On August 20, 2024, the life of 37-year-old Kyle E. Higgins of Topeka, Kansas, was tragically cut short in a series of events that began with a reported armed robbery. Early that morning, Topeka police were dispatched following a report of a vehicle being stolen at gunpoint near Southwest 29th Street and Macvicar Avenue. The situation was further complicated by the fact that a child was inside the vehicle when it was taken by individuals known to the car's owner.
Fortunately, the child was located unharmed a short time later.
Law enforcement officers spotted the stolen vehicle near Southeast 35th and Indiana and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. The driver, however, fled, leading to a brief pursuit that concluded when the vehicle crashed into a pole near Southeast 29th and Minnesota. Two suspects immediately fled the scene on foot but were quickly apprehended by the police. Both individuals were taken to a local hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries sustained in the crash.
Later that same morning, around 8:30 a.m., police received a call about an unresponsive male in the 2200 block of Southwest 29th Street. The man was identified as Kyle Earl Higgins. He was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, to which he would later succumb. Investigators quickly drew a connection between Higgins' death and the armed robbery and subsequent police chase that had unfolded earlier in the day. His death was declared the city's 13th homicide of the year.
As the investigation progressed, two suspects were arrested in connection with the death of Kyle Higgins. Lorenzo A. Pattmon III, 21, and Rammelo H. Boatwright, 24, both from Topeka, were taken into custody. They faced a litany of charges, including first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, and aggravated child endangerment. At the time of their arrests, it was noted that Boatwright was on parole for previous convictions, and Pattmon was on probation. Subsequently, Lorenzo A. Pattmon III was found guilty of the murder of Kyle Higgins.
