In a heart-wrenching turn of events, Sierra Robinson, a 24-year-old Black/African American woman, was fatally shot on March 11, 2019, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her death was the beginning of a tragic saga that would also claim the life of her young daughter and leave another woman seriously injured. Robinson had traveled from Las Vegas to Milwaukee with the hope of being reunited with her two-year-old daughter, Noelani, who had been with her father, Dariaz Higgins.
The reunion, however,
was a deceptive trap. Higgins led Robinson and her friend to believe he would return the child. Instead, near 91st and Mill Road, he opened fire on both women. Robinson was shot multiple times and succumbed to her injuries at the scene. Her friend was also shot several times but miraculously survived the brutal attack. The shooting immediately sparked a desperate search for the missing toddler, Noelani, and an Amber Alert was issued.
The search for little Noelani ended in heartbreak just days later. Her body was discovered in a ditch along a highway in Minnesota. An autopsy later revealed that the toddler had died from blunt force trauma to the head. The investigation into this devastating double tragedy quickly pointed to one primary suspect: Dariaz Higgins. He was apprehended by authorities shortly after the shooting in Milwaukee.
Higgins faced a litany of charges for his violent crimes. He was charged with the first-degree intentional homicide of Sierra Robinson and the attempted first-degree intentional homicide of her friend. For these crimes in Wisconsin, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In addition to his life sentence, Higgins also faced a second-degree murder charge in Minnesota for the death of his daughter, Noelani. Another individual, Deloise Lipsey, was also charged in connection with the case for harboring or aiding a felon after the murders.
