'Ran from her home to escape': Man shot and killed his ex-girlfriend as she flagged down a police officer during domestic violence attack

A New Jersey antheral volition walk the remainder of his beingness down bars for shooting and killing his ex-girlfriend extracurricular of her ain location portion she flagged down a constabulary serviceman for help.

In precocious December 2025, 53-year-old Andre Higgs, was convicted by a assemblage of his peers successful Essex County for the 2015 execution of 27-year-old Latrena May, a longtime teacher astatine Pride Academy Charter School successful East Orange. The unfortunate and the slayer had antecedently been successful a relationship.

On Friday, the suspect was sentenced to beingness successful situation connected the murder charge, a 75-year condemnation successful the Garden State. He was additionally sentenced to 20 years successful situation for related weapons charges.

The underlying incidental occurred precocious connected the nighttime of May 1, 2015, pursuing an statement betwixt Higgs and May extracurricular the woman's location connected Tremont Avenue successful East Orange – a suburb of New York City.

Ultimately, the woman's decease was a tragic substance of rage, home violence, and devastating timing.

"The shooting occurred aft May ran from her location to flight an onslaught by Higgs and flagged down a constabulary vehicle," prosecutors explained successful a press release. "As East Orange Detective Kemon Lee exited his conveyance and approached, Higgs fired aggregate shots astatine May."

The detective returned occurrence and deed the slayer successful the legs. Then, Higgs retreated backmost into May's location wherever the victim's 4-year-old girl was inactive asleep. After barricading himself wrong the residence, helium was yet arrested.

Higgs was primitively sentenced to beingness successful situation successful 2017 pursuing a proceedings and condemnation for May's murder. But that condemnation was overturned by the New Jersey Supreme Court successful 2023, which granted him a caller trial.

In the ruling, the justices recovered that defence attorneys should person been granted entree to Lee's "internal affairs file, which included anterior incidents of the serviceman firing his limb portion connected duty" and should person been capable to question the detective astir those anterior incidents.

But a 2nd proceedings did not effect successful a materially antithetic outcome.

Higgs was recovered blameworthy of execution successful the archetypal degree, second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun, first-degree unlawful possession of a handgun by a idiosyncratic who has antecedently been convicted of a transgression nether the No Early Release Act, and second-degree definite persons not to person weapons.

"This 2nd condemnation for execution for Andre Higgs was imaginable lone due to the fact that of the brave witnesses who erstwhile again came guardant to attest astir the defendant's callous actions," authoritative Justin Edwab said. "As we said successful 2017 and repetition today, Detective Kemon Lee was a leader that time for responding to Latrena May and attempting to prevention her from the grip of her abuser."

Under a precocious passed New Jersey law, Higgs indispensable service 85 percent of his condemnation earlier helium is eligible for merchandise – which equates to conscionable shy of 64 years connected the execution condemnation alone.

"While nary condemnation tin bring backmost Latrena May, we anticipation that knowing Higgs volition walk the remainder of his beingness successful situation provides the May household with immoderate measurement of bid and serves arsenic a solemn acknowledgment of their profound loss," Edwab added successful comments to NJ.com.