Police said Higgins died at Kettering Medical Center after an altercation with Smith at a Troy residence. The report said Higgins was having difficulty breathing so an ambulance was called to the South Walnut Street residence.
Smith appeared before Judge Christopher Gee in county Common Pleas Court on April 9, seeking a new lawyer and asking for reduction of $300,000 bail set at his arraignment on the involuntary manslaughter indictment. The request for a new lawyer was denied and a bond check through the pretrial services office was ordered by Gee.
In denying the request for lower bail, Gee wrote that the bond check showed Smith has served three prison terms for felony drug trafficking, aggravated burglary and burglary. He also noted that the involuntary manslaughter charge carries mandatory prison time, if Smith is convicted of the offense, that Smith was on post-release control at the time of the alleged offense and there also is a detainer order for Smith pending from Greene County.
A jury trial for Smith is scheduled for June 5.
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