KENTWOOD, Mich. — Seven witnesses testified in Javonte Higgins’ preliminary hearing.
Higgins is charged with murdering David and Vivian Bouwman of Kentwood.
Tuesday morning, each witness helped piece together Javonte Higgins’ movement from early to mid-January. Three officers, a friend of Higgins, and the man who helped Higgins leave the state were among the witnesses who take the stand.
A Kentwood officer described the discovery of the Bouwman’s bodies inside their home on Stowevalley, January 5th. A neighbor reported an attempted break-in at his home and saw tracks leading to the Bouwman’s home.
“That house was neat and tidy. I didn’t notice anything ransacked like usual (breaking and enterings),” Troy Boeskool said.
Kamari Boyd, a friend of Higgins, described how Higgins didn’t seem his usual self the night before. He said Higgins ended up showing up at his apartment at 4 a.m. with a Cadillac.
On the stand, Boyd and the prosecutor had the following exchange:
Boyd: “I was coming out of my sleep and everything. So I didn’t know what to tell him. He just kept saying, ‘I got to get rid of this car.’”
Prosecutor: “Did you give any suggestions or anything like that?”
Boyd: “No, I didn’t.”
Prosecutor: “Did he say anything else about what had happened?”
Boyd: “Yes, ‘some people got shot.'”
Prosecutor: “Did he say who?”
Boyd: “No.”
Boyd said he didn’t want any part of it. That night, he said Higgins took a bucket full of rock salt. It was in Boyd’s parking lot. He said Higgins dumped the salt out and left.
An investigation revealed that Higgins filled the bucket with fuel and set the stolen car on fire. Larhonda Johnson testified that she woke up Saturday morning to a loud honking sound coming from outside of her apartments at Arbor Park in Wyoming.
She said she opened her blinds and saw the flames.
Rundy Williams took the stand. He helped Higgins leave the state.
“He wanted to leave Grand Rapids to start another life,” Williams recalled.
During the trip, Williams said he became increasingly suspicious that Higgins was the man on the news who was wanted by police.
“What I was asking him, ‘Was that him on TV they looking for?’ He told me, “No.” It didn’t look like him. That`s why I wasn’t sure,” Williams said.
Later that night, Williams said there was a contradiction by Higgins.
“I asked him a question. I said was the guy with you when this happened? he said `no, I was by myself,”
The next morning while they were on the road, Higgins run from police came to an end.
“We pull out the parking lot. The next thing I know I`m looking in the rearview mirror. Police coming forward and they were coming all in back of me. They had the whole car surrounded,” Williams described.
The two were arrested. Williams was held and questioned for few hours and was then let go.
The prosecution is looking for two more witnesses to testify. The preliminary examination was adjourned until October the 14th.
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