In the quiet, early morning hours of March 14, 1997, a tragic event shattered the small town of Higginson, Arkansas. Patrol Officer Daniel Philip Longstreet, a 39-year-old White male, was found shot to death inside his patrol car. A United States Army veteran who had served in the Persian Gulf, Longstreet was one of only two full-time officers in the town of roughly 300 residents. He had been with the Higginson Police Department for two years and was known for his dedication. On that fateful morning, he was sitting in his vehicle in a vacant lot when an assailant approached and fired multiple shots through the passenger side window, ending his life. Residents who heard the gunshots went to investigate and made the grim discovery.
The investigation into the officer's murder quickly focused on a 27-year-old man named Timothy Lee Askins. Officer Longstreet had arrested Askins on several occasions and was scheduled to testify against him in an upcoming insurance fraud case. This looming testimony provided a clear motive for the crime. Authorities believed Askins sought to silence the officer to avoid conviction. The case against him was strengthened when his own family members began to cooperate with the police.
Investigators learned that Askins had not acted alone. His 18-year-old sister, Kristie Fulgham, and her 17-year-old husband, Jess Allan Fulgham, were implicated in the crime. Jess Fulgham admitted to driving Askins to the scene of the murder and providing him with the firearm used in the attack. Kristie Fulgham later told police that her brother had bragged about killing the officer. With mounting evidence, including gunshot residue found on Askins' jacket and statements from his accomplices, he was arrested and charged with capital murder about a month after the shooting.
On September 8, 1997, during a preliminary arraignment, Timothy Lee Askins unexpectedly pleaded guilty to capital murder. He was immediately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. For his role in transporting the killer to the scene, Jess Allan Fulgham was convicted of first-degree murder and received a 30-year prison sentence. Kristie Fulgham pleaded guilty to hindering apprehension and was sentenced to six years in prison. The swift resolution of the case brought a measure of justice, but the loss of Officer Longstreet, a husband and father of three daughters, left a lasting scar on his family and the close-knit community he had sworn to protect.
