trial. At that hearing, Elizabeth Yellstrom, the juror who held out, testified on Carol’s behalf, stating she believed in her innocence. Despite this, Fayette Circuit Judge Diane Minnifield denied bond, stating Carol posed a danger to the community. Baldani and Richardson then withdrew as her attorneys, citing Carol’s inability to afford further legal fees or the costs of expert witnesses needed for a second trial.
This time around, Carol has a new legal team, including Ben Church, J. Parker Mincy, and Natalie Hurst-Rollins. They’ve already made several requests to the court, including excluding testimony from the Hignites’ daughter and a Lexington police officer, as well as banning the use of the words “blood spatter” and certain photos of Carol in a hospital bed. The judge ruled that “blood spatter” and the photos could be used, but decisions on the testimony of the daughter and the officer will be made as the trial unfolds. The court has also barred any mention of the first trial during this new proceeding.
Jury selection started on Thursday, and opening arguments from prosecutors are scheduled for Monday. With a new defense team and unresolved questions from the first trial, all eyes are on the courtroom to see what unfolds in this high-profile case.