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…