AUSTIN, MN (trfnews.i234.me) – In a tragic case that shook the community, Dariaz Higgins, 40, faced sentencing on Wednesday, April 3, for the murder of his 2-year-old daughter, Noelani Robinson, in March 2019. Higgins, already serving a life sentence for another murder, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Mower County District Court.
1. The Gruesome Discovery:
On March 15, 2019, a horrifying discovery was made by an off-duty Steele County Department of Public Works employee who found the body of a child wrapped in a blanket in a ditch. The child was identified as Noelani Robinson, the daughter of Dariaz Higgins.
2. Higgins’ Confession:
Higgins confessed to the police that his daughter died after falling off the toilet at a hotel in Austin. He admitted to wrapping her body in a blanket and disposing of it in a ditch a few days later because he believed she was already dead. However, an autopsy revealed that the cause of her death was non-accidental blunt force trauma, contradicting Higgins’ account.
3. Legal Outcome:
Given his guilty plea, Higgins received a 210-month prison sentence. This adds to his existing life sentence for the murder of his daughter’s mother. The sentencing brings a measure of closure to a heartbreaking case that has deeply affected the community.
The tragic fate of Noelani Robinson serves as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of domestic violence and child abuse.