аЯрЁБс>ўџ 24ўџџџ1џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅС#` №ПкbjbjЁЁ * УУкџџџџџџЄ2іііі  2w Šіјјјјјј$ hi b     1 ЪЪЪ RіЪ іЪЪЪ АЫRKМЧіђ.Ъъ G 0w ЪЫ  Ы ЪЫ Ъ .Ъ< HX  Р w     222Фі222і222џџџџ 17-News Update Chaz Higgs Guilty! Life With Possibility Trial In The Death Of State Controller Augustine by Johnny Gunn On Friday afternoon, June 29, a Washoe District Court jury handed down the verdict of guilty in the death of Nevada Controller Kathy Augustine. Augustine's husband Chaz Higgs stood silent at the verdict was read, and showed little emotion when the same jury said he should serve life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years. Following a two-day delay, the prosecution and defense gave their final statements on Thursday, June 28 and District Judge Kosach turned the case over to Chaz Higgs's 12-peers. There are many things that took place during this trial that could have contributed to the guilty vote including Higgs's attempted suicide, a note from him, and suggestions that the FBI forensic lab took the case on a wing and prayer. For the second time since the death of his wife, Chaz Higgs has attempted suicide without success, some saying it was a grand stand play, others saying he was sincere in trying to end his life. Regardless, his trial for the murder of Kathy Augustine, Nevada State Controller, was temporarily suspended. Higgs was free on $250,000 bail at the time, and following his release from the hospital, District Judge Steven Kosach revoked bail. He has been spending his evenings in County lockup under suicide watch. Following a day of questioning on the witness stand, Higgs apparently went home and used a kitchen butcher knife to slash his wrists. He had done the same thing following the death of Augustine. Higgs was to have faced another full day of witness stand grilling by the prosecution if the trial had continued. Speculation on the second suicide attempt wraps itself around every angle from simply an act; maybe an attempt to focus on him instead of Augustine; or he felt he had justified himself and it was time to end his time on earth. Whether or not some kind of psychological defense might develop never took place when trial resumed. Augustine had been impeached but was not removed from office and Higgs had testified that he had convinced her to get out of politics. Instead, she announced her candidacy for State Treasurer, and Higgs said that was when he asked for a divorce. Shortly thereafter, Augustine was found unconscious, not breathing, and her heart had stopped pumping. One piece of damaging evidence came from first responders who noted that Higgs was not employing CPR when they arrived. Following her death three days later it was discovered she may have been killed by an injection of the paralyzing drug succinylcholine. Higgs is a critical care nurse and at least one other nurse has testified that he said that would be his drug of choice if he was to kill someone. Defense attorneys are calling into question whether or not the drug was naturally occurring or whether it had been injected. They are also questioning the FBI forensic investigation. Augustine's impeachment led from her use of state employees and material during her reelection campaign in 2002. A state ethics panel found her guilty and fined her $15,000, which was paid before her death. In a note to the Nevada Observer the controller pointed out that the fine had been paid in full. The guilty verdict from the ethics panel automatically brought impeachment charges before the legislature. The Assembly voted unanimously on three charges and impeached Augustine who then stood trial before the Senate. That trial was more of a political show than an impeachment trial, and of the three charges, Augustine was found guilty of one. She was not removed from office. Known throughout her political career as fiery and with a quick temper, Augustine refused to relinquish her office. Because of term limits she would not have been allowed to run for reelection and opted for the office of State Treasurer. In his testimony, Higgs attempted to portray Augustine as a crusader who had found discrepancies in the treasurer's office and was being threatened by other political forces even to receiving death threats. Those have not been previously reported. Higgs believes Augustine died of heart failure brought on by the overwhelming situations she had found herself in. There has been conflicting testimony from various forensic experts on whether or not Augustine died from heart failure, poisoning, or something else. The jury believed poison administered by her husband. Higgs was led from the courtroom in shackles amid great smiles from the Augustine family. ••• 9:jl{дкјшпЯјУИјh/eAh‘ŒOJQJh/eAh‘Œ5OJQJh/eAh‘Œ5CJ$OJQJaJ$h‘Œ5OJQJh/eAh‘Œ5CJ0OJQJaJ0h‘ŒOJQJ$:Vkl{б n o ЈѓЫ >@­ежꧧјјјјјј§§§§§§§§§§§§§ј$a$кў(Аа/ Ар=!А"А# $ %ААаАа а†œH@ёџH Normal CJOJPJQJ_HmH sH tH DAђџЁD Default Paragraph FontVi@ѓџГV  Table Normal :V і4ж4ж laі (k@єџС(No List lўOђl Style1+ Ц& 0`Р№ P€Ар@B*CJOJPJQJtH uк џџџџ$:Vkl{бnoЈѓЫ   > @­ежм˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€к ккџџ@ˆ:|kT oмzм>*€urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags €PersonName€ №ю“ $LRkoŸЃB Q м)-@Blnм33399zzааmmnnЇЇђђЪ Ъ Ÿ Ÿ = = ??ЌЌйммх/eA‘Œмџ@д|выддка@џџUnknownџџџџџџџџџџџџG‡z €џTimes New Roman5€Symbol3& ‡z €џArialS PalatinoBook AntiquaK‡р@ŸPalatino Linotype3‡z €џTimes"qˆ№аhВьЖІВ ЗЊ0  Њ0 !№ЅРДД€24dбб„№ппHX)№џ?фџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџ/eA2џџ17-News Update Johnny GunnOEMўџр…ŸђљOhЋ‘+'Гй0`ˆЈДШдф №ќ  ( 4@HPXф17-News Update Johnny GunnNormalOEM4Microsoft Office Word@`4<@ѓїИКЧ@”ЦLKМЧЊ0ўџеЭеœ.“—+,љЎ0 hpˆ˜  ЈАИР Ш уфNevada Observer  бФ 17-News Update Title ўџџџўџџџ ўџџџ"#$%&'(ўџџџ*+,-./0ўџџџ§џџџ3ўџџџўџџџўџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџRoot Entryџџџџџџџџ РF †RKМЧ5€Data џџџџџџџџџџџџ1TableџџџџWordDocumentџџџџ* SummaryInformation(џџџџџџџџџџџџ!DocumentSummaryInformation8џџџџџџџџ)CompObjџџџџџџџџџџџџqџџџџџџџџџџџџўџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџўџ џџџџ РFMicrosoft Office Word Document MSWordDocWord.Document.8є9Вq