Jury selection begins in Louisville trial of mother charged in 2021 death of 10-year-old son

Trial begins nearly five years after child’s death

A Jefferson County jury is being selected this week in the case of Kaitlyn Higgins, a Louisville woman charged in the April 2021 killing of her 10-year-old son, Kyon Higgins Jr. Court proceedings are expected to move from jury selection to opening statements on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.

Higgins has been found competent to stand trial. She is charged with murder-domestic violence, first-degree criminal abuse, and tampering with physical evidence. If convicted of murder, she faces a possible life sentence under Kentucky law.

What investigators say happened on Algonquin Parkway

Police were called on the evening of April 20, 2021, to a home in the 1200 block of Algonquin Parkway after a 911 caller reported seeing a woman with a gun and a child wrapped in a blanket. Responding officers reported finding blood on the porch steps. Investigators then opened the trunk of a vehicle associated with the home and found the child’s body inside.

Higgins was arrested that night. Investigators have said she made statements to police indicating she shot her son and placed him in the trunk. The case has remained in the criminal court system through pretrial litigation and competency proceedings leading to this week’s trial start.

Charges and key issues likely to shape the trial

The prosecution and defense are expected to focus on several core questions for jurors, including the circumstances surrounding the child’s death, Higgins’ actions before and after the shooting, and whether the evidence supports the additional counts beyond murder.

• Murder-domestic violence: The charge alleges an intentional killing within a qualifying family relationship.

• First-degree criminal abuse: This count typically centers on serious physical injury or risk of injury to a child under circumstances showing extreme indifference.

• Tampering with physical evidence: Prosecutors generally use this charge when they allege evidence was concealed, altered, or moved to affect an investigation.

Broader community impact and policy response

The child’s death reverberated beyond the criminal case. In October 2021, Louisville Metro Council approved an ordinance aimed at strengthening cross-reporting and follow-up between animal-welfare investigations and potential violence toward people, after public attention focused on prior animal neglect citations linked to the defendant.

By the time jurors are sworn in, the case will have spanned nearly five years from the child’s death to trial, reflecting the complexity of serious felony prosecutions that include competency findings and extensive pretrial motions.

What happens next

With jury selection underway, the court is expected to proceed to opening statements on Feb. 10, followed by witness testimony and presentation of physical evidence. The trial will conclude with jury deliberations and, if needed, a separate sentencing phase.